Fossa thank Evans after County Junior final win

Timmy Sheehan soaked up some of the good vibrations from Fossa’s famous County Junior Championship victory on Sunday

THERE are many unsung heroes who work unselfishly behind the scenes for years without ever seeing their admirable efforts being rewarded with silverware, so it was easy to relate to the joy and emotion expressed by a former chairman of Fossa, James O’Shea in the immediate aftermath of the success.

“This is a massive day for the club, it was our first county final, forty-six years in existence, and I suppose after the last day, and the draw, we really came here more in hope than anything else, and to pull out a win playing such brilliant football was brilliant for the club. The actual support we have, I think there is nobody left in Fossa today.

“We have a fabulous under age structure, but also you would have to take your hat off to John Evans. John has come in and he has brought the actual professionalism to another level. First thing he got a super back room team behind him, of Fossa stalwarts really. Willie Buckley and James Cahillane both trained all the underage teams up along, Denis Myers, Dan McKenna, Dermot Clifford.

“And the players themselves, you had lads coming down from Cork three nights a week, down from college, life is put on hold really.

“We got promotion, we won the East Kerry Division Two, we won the East Kerry Intermediate Championship, we now have won our first Junior title, and we have a play-off next Sunday against Na Gaeil for the winner of Division Four, so it has been a fabulous year all the way through.

“But we have to say, John Evans what a man. He is now after bringing Fossa from a level which we didn’t think was achievable, and our aim next year will have to be the Junior Premier and go to Division Two.”

As a team manager John Evans has enjoyed much success in the game at many different levels, but his reaction and demeanour at the end of this particular game suggested, and indeed, confirmed that this particular success was very much as sweet, as every other one.

“They’re a young team, they played a final since we played the final (Championship), we got a tremendously good game from Firies, in the Fr Galvin Cup final, and, I think that settled us.

“We are a young team learning, the more finals we play, so this is our fourth final we were going into today, believe it or not, and they are learning as they go along.

“If you are looking for leverage with a young team coming you need to be able to score goals, so, we were lucky enough to get two of them today, and, that’s the way it rolled, they do win games.

“We are beginning to take knocks, and roll with them rather than panicking, if you know what I mean. We are in a happy place lads, we have three cups in the bag, whatever comes our way we will take it. I think that Fossa all along, their senior team wasn’t their flagship, and hence the rest weren’t following.

“Our flagship is now our senior team in Fossa, they’re being respected, they’re giving respect, they’ve a long way to go, but, that wasn’t there, so, that was the job at hand which I identified and went after.

“If you are going to improve a team you have to go up the ladder, you really do, we will have knocks on the way, but look, it’s been a great year, it’s been brilliant as well, so we will see what we will do next year.”

Our flagship is now our senior team in Fossa, they’re being respected, they’re giving respect

Photo by Domnick Walsh / Eye Focus