New Oak eager for revenge on Evergreen

After four years of making Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals, last May, New Oak managed to break the seal and reach an LFA Junior Cup Final. There they faced stiff opposition in the form of Kilkenny side Evergreen. There was a lot of hope and optimism for New Oak but unfortunately they didn’t perform as well as they could on the day, and came out the wrong end of a 1-0 defeat.

Speaking at the league launch night a couple of weeks ago, Assistant manager Eddie Shaw said that they know they could have been better .”It hit us all hard, the management, the players. It has to be [another crack at Leinster being on the cards], last year was really disappointing. We didn’t play on the day, maybe nerves got to the lads, maybe on the line we made a few decisions wrong, hindsight is a great thing, and we’re saying we should have done this or that. Outside of the Premier Division, it’s our priority. No Carlow team has ever won it, only Crettyard and ourselves have been in finals. Hopefully we’ll be able to give it another shot. The players that we've brought in, hopefully they'll be the missing piece of the jigsaw.” 

Since last season, New Oak have strengthened, adding a striker in Shane Barnes and the pace and skill of Sean Smithers. They have started the season in sublime form, scoring 22 goals in their two KCLR Carlow Shield matches, beating Castle Rangers and a depleted St. Fiacc’s side. However their toughest challenge so far awaits them this weekend when they get the chance for revenge on Evergreen when the two sides meet in the LFA Senior Cup on Sunday morning at the Burrin Road. Speaking after their side’s victory over St. Fiacc’s last Sunday, New Oak Assistant Manager, Eric McCormack said that despite winning their two games in the Shield comfortably enough that they have had a competitive pre-season and that they’re eager to get revenge on Evergreen.

“We had a right old game against Gorey Rangers during the week in Enniscorthy, that was a proper, proper game. We had another game against Portmanock, that was another proper, proper game. The lads are getting good games and it’s just about keeping that same intensity when we play teams that aren’t at the same end of the table. The lads have something to prove against Evergreen from when they beat us in the Leinster, so if they can’t get up for next week, they may forget about it. At the end of the day, we’re probably not going to win the Leinster Senior, it’s a competition that we don’t really want to be in but next week is like another Leinster final. Some teams don’t get to get revenge against teams for years, but we’re getting a chance for revenge after three or four months.” 

 Jamie Lawler echoed those thoughts.

“To get a game against Evergreen after what happened a few months ago, it will give the lads a bit of a challenge. Can we right our wrongs? It’s a great game to have before the league. You’ll have your Pat’s and your Crettyards, and Fiacc’s were missing a lot of lads, they’ll be far stronger in the league so when you’re going into them, the likes of the Evergreen game, they’re the ones that will stand to us more than any other game.”