Cup final a perfect remedy for Hughes

Sitting in the fourth official’s dugout in Tolka Park, Shelbourne’s Philly Hughes looks out over the turf upon which he saw the First Division title slip away. Cork City’s winning goal, deep into injury time, still prays on the minds of Hughes and his teammates.

“It was a sickening feeling,” says Hughes. “I suppose all of us are still trying to get over it. We’ve worked hard all year, and to come so close to winning the league…”

The wound from that 2-1 defeat is still quite raw. It was essentially the last action of the season that swung the League to their opponents. Of course, they had already been promoted back to the Premier Division, but that is of little comfort at the moment.

“People were telling me on Saturday night and Sunday, “at least you got promoted,” but it still doesn’t make it hurt any less.

“With the squad we have I thought, as we’ve shown this season, that we were good enough to win the league. But I don’t think we lost the league on Saturday night.

 

“We’ve been great all year but every team has a bad run. I suppose we just had our bad run in the last few games rather than mid-way through the season.

“It wasn’t to be for us and we’ll get over that now and build up to Sunday.”

The FAI Cup Final could be the perfect remedy for Hughes after the weekend’s disappointment.

“It is something to look forward to. We have this game and there’s no pressure on us. We can go out and enjoy ourselves. We’re not expected to win against a top Premier Division side.”

Hughes is sure that the underdog tag will benefit his comrades when they go out to battle Sligo Rovers at the Aviva Stadium this Sunday.

“We’ll go into the game with a freedom to try and play. We’ll try and work hard, we’ll try to close them down.

“We approach every game as if we can score goals, we’ve done it all year. We create chances. We’re good going forward. Defensively we’ve been very good all year too. We’re stepping up a level now but the same principals still apply.”

Sligo will provide difficult opposition though. Paul Cook’s men are much admired by the neutrals for their free-flowing style of football, and Hughes certainly respects that.

“Sligo are probably the best passing team in the league. We played them here in the EA Sports Cup. We worked hard and got in their faces. We tried to stop them playing and it worked for seventy minutes. But then they showed their bit of class in the end to win it. If we can do the same again and maybe just hold out for the full ninety...”

Some might suggest that Shels are destined to lift the Cup on Sunday, that they’re meant to win it. Sheriff Youth Club beat them 3-2 earlier in the competition only to be found to have fielded an ineligible player. Alan Matthews’ team got a second chance.

They then came through a replayed semi-final with St. Pat’s, finally beating them 3-1 that night in Inchicore, stunning their city rivals. This could be their year.

This could be Hughes’s year too. A journeyman striker, he has found some of the best form of his career this year under Alan Mathews in Drumcondra, becoming absolutely integral to the team.

Right now it is a little grey over Tolka Park. The stands still haven’t been cleared after the weekend’s disappointment. That result leaves a certain sobriety in the build up to Sunday, yet there is certainly hope.

“It’s going to be hard. It’s an uphill task. But if we can nick a goal and maybe hold on to it, then hopefully we can win the cup. That’s the plan.”

A wry smile graces his lips as he contemplates the task ahead, but Philly Hughes is in no doubt that it really is possible.