For Leinster battle

at home. We talked a lot about our record here in Leinster over the last four or five years which, you know, bar a couple of glitches has been very good. We were very unlucky to be knocked out by Dunboyne on free kicks here which was heartbreaking for everyone. But we’ve beaten a lot of good sides here, the Kildare champions, the Westmeath champions, the Wexford champions, so we know that home advantage would stand to us, the girls are very familiar with the surroundings and all that stuff.

‘Ihavetosaythatthedaycame up trumps from a weather perspective. The club and committee put an awful lot of effort into the day in terms of putting up the barriers and the pitch looked absolutely pristine. A lot of people did a lot of work.

‘The game came along then, and we had gotten a good start, scored 1-3 or 1-4, they might have got a point at that stage, but all systems go for 15 minutes was great. Unfortunately, we conceded two goals in the first half so that put us back into a very tight game and it proved to be thus until the end of normal time.

‘We were level coming up to full time and unfortunately we made a small error and they got a point so we really had to dig in, get up the field and get that equalising score, but I have to say, in extra-time,

I thought we did very well. We continued the momentum into the extra-time, which I thought was great, and it was a great day here, it will live long in the memory,’ said Stokes.

What does a man like Rory Stokes say to a team of footballers who have brought the Dublin champions to extra-time, a team that possesses leaders all the way through the list, that has players within its ranks who have won almost every conceivable title in the county and younger servants who will hopefully go on and shine for their club and county for the next decade at least?

‘What we tend to say is, ‘look it, we’re resetting again here, lads.

It’s 0-0, you’re going into anew game. At the end of the second interval in extra-time we said, ‘listen, we’re two points up’. So that was a good basis from which to move into the last 10 minutes. We managed to hold on. It was a great achievement overall to beat the Dublin champions,’ he said.

This Sunday evening at 5pm in Kinnegad the Tinahely footballers will take to the field to face Offaly champions Naomh Ciarán from Ferbane.

Since this interview they have played and beaten Carlow champions Old Leighlin who were ejected from the Leinster Junior championship following the discovery that the rule stating that provincial winners must move up a grade had not been implemented with the general (and incorrect) belief being that teams had to win the All-Ireland to gain promotion. Old Leighlin won the Leinster Junior crown last year and had made it back to the decider again this year only for this awkward and messy reality to dawn.

The Offaly champions disposed to Wexford’s Shelmaliers in their semi-final and will have plenty of threats for the Tinahely side. Both teams met four years ago with Tinahely losing by a point.

‘I think it was four years ago in Ferbane. I was running the line that day for the lads. I think John (Blake) and Shane (Kenny) were in charge that day. We were unlucky to lose that game. We lost by a point. But those are the margins. Any team that ever came out of Offaly were never easily beaten so we’re going to have to bring our ‘A’ game. And we know that. When you get to this stage of a competition there are no gimmes.

‘All we can do is keep the heads down and prepare. Sport can be cruel, some days it will work out for you, others it won’t. We are very determined this year to try and bring back the title to Tinahely.’

The rivalry in Wicklow club football is growing and deepening all the time but Rory Stokes says that it would be great to see support from all over the county turning up to support his charges as they set about bringing home their first Leinster crown in their rich and successful history. It made a major difference in their clash with the Dublin champions and no doubt it would be a boost this Sunday evening in Kinnegad.

‘We had a great crowd; I was a bit disappointed 10 minutes before the match against Clanna Gael, but I have to say come throw in time there was a savage crowd up here. It lent itself to the atmosphere. It would be great to get a bit of support from around the county. Look, I know we’re all rivals when it comes to county Senior championship but at the end of the day, we are representing Wicklow and our families and communities at this stage,’ he added.