HAVERON A BALL..

Rathfriland goal ace Marty is enjoying Iveagh men’s cup runs

MARTY Haveron reckons Rathfriland delivered one of their most complete performances of the season on Saturday as they overran Crumlin United in the quarter-final of the Border Cup.

Haveron was on target in the 4-0 win, taking his tally for the season to nine, with Daryl Evans, Jonathan Scannell and Harry Campbell also hitting the net as the hosts set up a last four clash against Premier Division rivals East Belfast.

With the Whites also through to the semis of the Bob Radcliffe Cup, where Hanover lie in wait, it throws up the prospect of Aaron Black’s men playing two finals in the space of two days over Christmas.

But Haveron insists no one at Iveagh Park is contemplating that scenario yet with two tough games to come through first, even if confidence is high after arguably their best 45-minute spell of the campaign so far which saw the Mourne men three up at the break.

He said: “We had a very good first half, everything just seemed to click for us.

“Once you get to this stage of cup competitions, you don’t hold back, you fully go for it and we knew they were a good side, we played them earlier in the season and we were fortunate to beat them up at their place.

“So we knew they were a very good side with some dangerous players, but it just clicked for us first half and it’s probably one of our best halfs of the season to be honest.”

Haveron was with Newry City when Rathfriland, then managed by Paul Kirk, lifted their one and only Border Cup back in 2016/17.

With Crumlin Star, East Belfast and Ballynahinch Olympic all still to drop a point in a title race where the Whites have lost three times already, Haveron admits the Bob Radcliffe and Border Cup have taken on an added significance as their most realistic chance of silverware.

“We’ve been concentrating on the cups and it’s been going really well for us to be honest,” said the attacking midfielder.

“We haven’t had any easy games either, in the two cups where we have got to the semi-final we’ve had tough games the whole way through.

“We’ve hardly had a league game in that time and it would be nice to win one of them, so it’s good that we’re still there in the last four, and still in the Intermediate and the Irish Cup.

“We will still keep an eye on the league. Losing those three at the start of the season makes it really tough and Saturday [in the league away to Drumaness Mills] is very important for us because we can’t afford to lose any more points.

“We need to make sure we stay in touching distance but, at the same time, these two cups are our main priority.”