With the Junior Cup semi-finals kicking off today, JOE takes a look both of the weekend’s games, which you can stream live on Aer TV.
By Adrian Collins
The Road to the Aviva continues as the 554 teams that set out at the beginning of the FAI Junior Cup, a competition which has proven to be a great breeding ground for talent in the past, have been whittled down to just four.
Sheriff YC of Dublin and Carew Park of Limerick are first up on Saturday, and they will be live on Aer TV from 1.45pm from Frank Cooke Park in Dublin. It will be a tough task for the Limerick side, as Sheriff are the current holders.
Carew Park manager Albert Slattery knows that it’s a brilliant opportunity for the lads, and that while Sheriff will certianly be favourites given their win last year, they’re not unbeatable.
He’s also optimistic about the chances of getting two Limerick sides to the show piece event which would “put Limerick junior soccer on the map and it would be a remarkable achievement for us to get to the final”.
Sheriff manager Alan Reilly recognised that the focus was on them as holders, stating “being the reigning champions brings with it a lot of pressure this weekend, especially only being 90 minutes away from playing in the Aviva Stadium”, but he was confident about his lads’ chances, with the support they hope to get on the day, of getting the result they need.
Kilbarrack United, who were runners up last year, will take on Pike Rovers in this weekend’s second semi-final on Sunday. Pike won the tournament in 2011, so they have pedigree in this regard too, in what should be a fascinating clash.
According to the Limerick Post, Rovers’ manager Declan Considine says the lads are relishing a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play at the Aviva, but that won’t distract them from the task at hand this weekend. “It would be fantastic to play at the Aviva as you will only get one chance in your career to get there. If we don’t get to the final it will be a missed opportunity.”
The winners of both games will face off at the Aviva Stadium on June 2nd, right before the Irish international friendly with Georgia.
If you want to catch the action, you can watch it all live on AerTV an to keep up to date with all the scores, check out the Aviva Stadium Facebook page.
Don’t forget that getting yourself tickets to the FAI Junior Cup final at the Aviva will also get you a nice discount for the friendly against Georgia, and if you already have tickets for the friendly, you can pop along and catch the Junior Cup final for free.
