Celtic captain revels in cup success

After waiting over a decade to win just one Connacht Cup, Castlebar Celtic captain Ioseph O’Reilly now has two winners medals in his back pocket after his side retained the trophy last Sunday in Headford.

“It was a proper cup final,” O’Reily told the Western People. “We knew coming up that they were going to be a difficult team to beat. They are top of the Galway League and they're young and full of running. They're a young team with a few senior heads. They're similar enough to us, and they can play football. We knew that coming in, but we knew as well that we can play football, and if we perform to our best ability, we'd win the cup.

“We got our goal early. I think we actually sat-in a bit too much in the second half. But we said at half time that if we kept a clean sheet we’d be Connacht Cup champions again, back-to-back, which is massive.” Eoghan Hughes came up with another big performances following his heroics against North End United in the FAI Cup and won the penalty that Jordan Loftus converted in the Connacht Cup final.

“I think it shows how strong we are when even Jason Hunt missed out on the starting eleven. Eoghan Hughes came in last week and put in a massive man-of-the-match performance. He got his reward today and won us the penalty that won the game. Jordan obviously had to go and slot it away, but it was down to Eoghan Hughes' magic there in the corner.” 

Mervue asked questions of Celtic in the second half, but a brilliant rearguard display did not give the Galway side any hope of an equaliser.

“I think it was natural for us to drop back when we've got that lead. We know we can defend. We've conceded one goal this year in the league. We don't usually concede. Last year, a handful of goals all year. We work on it. We work on it in training, defensively, set pieces. I think we've conceded one set piece in two years. So, we do our work on it and that's why we're winning games. It's defensive, defensive set pieces and then we know we have the ability going forward as long as we can concentrate and defend well. We know the top five to six players can go and do the damage for us and whoever comes in.” 

The 36-year-old also picked up man of the match in the final for the second year running and while he enjoys the personal accolade, he said this was a day for his teammates and all involved with the club.

“This group of players are incredible. They're history makers in my eyes and they genuinely don't know how good they are and I'm just so happy for everyone involved in Castlebar Celtic from committee level down to the players to youth level and everything.

“We're a family in that club and it's just a testament to the hard work that Dec (Flynn) and Stevie (Gavin) and all the backroom team put in, behind the scenes and those committee members and volunteers. We're not far off being a professional side with the amount of stuff we have at our disposal so I'm just so grateful to be able to pay back a bit to them guys.” 

“On a personal level, it's nice as well. I've got back-to-back Man of the Matches on top of winning two Connacht Cups. I've waited long enough to get one. And it's just, it's incredible to think I've won two now, with two Man of the Matches with it. So, I'm over the moon, but like, the back four there, as I said, it's grand to get the personal awards, but the back four to five to six to seven, who can play in that position. Unbelievable. Like, they just put bodies on the line. They put their heads in where some people won't put their foot. So, it's testament to everyone behind the scenes again.”