Matthews has sights set on a football and hurling double
PAUL Matthews has the crosshairs trained on a championship double over the next few weeks as the St Fechin’s club prepare for senior hurling and intermediate football finals.
It sounds like a very rare kind of target - and it probably is - but ironically the last players to lift the Paddy Kelly and Seamus Flood Cups in the same season was Ronan Byrne with Sean O’Mahony’s and Knockbridge, and he’ll be going all out to make sure Matthews doesn’t emulate his feat in Dunleer this Sunday.
Matthews was instrumental in St Fechin’s IFC semi-final win over Naomh Fionbarra last Saturday night, but there was no time to reflect on that success, or even plot St Mochta’s downfall in the final as his focus switched straight to Sunday’s showdown with the ‘Bridge.
The Carlow IT student admits it’s tough keeping both codes going, particularly at the business end of the season, but with two trophies now up for grabs he’s relishing the task at hand.
‘It is tough, particularly when you get to semi-finals or finals, and at this time of year it’s that bit worse because we’re back at college and you’re travelling up and down a lot.
‘But both management teams are very understanding and you really just train with whichever team has the more important game coming up.’
That’s the hurlers this week as they prepare for Sunday’s showdown with Knockbridge as Fechin’s attempt to regain their SHC crown from Naomh Moninne, who pipped them in
Knockbridge v St Fechin’s
last year’s decider.
‘We were really gunning for the three-in-a-row last year, but Moninne really put us in our place in the final and this year has been all about getting back [to the final] and winning another one.
‘It’s going to be tough, Knockbridge have been the most consistent team and they’re probably favourites after beating everyone in the group stages, but we’re fairly confident now.
‘In some ways not toping the group is more beneficial because you get an extra game and we had a really tough semi-final against Moninne and that should stand to us. There were also a few involved in the Special Hurling final, so that’s all good preparation.’
But while Fechin’s have last year’s final defeat to make up for, Paul knows Knockbridge will be just as hungry as they haven’t won the big one since that 2014 season.
Paul insists the have threats all over and St Fechin’s will have to be at their very best - not least to curb the influence of that man Ronan Byrne.
‘They’re very strong right down the middle, but I suppose Byrne is their main man. He makes them tick when he’s on form and he’s also a very good free-taker, so we have to make sure we’re dicatating the game and not lwetting hime do it,’ he added.