St. Michael's manager James Walsh says there's more to come from Tipperary's FAI Junior Cup champions

The final may have been delayed 16 weeks from its original date of May 12 but the wait was worth it for Tipperary town club St. Michael’s, who won their third FAI Junior Cup by beating Dublin side Sheriff YC 1-0 in Saturday’s final in Galway.

It was the club’s second success in five years in the blue riband competition of Irish junior soccer but manager James ‘Chalky’ Walsh says “we don’t intend stopping here, hopefully there’s more to come”.

St. Michael’s lifted the trophy courtesy of a superb late goal from substitute Willie Armshaw that was worthy of winning any game.

“Willie was very unlucky to miss out on a place in the starting eleven, as he had played in every round, but it was a call we just had to make”, says James Walsh.

 “It was a great finish at the end of a great team move. He has been scoring spectacular goals like that all season but to do it in an FAI Cup final and with such calmness was something else. He’s a great kid”.

On their return to Tipperary on Saturday night the team was met on the Limerick Road by the CJ Kickham brass and reed band and paraded through the town centre, deservedly feted as  the heroes that they are, with delighted townspeople lining the streets to applaud them.

On Monday the cup was brought to local schools, as the town celebrated a famous victory.

“We’re back training on Wednesday night for our home league game against Cahir Park on Sunday. 

“But although this has happened at the start of the season, instead of at the end of the campaign when the FAI Junior Cup Final is usually played it’s important that we enjoy it”, says the manager.

“In the wider context Tipp town has been struggling and I met a lot of people who have received a great lift from this win, especially older people.

Above - Willie Armshaw celebrates his match-winning goal for St. Michael's in the FAI Junior Cup Final - Picture: Iain McDonald

“Even on Sunday I was still a bit emotional about the victory and what it meant to the club”.

He said they were all very disappointed when the final, scheduled for the Aviva Stadium, was postponed just two days before it was due to be played on May 12, and subsequently delayed because of an ongoing wrangle over a Sheriff YC player’s registration.

“We then decided that we couldn’t control the situation and just got on with it. We were fortunate that we had the Munster Junior Cup Final the following week (beating Limerick’s Pike Rovers on penalties) and then the Tipperary Cup Final (where they beat Clonmel Town to complete the Tipperary League double).

“We took six or seven weeks off and pre-season started on July 25, and we started getting people right and in shape. We were lucky that we had an FAI Senior Cup game against Glengad United (from Donegal)”. 

Despite losing, he said it was a really good game, as were their matches against Evergreen from Kilkenny and then Nenagh and Peake Villa in the John Delaney Cup. 

James Walsh agreed that winning their second title in five years (they were also successful in 2014, as well as 1974) was some achievement.

“Since the turn of the century we’ve played in six FAI Junior Cup finals, as well as winning six Munster Junior Cups and two Munster Champions Cups, which is huge”. 

He believes Saturday’s victory has now put them in the same category as Cherry Orchard, Sheriff YC and Fairview Rangers, who have also enjoyed great success in the competition.

“We have only eight survivors from the squad that won the cup in 2014. That’s a big turnover of players.

“We had three 19 year-olds on the pitch at the end of Saturday’s game so we have some good young kids coming through”.

Above - Paul Breen put in a powerful performance at the heart of the St. Michael's defence against Sheriff YC - Picture: Iain McDonald 

Having served as player-manager for three seasons, James Walsh is now concentrating all his efforts on management, having hung up his boots. 

The Irish Junior International Player of the Year in 2011, he retired from international football in 2014 as Ireland’s most capped junior international, having played 80 times for his country.

He said that lifting the FAI Junior Cup as a manager was equally as good as winning it as a player, an honour that he achieved five years ago. 

The Cashel man paid tribute to his “brilliant” backroom team, which includes coaches Johnny Cremins and Micheal Byrne and physios Thomas Holmes and Pierce Foley.

“The ethos of volunteerism is what this club is all about”, he said, emphasising the importance of the club committee and its members, some of whom sell lottery tickets on the main street on Thursdays and Fridays.

The manager also thanked the supporters who made the long trip to Eamon Deacy Park in Galway for last weekend’s final, as well as all those “across all sporting codes” who sent messages of  support. 

For more Tipperary soccer read Wilderness Rovers beat Clonmel Town in eight-goal derby thriller