St. John’s Athletic riding on the crest of a wave
St. John's Athletic manager, Keith Reynolds, is hoping that his side can take another famous scalp in the Connacht Cup on Sunday next. Picture: Bernie O'Farrell
At a time when a man in the Oval Office has tested global boundaries with tariffs, a Roscommon soccer club will be aiming to test its own boundaries when its flagship side compete on three fronts over the coming weeks.
St. John’s Athletic is in the midst of an historic season as the club prepares for its first-ever Connacht Cup semi-final this Sunday (kick off 2 p.m.). With the club also fighting to win its first-ever league and inaugural Challenge Cup, this is a special time for everyone associated with the Lecarrow-based club.
As St. John’s prepare to host arguably the biggest game in the club’s 40-year history, their manager Keith Reynolds admits that the area is on a crest of a wave right now.
“There has been great buzz around the last couple of weeks and that was even before the Westport game (in the Connacht Cup quarter-final). The Westport game has got everyone in the village and in the parish talking about what might be on for us.
“The club is 40 years old this year, so all the volunteers and locals are talking about the old times. Hopefully, we can get them to a Connacht Cup final, a Roscommon Cup final and hopefully we can bring home the Premier Division title — all for the first time ever," Reynolds stated.
St. John’s Athletic face a tall order as they come up against reigning champions Castlebar Celtic, who have won this prestigious competition more than anybody else.
The underdogs tag is a familiar one for St. John’s as they shocked Westport United 3-2 to book Sunday’s date with destiny.
“We knew we were the underdogs with everyone. Anyone that is involved in football had written us off, except our own dressing room. We know what we can do on our day, and we know we can beat anyone. The opposition needs to really play very well to overcome us.
“I wasn’t surprised with the performance against Westport. We know what we can do on our day. As with any team sport, everyone has to be on their A game especially against Castlebar, which is probably going up another level to be honest,” he noted.
Reynolds believes this memorable season has been possible due to continuous hard work behind the scenes.
“This didn’t happen overnight. Aidan O’Beirne has taken the helm for a long, log time and he deserves great credit, and Anthony Beades has also steadied the ship. Then we have Tony O’Sullivan, who came in as coach this year and he has been a fabulous addition.
“There is huge potential in this team. After we came back training on July 22nd last year, we had a team meeting before the season started. There was a core group of 30 lads there, so they are fully committed. A lot of people have taken the club to where it is today,” he claimed.
And there’s the exciting possibility of more to come.
