Healy hails resilience of his side in victory
YOUTH SOCCER
Daire Walsh
COLLEGE Corinthians manager Peter Healy cut a jubilant figure in the aftermath of his side’s magnificent FAI Centenary U17 Cup final triumph over Corduff at Home Farm FC in Dublin on Saturday.
After Corinthians midfielder Luke O’Donnell and opposition captain Luke Kearns traded early goals, the teams remained inseparable for a full hour of playing time. That was until Matthew Broderick and Conor O’Sullivan struck final-quarter goals to ensure the Douglas outfit came out on top in the end.
“It’s tough coming up to Dublin and trying to get any result. These Dublin teams are great, but we came up full of confidence. We had been playing very well at the end of the season. I don’t know if everyone else was, but in our little group we very confident,” Healy remarked.
“The first 15 minutes we had to settle down, it was kind of dodgy there for a little bit. Then when we settled into it. I just thought there was goals to be gotten there and I thought we played good football. That’s the key thing, not to get intimidated. Just back yourself and play a bit of ball. Once we settled down today, I thought we were the better team.”
You don’t always get what you deserve in life, however, and Corduff posed a formidable challenge for the vast majority of the action. Healy is in charge of a resilient bunch, though, and he feels this really shone through when their Blanchardstown counterparts were asking tough questions of them.
“They dig deep all the time. Genuinely, all through the season they dug deep and they’re actually good in cup finals. I don’t know what it is, but they just seem to step up for the big day. They’re just really good lads. Really hard-working lads and not too many egos amongst them there.”
Corinthians have fast been gaining a reputation in recent years as a stomping ground for future international stars with the likes of David Meyler, Chiedozie Ogbene, Adam Idah and Megan Connolly having played for the club before going on to represent the Republic of Ireland at senior level.
While this U17 group are still learning their trade, Healy believes Saturday’s win will boost the confidence of not just themselves, but the club as a whole.
“I keep saying it. When young people in our club see a National Cup final at U17, they start saying ‘we can do that now as well’. It instills confidence that these boys playing know they’re as good as anyone in the country. That’s really important,” Healy added.