The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
History beckons for Killarney Celtic
FAI JUNIOR CUP QUARTER FINAL Saturday March 11 Celtic Park, Killarney 7pm
THE game that has captured the imagination of soccer fans the length and breath of the county is down for decision at Celtic Park Killarney next Saturday evening when Killarney Celtic and Limerick side Janesboro lock horns in the quarter final of the FAI Junior Cup.
Over 600 clubs entered the national competition and to be in the last eight is a phenomenal achievement for the Killarney side. It has been a fairytale experience for Celtic so far in the competition and to get a home draw for the quarter final has been the icing on the cake.
The opposition on Saturday don’t come much stronger than this as Janesboro reached the final of the competition just three years ago. Lisselton Rovers under the late Micheál Carr are the only Kerry side that has reached this stage of the national competition and they lost 1-0 to St Peters of Athlone six years ago.
Statistics will count for little on Saturday as everyone knows they face a formidable task against a very strong Limerick side who are top of the table in the Premier Division of the Limerick District League.
Unfortunately Celtic will be without Gary Keane one of their best players as he is serving a suspension after being sent off in the game against Ballynanty Rangers for a last man tackle foul. Keane will be a huge loss as his workrate during games is immense, he is the engine room of midfield and he can play in virtually any position on the field.
Celtic will go into the game as outsiders but they carry high expectations with many local pundits convinced they can upset the apple cart. They have taken a number of major scalps in the competition so far and they will have no fear of their illustrious opponents.
They have been very impressive in their games to date in the competition beating Newcastlewest 9-0 in their opening game. Mitchels Avenue were their next opponents and they had to work hard to etch out a 1-0 victory.
They travelled to Pat Kennedy Park for the next round and won easily 6-1 against Listowel Celtic. Galway side Mervue United were the opposition in the last 64 gameandtheywonitwithaGaryKeane goal from the penalty spot.
In the last 32 game they travelled to Clare and came away with a great 3-2 win over Newmarket Celtic.
Limerick was their next port of call in the last 16 game where they faced Ballynanty Rovers and despite going down to ten men they won the game 2-1 with goals from Stephen McCarthy and Wayne Sparling.
That win came at a price as Gary Keane was sent off for a last man foul and consequently he is out for Saturday evenings game.
Meanwhile, when it came to the open draw side of the competition Janesboro defeated Arklow Town 4-0.
The Limerick side were put to the pin of their collar in the next round edging out Dingle Bay Rovers 2-1. They travelled to Meath of the last 16 game and came away with a great 1-0 win against a very strong Navan Cosmos side.
If Celtic are to win every player will have to be at their best and they will have to produce a high intensity game for the entire 90 minutes. They will have to adopt a curtailment exercise on Janesboro’s lethal striker Shane Clarke as he is a prolific goalscorer and has bagged 30 goals last season.
The officials are all from Cork. The referee is Finbarr Murphy with assistants John Lenihan and Tom McCarthy, Raymond Murphy is the fourth official.