Ratty's men can mark big birthday with cup triumph

Navan rivals to clash in Challenge Cup final

There are several intriguing aspects to Saturday's NEFL Challenge Cup final at Sullivan & Lamb Park in Drogheda, 2pm.

There is, for starters, the fact that the clash between Johnstown and Parkvilla is a local derby, bringing with it all that that involves. There is the remarkable reality too that in this, their 60th anniversary, Parkvilla have never won the Challenge Cup.

Granted, for the majority of those years they have played outside the North East Football League - or as it was previously known, the Meath & District League and before that the Mid-Meath League - yet for such a prominent club on the local soccer landscape it's still a glaring absence from their roll of honour.

Johnstown came in from the cold last year when they brought home the trophy for the first time, defeating Trim Celtic in the final, the club that had won the competition for the previous three years.

That statistic points to something else that is intriguing about this year's final showdown. Since 2019 Meath clubs have dominated the Challenge Cup. Annually since 2019 the venerable old trophy has been brought back to the Royal County, except for 2020 of course when Covid prevented the playing of the competition. Whatever happens on Saturday the trophy will stay on the Meath side of the Boyne.

The fact that Johnstown are the holders may give them a slight edge going into the final. They know what's required. Another reason Johnstown supporters have for believing they can hold onto the trophy is the fact that they overcame formidable challenges on the way to the final - clocking up an impressive tally of 17 goals in the process.

They kicked off their cup journey by defeating Premier Div champions Duleek 3-0 before trouncing Termonfeckin Celtic 8-0 and overcoming Robinstown 2-0. Then there was the tight, hard-tacking, rollercoaster of semi-final clash with OMP Utd that was won 4-3 with two goals from Joseph Moran Lynagh and one each from topscorer Lee Duffy and Byron Farrell.

Over the course of their run Lee Kelly, Liam Herbert, Jack Quirke and Lee Fahy were others who have found the target for Dave Murdiff's men. Kelly hit a hat-trick in that win over Termonfeckin.

Winning the Challenge Cup last year was a truly special occasion for the Johnstown club - and the local community. When asked about that final win over Trim Celtic the normally highly articulate Johnstown FC clubman Eoin Sheridan struggled, at least initially, and understandably, to convey in words just what it meant to the Candystripes. No words could, after all, truly express what it all meant to the people in the club - and the wider community.

"To see the Johnstown people over in Drogheda, the place full to the rafters, the people cheering on the Johnstown team, unbelievable, and to win it as well, special," he said. "There was a true sense of community, even going over to Drogheda by bus for the game was special, to see people cheering, people were crying believe it or not, even one or two of the players. Then there was the fact that we had lost the great Christy Kavanagh, that all added to the emotion of the day."Johnstown have made one or two tweaks to their squad, bringing in a few new players, but the management team remains the same with manager Murdiff leading a cast that includes former AFC Wimbledon player Dylan Connolly who these days plays for Galway United and also finds time to coach Johnstown.

While they have gone well in the Challenge Cup the Candystripes have had mixed fortunes in the Premier Div but were still good enough to secure a mid-table position.

Parkvilla, on the other hand, go into Saturday's showdown chasing a league and cup double. Their failure to take the title last season, when they lost to eventual champions Duleek on the last day still hurts deeply - that's clear from even a brief chat with manager Kenny Ratty - so it would be understandable if their priority was the league which they can safely secure if they win their remaining four games.

This week, however, the focus around the club is on the cup final. Manager Ratty knows what a confidence boost winning the Challenge Cup final would be to his team and like Johnstown, the 'Villa have also shown some fine form in reaching the decider.

For example they won both their opening two rounds against Electro Celtic and Carrick Rovers 4-0 with one of their goals scored by Jamie Blake the team's top marksman this season with 12 strikes in the league also. Parkvilla also pushed on to defeat Monaghan Town and Athboy Celtic 2-0 and 3-0 before overcoming Ardee Celtic 4-0 in the last four with the help of two goals from Callum Bartley and one each bagged by James Friery and Callum Bonner.

On their Challenge Cup journey the 'Villa have also, like their rivals, scored 17 goals but have conceded none. Zilch. It's a remarkable record and hits at the kind of power and ability they have in their ranks - both in defence and attack.

There's something else noteworthy about the Navan team - almost everyone of their players have come through the club's underage structure. "Every player in our squad, apart from one, has played schoolboy football with Parkvilla so they are all club players, all have come through to the senior team.

"It's just something we do, we promote the lads and even this year we have several youth team players who are in the senior squad, kicking on, so it's all about giving young players a chance. They are all Parkvilla players which is great."

That, in a few words, is the philosophy of the club and is, undoubtedly, one of the chief reasons why they are chasing a league and cup double.

It might also be one of the reasons why they can win Saturday's final and claim the trophy in this their 60th anniversary.