Fanad United missing key players ahead of FAI Cup clash

Fanad United are the sole Donegal representatives in the first round of the FAI Cup this weekend and manager Arthur Lynch is hoping to get through and have a chance of meeting the top clubs in the country.

For making the last eight of the FAI Junior Cup before a heartbreaking late defeat to Fairview Rangers, the Traigh-A-Loch men were rewarded with a place in the senior cup for the first time in 14 years.

The tie has given them a lot of focus towards the end of the season as they relinquished their Premier Division title and their return to the senior competition has sourced a buzz in the area. 

Should they win on Sunday, they will be joined in the next round by Finn Harps, but there could be some mouth-watering ties up for grabs as all Premier Division teams also enter in the second round.

Local businesses have supported the club to help pay for the trip to Dublin to face Leinster Senior League club Leicester Celtic (kick-off 2pm), while a supporters' coach has also been organised.

“We know a lot are travelling in cars and there are plenty of people in Dublin with Fanad connections so we’re hoping to have a big crowd.

“It’s a big game for both clubs and it would be great to get into the next round.

“We played Kildare County (in 2008) and that was the last time we met a senior team, clubs in the Inishowen League like Glengad and Redcastle have had runs in the FAI Cup but it hasn’t been common in the Donegal Junior League. 

“You want to have that sort of scenario (of meeting a big team), we played Shamrock Rovers in 2005 and that’s something our team will never forget, those sort of games.

“And that’s the carrot for these lads this weekend, we’ll try and get through on Sunday.”

The Rathfarnham-based side play in the Senior 1B Sunday Division, the fourth tier of the LSL but Lynch is wary that their opponents are an Intermediate side and the Donegal men will be up for the challenge on the Astro pitch at Damien Duff Park, named after the former Ireland international who began his career at the club.

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“We’ve had a few games recently and played Letterkenny Rovers in the last game of the season.

“We were supposed to be at home but we reversed it to play on their Astro, it saved them travelling to Fanad and it was good preparation for us to get a competitive game on the artificial surface so it worked well for everyone.

“The boys have all been on board since the season ended, they play gaelic as well but they’re focused on Sunday and we’re good to go.

“We know a bit on Leicester Celtic, they’ll be used to playing on their own surface compared to us and they score a lot of goals so a bit is going against us.

“But we’ve been on the go for a few years now and we’ve won a couple of league titles.

“We didn’t do ourselves justice in the league this year but we’re happy with our cup progression, the possibility of getting a senior team is great and we’ll see what we can do.

“It’s typical at this time of year to be missing players and Oisin Langan and Patrick Moffitt both have ankle injuries and Paddy Carr has a fractured bone in his arm so we’re missing a few.”