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THE sun is smiling down today as Killarney gets set to host the biggest-ever game in the history of soccer in the town. This evening local kingpins Killarney Celtic will take on the might of Dublin’s Sheriff Youth Club FC in the semi-final of the FAI Junior Cup semi-final.

With the quarter-final victory over Limerick side Janesboro FC attracting over 2,000 supporters to Celtic Park, this crunch encounter is expected to draw a bumper crowd, keen to see the local boys in green battle it out with the current cup holders and the top junior side in the country.

The big game will kick off at 5pm at Kilbrean Park, home of Mastergeeha FC.

Celtic manager Brian Spillane said: “Sheriff are the best junior club the game has ever seen and they will expect to beat us. We are the underdogs, nobody expects us to win but we’ll give it everything and there will be no blame game afterwards if we lose.”

Sheriff’s manager, Alan Reilly, declared: “I’m not trying to play down the favourites’ tag but it’s a semi-final and anything can happen.”

He said: “If we do what we are capable of I’d be quite confident but this is the Junior Cup and Celtic are on a good run so we’ll have our work cut out for us.”

Celtic will be running shuttle-buses from the Killarney Outlet Centre bus park every quarter of an hour from 3.30pm to 4.30pm.

Killarney Celtic Chairman Paul Sherry remarked: “We are putting crowd control plans in place as we are expecting a huge attendance given that we have gone further than any other Kerry side in this competition.”

A number of car parking spaces will be available at the ground on a first come first served basis, and weather depending, car-parking facilities will also be available close by.

Killarney Celtic have produced a special souvenir programme for the big match, which is now on sale.
 

 
Above: The Killarney Celtic team that lined out against Janesboro FC recently. PICTURE: KONRAD PAPROCKI