St Joseph's SFAI Cup win 'a moment they'll always carry with them'

Athlone came to a standstill on Sunday afternoon last as its first schoolboy club to win an SFAI Cup, St Joseph's FC, carried the historic silverware across the town bridge.

Returning from Dublin, where they had defeated Home Farm on a 3-1 scoreline in the final, the club's Under-15 squad was given a Garda escort from the Kilmartin N6 Service Station to the town bridge.

Traffic was then stopped on both sides of the bridge as the players carried the cup across it to rapturous applause from supporters, many of whom were displaying St Joseph's red and black colours.

"It was surreal. It was a moment in history that those lads will always carry with them," said Davy Cummins, who managed the team to cup glory along with Padraig Moran.

"Carrying the cup over the Shannon is a GAA tradition, but we didn't mind borrowing it for the day!"

The Garda escort and bridge crossing, organised with the help of Garda Sergeant Bobby Feery, was just reward for a team that had delivered in style on the big occasion.

An outbreak of cup final fever resulted in three busloads and numerous cars making the trip from Athlone to Jackson Park in Wayside, Dublin, for the final on Sunday morning.

Cummins said the estimated 300 supporters who were cheering on St Joseph's made a big difference during the game. "It was huge for the lads to have that backing, and they just bounced off it," he said.

"Personally, I felt we were relaxed heading into the game. The players have been involved in a few other big games and that experience helped.

"We were carrying a couple of knocks going into it. My son, Ciaran Cummins, was out with an injury and our captain, Shay McGuinness, was touch-and-go but he got there in the end."

The game was just two minutes old when the Athlone side was awarded a penalty which Dylan Dennehy stepped up to coolly convert.

"We started a bit quicker than Home Farm and there were a couple of chances where I felt we could have added to our lead in the first half," said Cummins.

The second half began in dramatic fashion when the referee waved away what Cummins thought was a "stonewall" St Joseph's penalty, only for Home Farm to then be awarded a spot kick which they scored to level the game.

The Dublin side ratcheted up the tension with a good spell in the second half, but it was St Joseph's who were back in front with twelve minutes remaining.

"We spent a lot of time working on set pieces, and the second goal was straight from the training ground," said Cummins. "We knew their tall lads would be picking up our tall lads, and that Timothy Tselapedi could get free at at the back post to head it in."

The win was then sealed when Leon Nolan drilled home a third for St Joseph's. "I was delighted that he got a goal to cap a man of the match performance," said the manager.

Cummins said the win was particularly special as it came in a year when St Joseph's will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the club.

Some of the founders of St Joseph's gathered last Thursday evening to wish the team well ahead of the cup final, and the former Galway hurling and Roscommon football manager Anthony Cunningham also addressed the players ahead of the game.

Cummins said particular credit must go to Padraig Moran for the footballing knowledge he brought to the group and to secretary Emmet Mullally and the other members of the club who had ensured that "no stone was left unturned" in preparing for the cup final.