Bonagee all set for long trip to Cork and Intermediate Cup Rockmount test

High-flying Bonagee United will hope to continue their history-making run in the FAI Intermediate Cup when they travel to play Rockmount AFC of the Munster Senior League in Cork on Sunday (1pm).

Never before has the Letterkenny club reached this stage of the competition. And with a home semi-final against Maynooth University Town the prize for this weekend’s winners, there is added incentive, if any were needed, to try and get a result in Cork.

Bonagee manager Jason Gibson however, has been around long enough not to look past Sunday’s opponents.
Rockmount, the boyhood club of Roy Keane, are a household name when it comes to Intermediate football, and with home advantage, will be favourites to reach the last four.

“The pedigree they have in this competition is up there with the best of them,” Gibson said. “They’ve always been strong, and have a great tradition of producing good teams and good players. They’re going well again this season and we know we’re up against it.

“But we’ve got good players ourselves and if we prepare well and play the way we know we can, you just never know.”
Bonagee beat another Cork side, Everton, on penalties in the last round, and while not being disrespectful to Everton, Gibson feels Rockmount will be a step up again.

Unfortunately for Bonagee, the sending off of Packie Mailey in that tie at Dry Arch Park means he must sit out this weekend’s game through suspension.

“It’s a blow because Packie, never mind his quality, is a big presence in the team and he has so much experience,” Gibson said. But you’ve just got to get on with it.”

Just to underline how well Bonagee have been doing this season, since that win over Everton, they’ve reached two cup finals, in the League Cup and the North West of Ulster Intermediate Cup.

“We also had a win in the league in there too,” Gibson said. “We’ve been going well. We’re recording wins, some wins in matches where we’ve played well, and others where perhaps we haven’t played so good.

“But maybe that’s a good sign of where we are at. When you get to this stage of the season, and there are matches in mid-week, you might not have everyone available all the time, and that’s where you have to utilise your squad as best you can. Thankfully we’ve managed to do that.”