MAXIE SWAIN

ST MATTHEWS chief Lance Shields has told his players to dust themselves down and go again in their Cochrane Corry quarter-final against high-flying Beann Mhadaghain.

Shields’ team, who missed out on promotion on the final day of last season, is being pushed to the limit in the current campaign with the Short Strand outfit fighting on a number of different fronts.

They suffered a painful setback on Saturday when they were edged 1-0 – cruelly in Shields’ opinion – by Ballymena Saturday Morning League outfit Ahoghill Thistle in the last 16 of the Junior Cup.

But the St Matthews’ boss was proud of their performance despite the defeat, and is determined there will be no hangover as they bid to keep their interest in the Cochrane Corry alive when they host Ben Mads at Ashfield this weekend.

The Amateur League new boys have been simply superb since switching from the Belfast & District over the summer, with Billy Wylie’s men on course to wrap up the 2C title in their inaugural season, having yet to drop a point from 13 league outings.

Indeed, the Antrim Road men got the better of St Matthews a few weeks ago, cruising to a 4-1 win in east Belfast.

But Shields is upbeat about his team’s chances, and is backing them to bring Beann Mhadaghain back down to earth.

“The games are coming thick and fast,” said the St Matthews manager. “A couple of decisions cost us there on Saturday, there was a free-kick which was never a free-kick and then a late penalty which wasn’t given so it wasn’t to be, but it was a good game.

“But now we have the quarter-final to look forward to. We played them a few weeks ago, I was away for that match but I heard they are a super side and their results have proved it over the last lot of months because they are beating everybody.

“But I want the boys to give what they gave on Saturday – they had that togetherness on Saturday and they battled right to the end, they left everything on the pitch and we were unlucky, so we want to have that same spirit.”

Back on the league front and even with so many games left, St Matthews appear to be