Published: Wednesday, 24th February, 2010 5:00pm

Sigerson Cup weekend is like the World Cup says AIT boss

Athlone IT manager Ned Burns was full of praise for his players after last week's Sigerson Cup quarter-final victory over IT Sligo - and he's now looking forward to this Friday's semi-final showdown against UCC (Maynooth, 12noon).

Speaking after the win over IT Sligo at Ballyforan, Burns said: "We spoke last night at a meeting and I said 'if we win today, it's like going to the World Cup'. That's what going to a Sigerson weekend is like. We came here today and we were quietly confident because we played them in Sligo, and I thought we had great passion and great spirit in this team. The biggest thing we had to instill into them was to be winners. We needed to get it through to those lads to believe they could win a high-intensity game because maybe some of them wouldn't be that used to winning at a higher level."

"We went in at half-time 0-3 each, not playing well, but we played against the wind so I was quite happy. I said to them in the dressing-room (at half-time) that we must take them on for the first ten minutes and lay down a marker. We set ourselves a target of four scores, take them on and put them on the back foot. They (Sligo) were doubting themselves, they weren't as good as they thought they were. I thought there was great spirit and great workmanship. We made a few moves which came off for us today. We're very happy with that."

"I'm delighted for Athlone IT, I'm delighted for Garry Sammon, he's put in a lot of work there. I'm delighted for the players because they have put in a lot of work, a lot of time and a lot of commitment.

"You also have Gordon (Brett), Michael (McMahon) and the Athlone IT President (Ciarán " Catháin), it's great to see those people (here today)," he continued.

"The only disappointment I would have, as an outsider, is that we weren't allowed to play in Athlone. I saw an article in a paper during the week that there are 22 soccer clubs in Athlone; we couldn't get a pitch, we had to come out to Ballyforan. I put a question behind that."

The Co Galway native said he didn't place much emphasis on the opposition in the run-up to the quarter-final.

"I never worry about the opposition. You can have 15 Kilkenny footballers and you can have 15 Kilkenny hurlers. You have to look at the standard. I believe I had a good team and I believed in those players. I didn't care who we took on.

"I wouldn't swap Athlone IT for any team left in the Sigerson this minute. We have scoring forwards and if you can get the ball into those lads, it's danger," said Burns.

Pointing to the defensive tactics of getting players behind the ball that are often associated with northern teams, Burns said teams should try to play football that spectators will enjoy watching.

"I came from St Jarlath's College, where we played attractive football and tried to out-score the opposition. That has always been my philosophy. It was a good game (against Sligo), it was intense, and I'd say it was exciting for people here. That's what you want. There are county managers out there running up hills and doing stupid weights. Look it, you have to use the ball and those lads are happy catching, kicking and soloing, and they're going to be better footballers going back to their counties."

The goal scored by John Reynolds was crucial to the outcome of last week's quarter-final, Burns admitted.

"A goal at any time is a major score. I tell the full-forward line that their job is to get scores. It was the difference in the game, it gave us a cushion and we were very happy to get it."

An ebullient Burns was quite positive about the challenge of taking on UCC in the semi-finals. "I don't care who we're playing. It's one hour away from a Sigerson Cup final. Anything can happen. I don't care, we'll take them on, and we'll represent Athlone well in the semi-final."

This year's AIT squad has been boosted by the addition of a number of players with senior inter-county experience, such as Clara duo John Reynolds and Matthew Mitchell, and Westmeath goalkeeper Gary Connaughton. Burns acknowledged that the presence of such players is a major help to the younger players on the panel.

"Yes certainly, because they're great leaders and they're able for big time games and high pressure games. They're great leaders, they're good talkers and they've played at a high level. It's great to have those fellas, plus you need that little bit of extra strength. Those guys are mature and physically strong, and they're able to dig you out of a hole."

The rotation of full-forward Raymond Galligan and half-forward Cathal Blake worked well against IT Sligo, and it's something Burns may consider again in Maynooth on Friday. "Yeah it worked very well, we put in Blake and he worked the goal, a goal and a point came off him. Then I thought we were struggling around the middle of the field and we brought him back out again and he caught two great balls. Blake is a winner, he has an All-Ireland under-21 medal, he has a colleges medal with St Jarlath's, he's a fighter, that's what you need in games like this," said the AIT manager.

Burns hopes to see Athlone IT receive plenty of support from the local area in Friday's semi-final.

"It's a great weekend for anyone that's involved in GAA, you've the cream of the crop playing there. It's the next thing to playing in an All-Ireland final because the Sigerson is just one step behind playing in an All-Ireland final."

As for injuries, Burns hopes to have Fintan Reilly of Milltownpass available for the UCC match, but he doubts that Mayo's Barry Moran will make it. "Fintan Reilly certainly will be in contention for the next day, he'll probably be back."

However, the AIT manager was in no mood to entertain any other injury worries.

"Look it, wouldn't you go out with half a leg to play in the Sigerson weekend. If you're playing rugby for Ireland, there's no fella who goes into a game 100 per cent fit. He's getting bangs and he has to go out and over-ride that. That's heart and that's spirit. Lads are only looking for excuses, talking about getting a bang, that's only s**t," added Burns.

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