The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Historic day beckons for Killorglin AFC
FAI UNDER 17 CUP SEMI FINAL Killorglin v Parkvilla FC (NDSL) Sunday August 2 Killorglin, 1pm
NEXT Sunday will be one of the biggest days in the history of Killorglin AFC club as they host Parkvilla FC in the semi-final of the FAI Under 17 Cup.
It has been a fairytale story so far for the Launesiders who have knocked a number of big clubs out of the national competition and they are now just two games away from a possible national title.
They are now regarded as the shoot-out kings in the competition winning three of their games so far on penalties. Their most memorable feat was in the quarter final when they defeated Donegal side Carndonagh 8-7 in a nerve shattering shoot-out.
Killorglin met strong Clare side Avenue in the opening round and won 2-1. They were at home to Killarney Celtic in the second round and came out on top on a 5-2 scoreline. They had to travel to Waterford for the third round and with the game deadlocked at the end they won in a penalty shoot out 3-2.
They faced formidable Dublin side Belvedere in the last 32 and after a scoreless game they won the penalty shoot out 4-3. They were at home to Donegal side Carndonagh in the quarter and were 1-0 down going into the sixth minute of added time and they scored a sensational 96 the minute equaliser.
With the game level after extra time it went to a nerve wrecking shoot with Killorglin winning 8-7 to book their place in the semi-final. The team had been on the crest of a wave prior to the pandemic stoppage and everyone will be hoping they can take up where they left up on Sunday.
Team manager Robbie Evans won’t let their great feats so far go to the players heads and he will have his own game plan in place to try and make it to a national final. He has done his homework on the opposition and will be use the knowledge he has obtained to establish his game plan.
“Starting out I think nobody would have thought we would get so far in the national competition and now that we are at this advanced stage of the competition we have only one thing in mind that is reaching the final,” he said.
“The lads have been wonderful in the competition so far and their self-belief has been growing with every game. We have had a long lay off now and it was good to get a game under our belts last weekend.
“We have put a lot of emphasis on organising our defence to cope with set pieces and holding our line for offside. All the squad can’t wait for the game and there is a great buzz at the training sessions.
“We will begin the game cautiously as it is vital not to concede a game in the opening 20 minutes. After this we cant adjust our game and put more emphasis on going forward and creating scoring chances.”
Asked how he would rate their chances in the game he said they will be going into the game and their sole mission will be to win.
“They are a very strong side that play in the Dublin League so and we know we face a huge task to try and come away with a win. However, all the squad are in high spirits ahead of the game as they are confident that they can win the game. It is difficult to know how you will fare against a side you have never seen playing but they have scored a lot of goals in the competition so far and we will have to keep our defence intact to deal with the threat they carry up front.
“We know we face a huge task on Sunday but we will be keeping our fingers crossed that we can squeeze out a win.”