Reid hoping script has a happy ending

and revealed there is a small bit of extra motivation to draw on.

‘It’s another game, but what makes it different is it’s a final and a championship final and we’ve been fortunate enough to play in quite a few of them, especially this team here, we’re still hanging about.

‘We know the preparation that has worked for us in the past so nothing changes and we just go in with that same mindset and hopefully it will be enough.

‘The Joes beat us in 2006 and it still rings very clear when they beat us with a late point. We always felt if we got over that game we would have been confident of winning another championship, but you can’t take it way from the Joes, they deserved it that year. But personally I’ll be looking for a bit of revenge for that one.’

Finally pulling through to win an intermediate semi-final after losing four on the bounce lifted a huge weight off St Joseph’s shoulders, and Conal O’Hanlon feels the pressure is off to some extent heading into Sunday’s showdown with Mattock Rangers. ‘WE lost four semi-finals in four years so we thought we’d never get through. Wayne McKeever was there for the first one - he beat us with O’Connell’s - so it’s good to have him working on our side this time.

‘Everyone is just looking forward to the final now. Mattock are going in as favourites, so we just want to concentrate on playing like we know we can and hope that’s enough to get the result.’

It has been a very positive season for the Joe’s under McKeever and with a number of players now coming back from injury, they seem to be timing their run nicely.

‘We got to the league playoff final too and Wayne has everyone out training and enjoying it.

‘We’re getting a few boys back too. The likes of Darragh Smyth and Alan McKenna are still big losses and even Conor Murtagh from the last couple of years, but we have young lads coming in like Cian McGuinness and Cillian Staunton who have really drove the team on.’

The young guns were instrumental in the semi-final win over Hunterstown, which Conall saw as a major psychological boost.

‘It’s been a while since we’d beaten Hunterstown and we’d lost so many semi-finals. We had a big win over them a couple of years ago, but they beat us last year and again in the league this year, so it was good to get one over on them again.’

With eight green flags raised the Joe’s are the top goalscorers in the intermediate grade this year and O’Hanlon agrees that has been a big factor in reaching the final.

‘We’re good at scoring them, and conceding them too! But this year we’ve tightened up the defence and we’re still scoring the goals too.’

Facing Mattock Rangers will be a new experience for most of the Joe’s squad and O’Hanlon feels they are worthy