Collon boss hopes Stabannon can be home from home
MATTOCK Rangers manager Niall Callan says he’s been delighted with his side’s ongoing run in the Leinster Intermediate Championship as they prepare for the visit of Wicklow’s Dunlavin in the semi-finals this coming Saturday.
Having won both at home and on the road so far in the competition, the former Mattock star forward is happy with how his troops have switched their mindset from county to province in successful fashion.
‘Yeah, happy enough with how things have gone,’ Callan beamed.
‘You are never really sure going into the unknown, but very happy so far. You are not as familiar with teams, so you are going into the unknown a little bit.
‘You do as much research and looking up teams you are playing against as you can, but you really don’t know because you are only looking at one or two games as opposed to if you are going into local championship games where you are very familiar with teams and players.’
Aside from 2009, when Portlaoise humbled the Collon men by 25 points in a first-round tie in Drogheda, the Leinster setting has been good to Mattock Rangers down the years.
The obvious highlight was reaching the Senior decider in 2002 and according to Callan the secret to success outside your county confines is down to playing with sheer abandon.
‘I suppose you’ve got a little bit more freedom to play and express yourself,’ Callan admitted.
‘I think the players that we have and have had were able to express themselves that little bit more when they play in the province.’
The provincial run is a holistic thing for Collon and enables both the team and the village as a whole to experience a shortened winter.
‘From experience, it gives the village a good lift,’ Callan revealed.
‘You get a lot of people getting behind us and backing us. It makes for a great atmosphere on the day and the days building up to the games.’
On Saturday, Mattock return to their adopted home for 2019, Stabannon, to take on Wicklow champions Dunlavin (throw-in 2pm).
The venue has seen the red and blacks win four times already this season. On the last day they had just too much for Monasterevan and of course Stabannon also hosted the
Louth Intermediate Final when Mattock triumphed against Kilkerley Emmets, so it is no surprise that Callan is hoping to build on that familiarity.
‘Happy with Stabannon so far,’ he said. ‘The place been good to us and you know it is a top surface and it is suiting us so far, so long may it continue.’
Callan, though, is firmly focused with on-the-field stuff and the tricky proposition that lies ahead of Mattock at the weekend.
‘We’ve seen a little bit of them, not too much. They look a decent outfit, with quite a few decent footballers.
‘We’ll have to be wary and concentrate on their main men, I suppose, but we’ll worry about ourselves mostly,’ he concluded.