MAXIE SWAIN OLYMPIC GAME OF MY LIFE

By Sloan reckons beating Star would be his football high

THE Border Cup has brought Liam Sloan more pain than he cares to remember – but now he hopes it will be the scene of his greatest triumph in the game.

The Ballynahinch Olympic manager lifted the Steel & Sons Cup during his playing days with Kilmore, back when the competition still comprised teams from the Championship down.

But he reckons beating Paul Trainor’s allconquering Crumlin Star, a team which went 39 games unbeaten prior to their Steel Cup semi-final loss to Sirocco, would top anything he’s achieved in football.

Sloan (below) made the Border Cup final two years running with Kilmore, losing on both occasions, while they were denied another cup final appearance when Larne Tech won the trophy by default following a player registration blunder.

So he’s more than acquainted with Border Cup heartache, and is determined to experience the flip side of the coin when the final whistle blows at Seaview on Thursday week.

“Star are favourites, they are much stronger than us and they did the treble last year, but if our guys perform, we can definitely turn them over, there’s no doubt about that,” declared Sloan.

“Everyone is beatable, Star have been beaten already by Sirocco. But we know what we are up against, we are under no illusions about that.

“I’ve been to plenty of finals and semi-finals and lost them, it’s a cup

I’ve never won, but as manager of Ballynahinch Olympic, my hometown club, it would mean more than any of the trophies I have won, even the Steel

Cup as a player.

“All these guys I played with and now manage and for the club, from where we came from and where we were, it would be massive, my biggest achievement in football without a doubt.

“It’s a wee bit surreal, from where we were eight or 10 years ago to get to the final.

“We did aim for one of the cups. The aim this year was to stay in the Premier Division and try to push for one of the cups, whereas in other years we have concentrated on trying to get promoted.

“But we’ve got further than we thought we would have, put it like that.”

For Sloan, a mixture of team spirit, hard graft and no shortage of ability has been key to their march to the final.

“We have stayed injury-free and the boys have all stuck together and played hard,” said the Olympic chief.

“Jonesy [Nathan Jones] has been on fire, obviously wee Minto [Niall Murray] too, and our defence has been excellent.

“So it’s been that, fitness and workrate.” Olympic will start the final as underdogs, of course, but Sloan reckons his players need to play the occasion as much as the opposition if they are to land their first Amateur League cup.

“It’s about not letting fear and nerves take over,” said Sloan. “You need to channel the nerves and go out and enjoy it.

“Crumlin Star are the favourites, everyone knows they are the favourites, but on the day, anything can happen.

“Most of our players have never played in a big final like this so we need to make sure the nerves don’t take over.”