It's still a bit surreal insists Milltown boss ahead of Leinster JFC final
Milltown produced undoubtedly their performance of the season so far as they toppled Kilbeggan Shamrocks to secure a place in the AIB Leinster Club Junior Football Championship final.
They will face Louth JFC champions Glyde Rangers in search of provincial Championship glory this weekend (check fixtures).
Milltown Manager Darren O’Shea spoke about a hugely positive year for his club after the disappointment of 2022.
He said, “getting out of Division 4 was vital and we went unbeaten in it as well. The Championship comes and then you put a lot of pressure on yourself because you’ve come so far.
"We have probably played a lot better since we got out of Kildare because that (promotion) kind of pressure is off. It’s no longer that ‘we have to beat these’ we can just go out and play our game and if they are better than us on the day so what. But we have got this far (in Leinster) so hopefully we can see it out.”
Milltown's final opponents Glyde Rangers got through a tough semi-final clash with Dublin Junior champs Man O’War, 0-9 to 0-7, in a game that could have gone either way.
The Louth side emerged following late heroics from goalkeeper David Brennan to deny a certain Man O’War goal with a minute to go.
The Dublin side also kicked 10 wides across the 60 minutes of action, largely in the first half with the aid of the wind at their back.
The low-scoring game in tough wind and rain will inspire confidence in Milltown because despite having less than ideal conditions for their previous games, they have put up 1-16 and 1-11 in the last two rounds.
The Leinster quarter-final was much more fruitful for the Louth outfit as they hit 2-11 against Laois side Annanough, who managed 2-9 of their own.
The Milltown manager watched their opponents last outing (vs Man O’War) and said, “they seem battle-hardened, they’ve won every one of their games by two or three points. They haven’t run away with it, but they are getting the right results. They know how to grind. It seems a fairly defensive system from what I have seen, but they are always doing enough to outscore their opponents, so we have our work cut out for us on the day.”
O’Shea also spoke on what a Leinster Junior Championship win would mean for his club.
“It’s still a little bit surreal, I don’t know if it has sunk in with anyone yet. It is huge, it has never been done before here,” he said.
“I remember seeing friends of mine playing with Moorefield and going to their club finals. They were huge things on the day and something that people will talk about forever, so it would be great for everyone in the village and in the club to get over the line.”
It’s also been a fairytale year for the Louth Junior champions after finally getting over the line in the county final this year.
Glyde Rangers beat Naomh Fionnbarra 1-13 to 1-8 to claim the Christy Bellew Cup and end a 26-year wait for Championship glory.
The gap between Championship wins was not the big concern for Glyde Rangers fans however. This year’s win ended somewhat of a hoodoo as the side finally won a JFC final at the eighth attempt, including replays, since their relegation to the grade in 2016.
Danger Men
The danger men for the Louth side are also some of the veterans and the leading man on the scoreboard has been Ciaráin Sheridan.
The corner-forward has 1-12 of his side’s 3-33 scored between the county final and the quarter and semi-final stages of the Leinster Championship, amounting to roughly 35% of his side’s output.
Another experienced player of note is midfielder Brian Duffy, Duffy chips in on the score board himself, but his contribution in the middle of the park is what is so key to this team. But Milltown are yet to be outgunned in that department and Conor Sheerin and Kevin Byrne could once again be the key to winning this game.
Match-Ups
Milltown have conceded both goals and goal chances in the first half of games this year, but all in all are a strong defensive unit.
Their work rate is the key and if they can replicate the performance they put on in the semi-final, I think they can shut down Glyde Rangers’ attacking forces.
At the other end of the field Glyde Rangers have plenty to do to keep the Milltown men quiet.
Patrick Donohoe had the game of his life last time out with a brilliant 0-7 and he is far from the only threat in that attacking lineup with the likes of Ben Curran and Hugh Hamilton up there too.
The experience of the always calm corner-forward Declan McKenna will also be crucial in the tense moments of this huge fixture.
I’m not sure Glyde Rangers have what it takes to reduce Milltown to a truly low-score, but if they are to be successful in this game they will look to one man, centre-back Niall Sharkey. Sharkey was senior footballer of the year for his county in 2022 and was crucial in his club side reducing Dublin champions Man O’War to just 0-7 last time out.
I give the nod to Milltown and hopefully the county Junior champions will be one of three Kildare sides to secure Leinster Championship glory on the weekend.