'It's the holy grail' - Kilkenny's Evergreen back in FAI Junior Cup action
Evergreen host Kildrum Tigers on the Kells Road at 3pm on Sunday
Evergreen will welcome Kildrum Tigers (Donegal) to the Kells Road on Sunday to battle it out for a place in the last 16 of the FAI Junior Cup (kick-off 3pm).
A loss in the Mock Lawlor Premier Cup final is the only blot on the home team’s record in the last 13 games, and they had a 100% record in the St Canice’s Premier Division during the season.
Gary Maher’s side has never won the prestigious competition but did reach the final of the competition on two occasions, most recently in 2017.
“We've had six good training sessions in the last couple of weeks preparing for what's a massive match for us on Sunday,” Maher told Kilkenny People Sport.
“It's the holy grail. It's the pinnacle of junior soccer and something that we've been banging on the door of for a number of years. It's a fantastic competition, it's a mass competition and you want to be in the latter stages,” the Evergreen boss commented.
“There's always a great buzz around the country when the latter stages come around and it's disappointing when you're watching from the outside and not being involved in the latter stages but as you go through the rounds, the competition gets stiffer and stiffer and stiffer.”
Meanwhile, the Donegal men have been used to being on the road in this competition so far, as they have been drawn away from home four games in a row since beating Buncrana Hearts in their first match.
Kildrum defeated Dublin club Stella Maris 5-1 in the last round, with goals from Ben O’Donnell, Brian Breslin and Ronan McKinley, before the home side hit the net.
“They’re a very good side, well-organised, well-drilled, well-coached and very fit,” Maher continued.
“From defensive attack to transitions, they're really, really fast. So yeah, look, it's going to be a really tough task.”
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