St Vincent's footballers fighting for survival again: 'If we can hold the line, future could be bright'
Blake Murphy scores an early goal for St Vincent's against Na Piarsaigh last year. Picture: Larry Cummins
St Vincent’s thought they had left their relegation troubles behind them last year, but that hasn’t proven to be the case.
The city club face Dromtarriffe on Saturday in the McCarthy Insurance Group IAFC relegation play-off at the Castle Grounds in Macroom at 4pm.
St Vincent’s edged out rivals Na Piarsaigh 12 months ago to preserve their status. They would take another one-point victory this time around.
They don’t come into this huge game with any form having lost all of their games so far this year.
The team in green and white lost all nine matches in Division 4 of the league and their three championship group games.
“It’s vitally important for the club to get over the line this weekend,” St Vincent’s PRO Mick Nugent said to The Echo.
“I know the manager John Paul Murphy stated after the win over Na Piarsaigh last year of the importance of holding our Intermediate A status after dropping down previously from Premier Intermediate.
“12 months on, we find ourselves in the same place. I know the management, the players and the wider membership and support group realise how big of a game this relegation decider is.
“We have excellent facilities, an underage academy with dedicated people trying to grow the underage section. We have a chairman Willie McCarthy who has big plans. It’s crucial for the club to stay at Intermediate A football level.
“If we can hold the line, tap into the potential that the club has, who knows what can happen in the future, it could well be a bright one.”
Nugent feels the experience of being in the relegation scrap last year will stand to the team on Saturday.
"We have been here before. The team had to dig deep in a tough encounter in a local derby to stay up. We all would have hoped to have built on that victory, but it hasn’t happened. It’s all about rallying together now for this Dromtarriffe game.
“The team has gone through transition in recent years. There is talent on the panel at the moment, but we have lost lads that were part of the side that won the Premier Intermediate in 2006 and 2012. They have moved on and there has been a bit of a gap in the middle.
“We need to click. John Paul Murphy has gone through it all as a player and now as a manager. He knows what it means. He has won it all with St Vincent’s. He has a good management team with him.
“We have Blake Murphy doing all the scoring, but we need others to step up too and provide those scores. I think if we can click against Dromtarriffe, hopefully we can come through it.”
App?
