Rock may make amends Tough assignment facing Duleek

MOST of the players who take the field for Saturday's Meath & District League Challenge Cup final at United Park, Drogheda will already know what it is like to be involved in the showpiece event of the season.

Duleek and Rock Celtic have been there, done that in recent seasons - they just ended up undergoing sharply contrasting experiences.

Two years ago the Meath side won the cup by defeating local rivals Slane Wanderers in dramatic circumstances, also at United Park. Rock made it to the decider last year only to implode under the floodlights at Claremont Stadium and lose out to Navan Town on penalties. Now both are back in the cauldron once again to set up an all-Premier encounter.

Victory would be an ideal way for Duleek to mark their 40th anniversary although overcoming Rock will not be an easy assignment as results this term underline.

Just a few weeks ago the teams met in the league with Rock winning 3-1 and earlier in the season the sides finished 3-3 after what was, by all accounts, a rip-roaring affair full of goalmouth action.

If a similar goal-fest is produced on Saturday the paying customers will be well satisfied. The likelihood is that both sides will be a little less gung-ho when it comes to seeking out goals. Cup finals are usually close-run affairs, with defences dominating.

Duleek have come a long way since they started out in 1968, long before there was any mention of the MDL. Their maiden voyage was undertaken in the Drogheda Summer League. There were also spells in Leinster Senior League and the Louth AUL, where they won their first major trophy - the McGee Cup in 1973. They eventually joined the growing ranks of the MDL in the mid-1980s.

Showing plenty of vision Duleek FC purchased land at the Tollstone for £25,000 in 1990 after renting pitches there for two decades. The club have subsequently spent large sums on improvements and now boasts some of the best facilities of any club in the north east. The commitment of people like Teddy Seery ensured that the club survived the turbulent times.

On the field progress has been swift and it looks certain now that Duleek will finish as the top Meath team in the Premier, The club's second string are also in the Reserve Cup final as dedicated clubman Noel Heeney is quick to point out.

Both Duleek and Rock are unusual in that they are guided by dual managers. The Meath side have Gary Duff and Terry Cassin at the helm with brothers Michael and Ed Smyth are coming to the end of their second season in charge of the Dundalk outfit.

Heeney says that Duff and Cassin have brought  a "professional approach" to the Duleek set-up and the players have responded in a positive fashion - results would appear to back up this viewpoint. 

Rock are on the verge of completing a league and cup double and they could be forgiven if they didn't take anything for granted. Last year they were also close to bagging both trophies only to lose form at precisely the wrong time.

As Michael Smyth points out his side will be hoping to learn from that experience and make up for the bitter disappointment of missing out in last year's quest for both the cup and the league. 

"After winning the semi-final last year we lost five games, I don't know what happened to us, we hit a bad patch, perhaps the pressure got to the players I don't know, a lot of the lads were never in that position before," he added.

Now the tables have turned and Smyth points out that in recent weeks Rock have put together a string of impressive results that has kept their double hopes very much alive. As well as Duleek they have also defeated Carrick and Trim Celtic twice, in the league as well as an impressive 3-0 win in the cup semi-final.

An overall look at Rock's team would indicate they have the talent to go all the way this time around. Their side is bolstered by a few players who have tasted life in the professional ranks. Derek Delaney, Gerry Breen and David McKeown had spells with Ipswich Town, Leeds Utd and Stoke City respectively. David Ward was on the books at Dundalk, Glenavon and Newry Town while John Sharkey was also with the Lilywhites.

Duleek couldn't quite sustain their push for the Premier title yet this has been a productive season with their good league form complemented by their sustained cup run.

Gavin Brennan, James Guilfoyle, Chris Jein and Robbie Carr are players who have performed consistently for the Duleek side this term. Goalkeeper Timmy Goggins returned to the side for the semi-final after a lengthy lay-off with injury and produced a number of top-notch saves.

The spirit in the Duleek side was demonstrated in the semi-final win over Albion Rovers when they came from a goal down to win 2-1 with strikes from Derek Cummins and Colin Woods. There was an element of luck about Duleek's equaliser, but, as Heeney points out, you need luck to win the cup.

"We beat Ardee 4-0 on the way to the final and that was a big performance for us and the test of character came when we went a goal down against Albion in the semi-final and not playing particularly well and still got a win. We got a bit of luck that day, but you need that to win anything."

That never-say-die attitude, and much more besides, will be required if Duleek are to overcome Rock in Saturday's showdown. However, current form suggest that Rock have the edge and that momentum could be enough to see them lift the trophy on this occasion and make up for last year's final defeat.