Mattock in bonus territory
MATTOCK Rangers teammates Mike Enghlishby and Ryan Leneghan are bracing themselves for Saturday’s Leinster Intermediate final in Drogheda, however the pair’s approach to the big game will not differ, it has stood them in good stead so far this season.
‘It is just the same again for us,’ says the Mattock centre forward Leneghan.
‘Big occasion, but the build up is the same. It is just another game. It is for a trophy but we’ve worked hard all year and this is where you want to be competing for these trophies.’
Leneghan acknowledged Louth’s good record within this particular Leinster grade with Dundalk Gaels, Geraldines and Sean O’Mahony’s all successful in the past.
‘It’s brilliant for the county as a whole,’ Leneghan added.
‘We’re competing at a high standard with other counties in Leinster, hopefully we can put our name on the cup there with the other three previous teams.
Leneghan goes back to the county final as the one big monkey that is now off the Collon sides back.
‘That was the aim the last number of years. It is very competitive and hard to get out of.’
Goalkeeper Englishby agrees: ‘Getting back into senior was the aim, everything after that was a bonus. We didn’t think too far ahead it was about the next game, next game.
‘First trip down to Offaly and once the team got over that we came on leaps and bounds. Confidence came into the team that we were good enough to compete. We’ve progressed every game since then.
‘Suppose when you get into Leinster competition, you are not going to get any easy games. Every team is a county champion so it is going to be a good standard.
‘We came into the Monasterevan game slight underdogs, but we don’t really get too caught up on who we are playing we leave that to the management team.
Goalkeeper Englishby is a survivor of the 2002 final along with David Reid and he tries to compare and contrast the two Leinster finals but can see a few strains of similarities.
‘I’ve been thinking about it for a while, what was it like back then,’ he muses.
‘17 years is nearly a lifetime ago one thing that has never changed is - David Reid kicking seven or eight points a match!
‘I would say this team and that team is probably the most similar of the championship winning teams.
‘A lot of young players coming through, fearless in a way, and really, really hungry and that was the way it was back then as far I can remember.
‘In ‘02 you had a lot of young players with experienced players like Gerry Hanratty and Cub and its the same now, but it is the hunger of the younger lads that is driving it on.
Leneghan is quick to add that despite nearly two decades on, the secret to Mattock’s success in Leinster is still the same but hopefully the outcome will differ.
‘Louth football is competitive, everybody knows you,’ he says.
‘They know Mattock Rangers and the way they play. In Leinster there is a freedom there. You don’t know what they are like, you don’t know what they are like. It makes for open football and suits us down to the ground.
‘These occasions don’t come round too often so you have to seize them with both hands when they do.’
These occasions don’t come round too often so you have to seize them with both hands when they do