Super Saints on course

St Peter’s take on Rathnew in the Wicklow Cup final this Sunday in Arklow Credit Union Park. We get the views from both camps

SSUALLY, a team being branded with the ‘favourites’ tag is treated as somewhat of an inconvenience by the team in question. The additional anticipation and expectation that is incumbent on a club that is considered as such, can come as a hinderance on their preparation, while also behaving like an unwelcome source of pressure.

That is not the case when it comes to St. Peter’s as they approach their Wicklow Cup final against Rathnew. Owing to their utter domination of the Andy McEvoy Premier Division, Peter’s will go in overwhelming favourites to secure the double. Manager Shane Greene is steering into that skid.

‘You shouldn’t play in big games if you can’t hack the pressure. There are a few of our players – Tony Harris has been immense for us this season, Dessie Kelly, Dean Fletcher, Mick Taylor; they have been here before. There are a couple of young players who might not have been, but a lot of these lads have been around.’

There is a good reason why much is expected of Peter’s. Not only did they win their first league title in almost a decade in 2020, but the way in which they did it was an indicator of just how superior they were. Other than an early defeat to Avonmore, they were undeniable. In Dean Fletcher, they have one of the best ball-playing centre-backs in the league; in Killian

O’Carroll, they have a player with better technique and composure than any of those against whom he has played; and in 14-goal Chad Ryan, they have a stone-cold assassin in front of goal.

Even when the game did not suit their style, as was the case in their 2-0 win over Newtown in the semi-final, they have the personnel and characters to get the job done.

Now that they have gained revenge for their Jim McLaughlin Cup defeat to Newtown, their eyes will turn towards this weekend’s final against Rathnew. On paper, the game is Peter’s to lose, of which Greene and the players are well aware.

‘I have seen [Rathnew] play and they’re a decent team, as well; they’re not in a Wicklow Cup final for nothing. I am just glad that our lads got to the final, because they deserve it. We have stuck with every single player, from start of the season to the end. We never brought anybody in. We just stuck with the players we had. We stayed loyal to them, and they stayed loyal to us and I think that’s huge. That is no disrespect to anybody else if that is how they want to be, but it is not the way we are.’

Of course, despite the odds being very much stacked in their favour, anything can happen in a cup final. While they achieved redemption in the form of their win over Newtown, the taste of that defeat will still be fresh on their tongues when they meet Rathnew. Only time will tell if that is a good thing or not.