Wilson urges Tubberclair players to ‘seize the moment’

Former Westmeath star Fergal Wilson has urged his Tubberclair club colleagues “to seize the moment” in the Leinster intermediate club football final against Sallins. The Westmeath intermediate champions face their Kildare counterparts in this Sunday’s Leinster decider at Cedral St Conleth’s Park, Newbridge (throw-in 1.30pm).

It will be Tubberclair’s second appearance in the Leinster final at this grade, and Wilson was on the team which played in the 2009 final against another Kildare outfit, Maynooth. Wilson described that defeat as “probably the most disappointing day” he experienced during his football career.

Reflecting on the 2009 Leinster final against Maynooth, Wilson said: “We were two points up with about three or four minutes to go and Karl Ennis, who was a Kildare senior player at the time as well, took a shot. It got a deflection and in fairness it spun up into the top corner. I think they got the next kickout and basically scored a point from it. There were no two-pointers back then of course, so we’re trying to go for a goal and ultimately the clock beat us.

“It was probably the most disappointing day of my career as a footballer because we were so close. It would have been a huge achievement to win a Leinster championship as a club.”

Sallins are a rightly rated outfit and the Kildare champions were installed as Leinster title favourites from a long way out. However, Wilson has urged the current Tubberclair team to do all they can to grasp the opportunity of Leinster glory this Sunday.

“To go on a Leinster championship run is unique. You know, it was 16 years ago since we last had a run. The lads won the Westmeath junior championship in 2020, but of course because of Covid, there was no Leinster championship that year. So this could be the one time in their career to get the chance to win a Leinster championship,” said Wilson.

“There is a group of good young lads who hopefully might go on and win a (Westmeath) senior championship in the future. But you have to seize the moment. This possibly could be a once in a lifetime opportunity for the club to win a Leinster championship, so hopefully we’ll go ahead and do that.

“We’re in a great position going into the final. Sallins are hot favourites not just for Leinster but for the All-Ireland. The pressure is off our lads; it is bonus territory and they can just go out and give it a rattle.

“Obviously, they’re a good side, but we’re a good side too. They have very good players, but we have very good players that would cause anyone trouble. So if we go out and perform on the day, I’d be very confident we’ll be there or thereabouts.”

From his coaching involvement with the club at underage level and in the Marist College, where he teaches, Fergal has seen at close quarters the development of several young Tubberclair players.

“I suppose for the last two or three years we’ve been knocking on the door (in the intermediate championship), and I think it was the input of the minors coming through this year (that made the difference). Five or six of them joined the panel this year. They’ve been used to winning right up along and that brought fresh impetus into the setup. That was kind of the key ingredient to get the team over the line and they’ve been a huge plus for the club,” said Wilson, a Leinster senior medallist with Westmeath in 2004.

“I’d be very familiar with them and they’ve grown over the years. They’re all fine footballers and six of them are on the Westmeath under-20s, which is testament to the quality of the lads.

“We’ve been building and building, and we actually could have won three minor titles in a row, possibly should have won three in a row. There are also a lot of good fellas there in their early 20s, like Matthew (Whittaker) and Eoghan McCabe. There has been a good group of young lads coming through and they have tied in with the lads who were there already,” Wilson continued.

The fitness levels of Tubberclair have been notable this year, as they showed when needed in the Westmeath intermediate final against Shandonagh and the Leinster semi-final against Hunterstown Rovers of Louth.

“When you’re winning, everyone wants to stay involved and the injuries don’t seem as bad and the hamstrings are not as tight when you’re on a great run. The lads have been training since last January and it’s a long year. But I suppose you’re just going from game to game and building momentum. Everyone wants to be involved and it’s a unique journey,” said Fergal.

“It’s probably a once in a career opportunity and it’s been phenomenal. We haven’t been flagging in any game and that’ll be very important in the final. Sallins are a very fit team and I think their running power in the last 15 minutes the last day (their semi-final win over Clara) really got them over the line in that game,” he added.