Midleton hoping to surpass greatest day in club’s history against Shamrock Rovers

Twenty five years after they eliminated then holders Bray Wanderers, Munster Senior League first division outfit Midleton will be heading to Tallaght to face Shamrock Rovers in the second round of the FAI Cup where a victory would presumably eclipse what is currently the greatest day in the club’s history.

Club chairman Mick Kirby, who played in midfield in front of 4,000 that afternoon back in 1991, said he was thrilled with the opposition but less so with the venue for the game. “We had been hoping for a home tie,” he said immediately after the draw for the second round had been made at the Aviva stadium. “It would have been a great day for everyone involved at the club.”

It still might be if Rovers, the record holders in this competition with 24 successes, can be defeated. It’s a tall order, though, and Pat Fenlon says that whatever happens, he and his players won’t be guilty of complacency.

“The home draw is all we could have asked for,” said the manager, who confirmed that defender Luke Byrne is likely to miss the rest of the season after injuring his cruciate in Monday’s defeat by Cork City. “I don’t know much about them, although I think I played against them at one stage, but we’ll respect them and have our homework done by the day of the game.”

Stephen O’Donnell expressed the hope that Dundalk’s similar start to the club’s 2016 cup campaign might be the first step on the path to a repeat of last year’s success. The holders beat Shelbourne 5-0 in the second round last year and will face them again at Oriel Park over the weekend of May 22nd.

“We probably caught them on an off night last season,” he said. “It’s going to be a tough tie and they’ll set up to make it hard for us to break them down so we’ll have to play well but we’ll take the draw; a similar result would be great and after losing to St Patrick’s Athletic in the league Cup we’ll be completely focussed on the game.

“We’d love to reach another cup final,” he said. “It’s the big showpiece event for us League of Ireland players. You’re not going to play in front of 30 or 35,000 people any other time so it’s a great day for us. Winning the league was the biggest thing for us last year but winning the cup final was probably the biggest day.”

For Derry City boss, Kenny Shiels, avoiding another journey to the far end of the island was the main priority and a home draw to Drogheda United more than ticked that box.

“If we’d been drawn in Limerick or Cork it would have meant being down there three times in as many weeks so we’re very pleased with the way it has gone. And no disrespect to Drogheda, I know Pete (Mahon) a long time and know what a wily manager he is, but I’m glad to have avoided some of those teams. The cup is important to us and it’s a pathway to Europe, one that one of Bohemians or Galway United (the only all Premier Division draw of the round) won’t be able to avail of now.”