KILDRUM TIGERS manager Shane Brown believes he has the squad to get a lasting run in this season’s FAI Junior Cup.
The Tigers welcome Erne Wanderers to Station Road Park on Sunday, with the winners facing an away trip to Abbeyfeale in Limerick a week later.
Kildrum are no strangers to the latter stages of the national competitions, having reached the semi-finals of the Intermediate Cup in 2007 during their time in the Ulster Senior League.
Picture caption: Kildrum Tigers manager Shane Brown at his new shop, VIP Clothing, on Canal Road, Letterkenny.
[adrotate group=”88″]Jonny McGinty and Brian Coll are surviving members of the side that was beaten 1-0 by Avondale United, although Brown also hopes to have the experienced Glenn Bovaird back in the fold this weekend.
15 years ago, Brown played on a Kildrum team managed by Maurice Toland that reached the last 16 of the Junior Cup, before the run came to an end with a 2-0 loss at Ballymun United.
“We want a run deep into this Cup,” Brown says of his team now.
[adrotate group=”80″]“I rate our team highly and I think we could get to the latter stages.
“We’re inexperienced in this competition, but we have plenty of experience. We’re quite young, but we have good experience in the squad.”
Erne have had a good start to their campaign in Division One, having won Division Two last season, but go into this game on the back of a heavy 5-1 loss at Bonagee United.
[adrotate group=”46″]Brown cautions: “Erne are scoring a lot of goals so we’re expecting a very tough game. Erne are on the up.”
The Tigers boss is in something of a quandary this week with two of his leading lights – James Melly and Damian Crossan – in the Donegal League’s Oscar Traynor panel that is pencilled in for a game away to Inishowen League on Saturday evening, less than 24 hours before Kildrum face Erne.
There remains the possibility of the pair withdrawing.
Brown says: “We need to be at full strength for this one. We can’t afford to lose anyone.
“James and Damian are two of our main men. We need them right for Sunday. I’ve been speaking to people so hopefully we’ll get something clarified.”
In January 2014, Kildrum withdrew from the Ulster Senior League after 13 years at intermediate level, but the ship has been steadied since and Sunday’s 3-2 win over Convoy Arsenal – with goals by Jonny Carlin, Melly and Ethan Coll netting – put them joint top of the table.
Brown says: “We’re delighted with the start we’ve had. We had no game for four weeks there, but we got over that. The hurdles are set in front of you; we just need to jump them at the right time.
[adrotate group=”53″]“We have a lot of hard work going in. Mark Galbriath is in and has done superb work and Maria Conway has come in and done a lot. We have gone all-out trying to get players to sign. We have a good mix now and we want to get a good Cup run and to get a run in the League.”
Listen to the full interview below …
https://soundcloud.com/donegalsporthub-club-notes/shane-brown-ahead-of-kildrum-v-erne
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