Glory Awaits

Glory Awaits

9 April 2025

CELTIC Bhoys are preparing for the biggest game in the club’s history as they get ready to target glory in the Junior Shield final at Blanchflower Stadium next Wednesday night.

The Hoops are eyeing up their first piece of cup silverware since making the move from the Newcastle League to the Amateur League two years ago.

They are already chasing the Division 2B title, sitting eight points behind leaders Newhill with three games in hand, and will aim to secure the first half of a potential league and cup double when they travel to the Harland and Wolff Welders’ ground this time next week.

To do so, they will first have to overcome a St Mary’s side that is challenging for top spot in the league above. 

On that basis, Celtic Bhoys will enter the match as the second favourites, but they have already navigated their way past Ahoghill Thistle, Sandy Row, Harland and Wolff Welders U-21s, Clonduff, Kelvin OB and Greencastle Rovers en route to the final. 

Coach Shane Adair is not hiding his team’s underdog status, but believes they will relish that label and use it to their advantage, as they have done previously.

“We know St Mary’s are going in as the favourites, but that doesn’t faze us. We will just do what we’ve been doing so far and, hopefully, we show how good we are,” he said.

“We were the underdogs in the semi-final too. It won’t affect us or how we go about the game. If anything, we’ll be more determined to prove our doubters wrong and show we are capable at this level.”

The Bhoys dominated a strongly fancied Greencastle Rovers side in the penultimate round, securing a 2-1 win thanks to goals from Mikey Rice and Sean Ferris.

While they know they can rely on strong performances from the likes of skipper Rice and talismanic goalscorer Ferris, alongside a whole host of stars in their lineup, their strength lies in the fact that they operate as a team unit and Adair has full faith in both his squad and coaching team.

“Any cup final comes down to who wants it the most on the day. Nobody likes to lose a game and we trust the boys to be up for it,” he stated.

“Plenty of our boys have played in big games before and know the pressures involved. Obviously, at this point, there’s a bit of excitement, but it’s our job to keep their feet on the ground and make sure we do everything possible to give us the best chance of winning.”

It is clear that the team is making great strides, having clinched promotion and reached the semi-finals of the Cochrane Cup in their first Amateur League season, and victory here could give them the momentum they desire. 

There is pressure to go that bit further this campaign and the sentiment of the occasion is by no means lost on Adair.

He added: “We have got ourselves into a good position in the league and into a cup final. It’s games like this that footballers want to be involved in.

“We just hope we can do the club proud and put Downpatrick back on the footballing map.”

The club will be running a supporters’ bus to the final, departing Lidl car park at 6.30pm and arriving at Blanchflower Stadium ahead of the 7.45pm kick-off.

The cost is £10 per adult and £5 for U-18s. All seats must be pre-booked.