Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
CHRIS SHERRARD
Nick double ensures Distillery are still in mix on three cup fronts
LISBURN Distillery are intent on being a real knockout success this season as they look to keep chasing trophies on a number of fronts.
Having cruised through in the Irish Cup on Saturday the Whites have been drawn in the tie of the round in the opening set of matches in this season’s Match Intermediate Cup with a trip to Banbridge Town.
Now their focus is back on the Steel and Sons Cup with a place in the quarter-finals the prize at stake this weekend.
The Banbridge game in the Intermediate Cup is a head-to-head between two of the favourites to go all the way to Windsor come May.
As such, there will be immediate disappointment for one of them on October 20. But having seen his side come through against Wellington Rec in Saturday’s Irish Cup, Colin Mcilwaine is determined to keep the feel-good factor going as far as they possibly can.
And that includes this coming Saturday with another different competition to contend with in the shape of the Steel and Sons.
Their opponents at New Grosevnor will be Shankill United who are enjoying a fine start to the season in the Amateur Premier Division.
And Mcilwaine said: “We’ve some big games coming up.
“Out of all the teams we could have drawn in the first round of the Intermediate Cup, Banbridge was probably the toughest.
“Especially going to their place – it’s a really difficult draw. The Inter- mediate Cup is a competition we always target to try and do well in but it’s going to be hard.
“We’ve had some tasty encounters against Banbridge in recent years and I’d expect this one to be the same.
“We want to win every game we play as I’m sure Stuarty and Banbridge do so it’s set up to be a good cup tie.
“This weekend we play in the Steel and Sons and that’s another one that everyone likes to do well in.
“All of a sudden it’s a case of win and you’re into the last eight so it’s getting serious.
“It might look on paper like we have an easy enough draw with Shankill but that definitely won’t be the case.
“They’re having a good season and will be very dangerous opponents.” side used Saturday’s Irish Cup tie against Wellington to try different things out.
In the end, two Nick Beta goals made the difference and eased them into the hat for the next round.
It’s a competition Distillery has won as a club 12 times down the years, including in three of the first six years of it way back in the 1880s.
Their last triumph came when Elvis was top of the charts and Richard Nixon was in the White House.
And while few will expect them to repeat that feat from the start of the 1970s, the current Whites gaffer is hopeful of a lengthy run – to give them regular football at the very least.
He added: “We’ve been to the fifth round in the last few years and enjoyed the adventure of it.
“Last season we came up against Coleraine who went on to win it so we’ve had good experiences in the Irish Cup of late.
“The fifth round has to be our target again this season but there’s still a long way to go.
“On Saturday, we gave Wellington all the respect they deserve because it’s one of those games where you could end up with egg on your face.
“It was an opportunity to give game time to a few lads who desperately needed it.
“We played well, had most of the ball and created the majority of the chances in the game.
“The only disappointment was that we squanmcilwaine’s