‘We’re not going into Connacht just to make up the numbers’

A tricky test away to Ardagh in the AIB Connacht Junior Club Championship already looked daunting for St. Aidan’s on Saturday next in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, Castlebar, given that Mayo clubs have won this championship seven times in the 11 seasons since Fuerty became the second and last Roscommon club to prevail.

There was an added layer of difficulty added when Four Roads endured a traumatic defeat to Tooreen in Saturday’s IHC quarter-final, with several dual players involved in both panels and both teams. But St. Aidan’s manager Thomas Finneran was still in high spirits as he spoke about the challenge facing his team at 1.30 p.m. this Saturday.

“Winning the Roscommon Junior A Championship was an important achievement for everyone involved in St. Aidan’s. It meant a lot to the players, their families and the wider community, and it was our main goal from the first time we met up as a group,” he told the Roscommon Herald.

“But we’re not going into Connacht just to make up the numbers. We’ve earned the right to be here, and we want to make the most of it.

“Ardagh are Mayo champions for a reason. They’ve got good footballers and we know it’s a step up. We’ll have to be at our best. But we’ve good footballers ourselves and we believe we can compete with them,” the St. Aidan’s manager continued.

Mayo senior panelist James Carr is the most widely recognisable name on the Ardagh side and a sign of his commitment to his team’s provincial aspirations is that he is foregoing the Mayo team holiday to Barbados, which departed early this week.

In general, this Ardagh team are a physical and mature group, with a sprinkle of attacking stardust provided by Carr, and by former Mayo minor attacker Tony Carey — scorer of 0-5 in their comprehensive county final win over Eastern Gaels and a player very much on Andy Moran’s radar.

Finneran said that while on paper, St. Aidan’s will have to find some improvement, he firmly believes that this improvement is there, and the challenge will be to deliver it on Saturday.

“One of the things that excites me about this group is the age profile,” he said.

“We’ve a lot of young lads who’ve developed throughout the year, along with experienced players who’ve shown leadership. There’s a good spirit in the group, competition for places is strong and I think there’s more in this team.

“The lads have worked hard since the start of the year. They’ve shown character and resilience, particularly when games have been in the balance. We’ll need those qualities again in Connacht.

“For me, it’s about getting our own performance right. We know the standards we need to reach. If we get the basics right, bring the workrate, intensity and discipline, we’ll give ourselves every chance.

“There’s a great feeling of goodwill around the club at the moment and the support we’ve received has meant a lot to everyone involved.

“We’re under no illusions about the challenge ahead, but we’re not travelling to Castlebar just to participate. We believe in this group, we believe we can compete and we’re going there to win,” he concluded.