Toal’s Bookmakers Co Antrim Steel & Sons Cup final: Newington v Linfield Swifts (Christmas Day, Seaview, 10.45am)
NEWINGTON manager Conor Crossan says it would be an amazing achievement if his side can lift the Steel & Sons Cup for a second time in three seasons as they prepare for another Christmas morning final showdown with Linfield Swifts.
The north Belfast men edged out the Swifts, 1-0, in the 2017 showpiece decider at Seaview, and Crossan and Swifts boss Davy Dorian will again share the same sideline tomorrow morning (Wednesday) to decide the destination of the famous piece of silverware.
Newington’s Christmas morning victory in 2017 – courtesy of a late strike from Padraig Scollay - was the first time in the club's history they annexed the Steel Cup, but only three players of that team remain in the current squad.
“The Steel & Sons Cup is such a special competition," said Crossan.
"For Newington to get into another Steel & Sons Cups final so soon is a big achievement for the club because we've practically built a new team over the last two years."
Newington needed penalties to overcome Belfast Celtic in an epic semi-final last month, while the Swifts had less trouble easing past Larne Tech OB, 4-0.
Crossan added: “The squad of two years ago was more experienced than the current one, but we’ve got a good mixture of youth and experience at the minute.
“The players have bought into the change of attitude, the change of mentality and they’re a very hard-working group, just like the Steel Cup winning team of two years ago. The commitment of the players has been brilliant this year from every member of the squad."
Apart from a Co Antrim Shield loss to Ballymena United, the Premier Intermediate club made a hugely impressive start to the new season before coming unstuck in the Irish Cup third round to East Belfast and suffering league defeats to leaders Annagh United and Portstewart.
But they grabbed a morale-boosting 8-1 win over Craigavon City in the Intermediate Cup 10 days ago ahead of tomorrow morning's decider.
Linfield Swifts sit third in the Development League behind Crusaders and Cliftonville Olympic with Dorian resting virtually his entire squad in last Saturday’s league tie with the Crues.
Like Crossan, Dorian has just three players in the current Swifts squad who were involved in the 2017 Steel Cup final.
“We’ve such a young team, including a few 15 and 16-year-olds,” said Dorian.
“For example, Rory O’Hare played in the last final and is still only 18, so that shows you just how young our squad is.
“Our role all about development,” added the Swifts manager, “where the result doesn’t mean everything. Of course, everybody wants to win a game of football. I want to win this game as much as what Conor [Crossan] does, but my job is to get as many players into the first team as I can. There are five or six of my squad that have made first team appearances this season.”
In 2017, Swifts players Ross Clarke and Stevie Fallon didn’t play against Newington as they were promoted to Linfield’s first team for their St Stephen’s Day clash with Glentoran.
Dorian, whose side have conceded just one goal in reaching this year's decider, could well be without a couple of his key players again as first team boss David Healy surveys his options for the Glentoran game.
“Losing the final two years ago ruined my Christmas to be honest with you, it totally ruined it,” said Dorian.
“We played St James’s Swifts and Immaculata in the quarter-finals and the semi-finals and we won 3-0 and 4-0. And then it came to the final Stevie Fallon played in the derby match against Glentoran the following day and missed the Steel Cup final. The same with Ross Clarke. I don’t know who I’ll have available but hopefully we can go one better than two years ago.”
Paths to the final
Newington
Round One: bye
Round Two: Shankill United 2-9 Newington
Round Three: Sirocco Works 0-2 Newington
Round Four: Holywood FC 0-3 Newington
Round Five: Newington 3-0 Ballymoney United
Semi-final: Newington 1-1 Belfast Celtic (Newington won on penalties)
Linfield
Round One: bye
Round Two: Linfield Swifts 5-0 Islandmagee
Round Three: Linfield Swifts 2-0 Albert Foundry
Round Four: Linfield Swifts 7-1 18th Newtonabbey OB
Round Five: Crewe United 0-1 Linfield Swifts
Semi-final: Linfield Swifts 4-0 Larne Tech OB
