Foster full of confidence as Dundalk go for glory
The participating clubs might reflect the superior strength of the Airtricity League but, for Dundalk boss Ian Foster, the cross-border nature of the competition has only added to the joy of an adventure which culminates in the foothills of the Dublin mountains this evening.
“I think it’s been wonderful,” says Foster. “It’s a fantastic learning curve for me as a coach and a manager, pitting your wits against teams that you wouldn’t normally face, playing in grounds you wouldn’t normally play in and probably getting stick from supporters you wouldn’t normally get stick from.
” It has been a wonderful experience. The players have really enjoyed it. The fans have got behind us. They’ve enjoyed the three games in Belfast and, particularly, the three games at Oriel Park. We’ve worked incredibly hard to get ourselves into this cup final, and hopefully we won’t let anybody down. We’ll give it our best shot, and hopefully our best this evening will be good enough.”
The Liverpool-born manager says that reaching the final has captured the imagination of everyone associated with the club.
“We’re all excited – myself personally, the staff, the players and the supporters,” he says. “The whole town seems to be getting behind us now. It’s nice. We woke up on Tuesday morning having beaten Bohemians away for the first time in 18 years and we could turn our attentions to the biggest game this club has had in a long time.”
Foster reckons the one-off nature of the game can only help his side’s chances of beating the League champions and current leaders
“I think over 36 games, we’ll fall short of Shamrock Rovers because we’re not at that level yet, but in a one-off game I think we can certainly count ourselves up there and give ourselves a 50/50 chance of lifting the cup.” he says.
Dundalk go into the game on a six-match unbeaten run in the league with three wins and three draws, which is another reason why Foster is approaching the game full of confidence.
” Our return of 12 points from the first round of games isn’t what we expected,” he concedes. “But, having said that, we seem to have picked up of late.”
Hoops boss, Michael O’Neill is also relishing the cup decider.
” Everyone is looking forward to game,” he says. “It’s also good to get a break from the league – the games have been coming so thick and fast. It would, of course, be very nice to win it. Quite a few of our new players have never won anything before and it would give them a sense of what it’s like to win something, and hopefully push them on for the season.
“We have had two tough games against Dundalk so far this season, and we’re expecting nothing less tomorrow. They have a good squad of players. But most managers in the league know each other’s players well at this stage, so there shouldn’t really be any surprises. We should be in for a good game.”
The Hoops will be without midfielder, Stephen O’Donnell who remains side-lined with a hamstring injury. But Gary Twigg, Chris Turner and Craig Sives all came through Wednesday’s reserve game without complaints, and are expected to make the squad, giving O’ Neill a pleasant selection headache as he plots how to maintain his side’s strong start to the season. For their part, Dundalk will again be without Eoghan Osborne (fractured tibia) and Stephen Maher (groin) but otherwise should be at full strength.
The match, which will be decided by a penalty shoot-out if required, is televised live on Setanta Ireland.
Meanwhile, tonight’s only Airtricity League fixture sees the First Division meeting of Athlone Town and Monaghan at Athlone Town (7.30pm).
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