Cup dream a reality
Credit: Extratime Team (ETPhotos)
In Pete Mahon’s programme notes before our FAI Cup quarter-final versus Sporting Final he said, ‘If a week is a long time in politics then four days is an entirety in football’. I would have to echo Pete’s sentiments going into one of the, if not the most important game of our season.
Having suffered back-to-back defeats over four days to our bitter rival Shamrock Rovers and then to lose a one goal lead to UCD and finish up on the wrong end of a 3-2 scoreline, the feeling in the Pats' camp before the Fingal game was low.
So with all that in mind, the Cup quarter-final came as a welcome distraction from our disappointing league form. The fact that the final is on in the Aviva Stadium definitely is an added incentive this season, as if any were needed.
Having been lucky enough to have won the Cup once with Drogheda, the adulation that goes with the FAI Cup can sometimes surpass the reaction of winning a league. That was certainly the case when I won the Cup with Drogheda in 2005. Over 20,000 supporters turned up in the old Landsdowne Road and between eight to ten thousand people showed up on the main street in Drogheda to welcome us back on the Sunday night after our triumph over Cork.
In a strange way, and I don’t have an explanation for it, supporters can sometimes react better to winning the FAI Cup than any other competition in Ireland. I have spoken with a few current and ex-players about this and we are not sure why this is the case. Maybe it’s the prestige of the Cup or the one-off occasion that football fans in Ireland have fallen in love with.
1961 was the last time 'Pats were successful in the Cup and at the press briefing on Wednesday before our game many journalists wondered, if that was on the players' minds. 49 years since the last Pats team to win the Cup is certainly a long time but it is not something the current group can think too much about, or we will put ourselves under more pressure than is necessary.
The current group of players at Pats is one of the most committed and honest teams I have played with. I feel our hard work would be well rewarded with a cup final this season. As players we have sacrificed a lot this year to put ourselves in a decent position in the league (compared to last year anyway), and the Cup final is something I would have said at the start of the season would be a realistic target. It will be a disappointment personally as well as collectively for the group of players and staff at Pats, if we don’t make it to the Aviva.
Turning up to the ground early on the Saturday morning was certainly an unusual feeling compared to the night games we are used too. When Pete was naming his side, I was surprised to be named at centre-half. Shane Guthrie turned up at the ground and failed a late fitness test. So that meant I was playing at centre-half, drafted into the position I started my professional career at in England.
The game itself was exciting for the small crowd that turned up. We managed to go in at half time one up through a great goal by Ryan Guy. Having lost two leads in our last two games, it made for an interesting team talk from Pete but I suspect you can work out the gist of it.
On 52 minutes, a rare occasion for me, I was actually allowed go up for a corner due to playing centre-half. I am not sure if the Fingal players were expecting me to turn up in the box but I found myself free five yards from goal, with a chance to add to my one goal already this season. Thankfully for me my header went in off Alan Kirby on the line, and we were two up and I had scored my second of the season.
Just as we finished our celebrations, Fingal went straight down the other end and pulled one back through a brilliant strike from Shaun Williams. Pete decided to shake thing up with our strikers and Vinny Faherty came on and showed why he is considered one of the best young forwards in the league. While playing on his own up front he finished the game with a brilliant individual goal.
Thankfully we're through, and a step closer to ending the 49 year wait. Immediately after the game, all talk in the dressing room switched to who our possible opponents could be in the semi-final. As it turned out, the top four teams in the league made it into the draw and we were looking for one thing - a home game. Unfortunately the footballing Gods weren't listening and they presented us with an away tie against current league leaders Shamrock Rovers and the South Dublin rivalry was back on.
After suffering a 3-1 defeat at home against Rovers recently, that will be something we will be trying to remedy in the semi-final. We have put in two excellent displays in Tallaght this year against Rovers, winning once and losing the second game when we should have been awarded a goal in the last minute. So as it stands it is a tough draw but we will be quietly confident going into the game, hoping we can make it to the Aviva in early November.
Having suffered back-to-back defeats over four days to our bitter rival Shamrock Rovers and then to lose a one goal lead to UCD and finish up on the wrong end of a 3-2 scoreline, the feeling in the Pats' camp before the Fingal game was low.
So with all that in mind, the Cup quarter-final came as a welcome distraction from our disappointing league form. The fact that the final is on in the Aviva Stadium definitely is an added incentive this season, as if any were needed.
Having been lucky enough to have won the Cup once with Drogheda, the adulation that goes with the FAI Cup can sometimes surpass the reaction of winning a league. That was certainly the case when I won the Cup with Drogheda in 2005. Over 20,000 supporters turned up in the old Landsdowne Road and between eight to ten thousand people showed up on the main street in Drogheda to welcome us back on the Sunday night after our triumph over Cork.
In a strange way, and I don’t have an explanation for it, supporters can sometimes react better to winning the FAI Cup than any other competition in Ireland. I have spoken with a few current and ex-players about this and we are not sure why this is the case. Maybe it’s the prestige of the Cup or the one-off occasion that football fans in Ireland have fallen in love with.
1961 was the last time 'Pats were successful in the Cup and at the press briefing on Wednesday before our game many journalists wondered, if that was on the players' minds. 49 years since the last Pats team to win the Cup is certainly a long time but it is not something the current group can think too much about, or we will put ourselves under more pressure than is necessary.
The current group of players at Pats is one of the most committed and honest teams I have played with. I feel our hard work would be well rewarded with a cup final this season. As players we have sacrificed a lot this year to put ourselves in a decent position in the league (compared to last year anyway), and the Cup final is something I would have said at the start of the season would be a realistic target. It will be a disappointment personally as well as collectively for the group of players and staff at Pats, if we don’t make it to the Aviva.
Turning up to the ground early on the Saturday morning was certainly an unusual feeling compared to the night games we are used too. When Pete was naming his side, I was surprised to be named at centre-half. Shane Guthrie turned up at the ground and failed a late fitness test. So that meant I was playing at centre-half, drafted into the position I started my professional career at in England.
The game itself was exciting for the small crowd that turned up. We managed to go in at half time one up through a great goal by Ryan Guy. Having lost two leads in our last two games, it made for an interesting team talk from Pete but I suspect you can work out the gist of it.
On 52 minutes, a rare occasion for me, I was actually allowed go up for a corner due to playing centre-half. I am not sure if the Fingal players were expecting me to turn up in the box but I found myself free five yards from goal, with a chance to add to my one goal already this season. Thankfully for me my header went in off Alan Kirby on the line, and we were two up and I had scored my second of the season.
Just as we finished our celebrations, Fingal went straight down the other end and pulled one back through a brilliant strike from Shaun Williams. Pete decided to shake thing up with our strikers and Vinny Faherty came on and showed why he is considered one of the best young forwards in the league. While playing on his own up front he finished the game with a brilliant individual goal.
Thankfully we're through, and a step closer to ending the 49 year wait. Immediately after the game, all talk in the dressing room switched to who our possible opponents could be in the semi-final. As it turned out, the top four teams in the league made it into the draw and we were looking for one thing - a home game. Unfortunately the footballing Gods weren't listening and they presented us with an away tie against current league leaders Shamrock Rovers and the South Dublin rivalry was back on.
After suffering a 3-1 defeat at home against Rovers recently, that will be something we will be trying to remedy in the semi-final. We have put in two excellent displays in Tallaght this year against Rovers, winning once and losing the second game when we should have been awarded a goal in the last minute. So as it stands it is a tough draw but we will be quietly confident going into the game, hoping we can make it to the Aviva in early November.
About Damian Lynch
Premier Perspective: Damian Lynch is an extratime.ie columnist giving his views on the current state of the league as well as his own personal performance with St. Patricks Athletic. The Saints' skipper will give his … View Full Profile