‘We’re going to go out and give it our best’

NICKY KEARNEY is well aware of the odds that will be stacked against his Rathnew team when they meet St. Peter’s in the Wicklow Cup final this weekend.

On the one hand, Rathnew have only recently returned to anything resembling full-strength, with up to six of their stars returning from GAA commitments.

On the other hand, St. Peter’s have been able to consistently field a team of players that saw them sweep all before them before lifting their first Andy McEvoy Premier Division in almost a decade.

‘We are playing the champs so, I mean, I suppose what is going to go most against us is that they have their squad together for a long time while I have had a lot of lads come back from the Gaelic.

‘They are one of the luckiest teams there because they have a squad of lads who only play soccer, while the likes of ourselves, Avonmore, and a few others struggle when the gaelic football is on.’

Having the likes of Jody Merrigan, Jamie Snell, Eoin Doyle, to name just a few, back in their ranks will give them a boost, especially with the former possession his own goalscoring pedigree.

The task will still be tough, however.

Peter’s have become renowned for their ability to hold onto possession and dictate the game to a tempo of their own choosing.

For this reason, defensive discipline and patience will be vital for Rathnew against an opposition who are likely to enjoy territorial superiority.

‘Of course, it is going to be very important. Discipline is going to be a big thing for both teams. I don’t think anyone really wants to be going down to ten men in a Wicklow Cup final.

‘Discipline is a big thing, but we are really going in with nothing to lose. I don’t think anybody is expecting anything big. Peter’s are the team to beat and everybody knows that.

‘Fair play to them, because they have been brilliant this year. We are going to go in and give it our best and see where that ends up.’

The least that can be expected from Kearney and his Rathnew team is absolute effort, something that will come as a certainty.

Regardless of how the game goes and regardless of Rathnew’s fortunes on the day, Kearney assured that his men will give Peter’s every bit of that which they are made.

That hard work and effort will be the foundation on which Rathnew will build in the final and, hopefully for them, will bear fruit by the time the final whistle blows.

‘I think most Rathnew teams who have played Wicklow Cup, we go out and give 100 per cent and the lads leave it all out on the field. If that ends up good enough, that’s brilliant, but there are more important things going on in the world of football at the moment, so we won’t bang on the door about it.’

The action gets underway in Arklow Credit Unior Park this Sunday afternoon at 3pm and it promises to be a ding dong battle between two top sides.