Important matches continue to arrive thick and fast for Salthill Devon, who have reached the FAI Junior Cup semi-final following an impressive 3-1 away win over Wexford’s North End United.
Vinny Faherty (2 ) and Mikie Fox contributed goals for Salthill, who face Colemanstown United in a crucial Galway FA premier division contest at Drom on Friday evening.
“Every match is a cup final, we don't focus two or three weeks in advance,” Collins says ahead of another vital fixture.
“We go week by week. Friday is a very big match, we have to get three points to put pressure on Athenry and Mervue. It means absolutely nothing if we lose points on Friday or our performance drops.
“We treat every match differently, but the same respect and the same degree of intensity. It was nice to get the win against North End, but my main focus is on Friday evening against Colemanstown.”
Claiming a league title is the mission Devon want to accomplish. “The league is our main priority and it has been since day one,” Collins says.
“The club has never won the league from my understanding so we want to do something nice for the club. The players have responded so far, we are undefeated so far in the season. They have worked like no other players I have ever seen, they have worked three times a week, sometimes four times.
“To commit to an amateur football team, to always have the numbers it is unbelievable. The dedication is there, the commitment is there, the hard work and belief will eventually pay off.”
Collins was delighted with the manner in which Salthill performed in the south east against a highly rated North End.
“We were phenomenal, I don't think anybody expected us to go there to control the whole match,” he responded. “We were very unfortunate when Timmy [Molloy] missed his penalty, then a few minutes later we hit the crossbar. To go in at half-time one nil down having a penalty against us.
“We controlled the whole match, I kept on telling the guys after such a good week of preparation we knew everything about North End.
“Just for us to believe, we were controlling the match, and we would be rewarded and that is what happened at the end. We got a goal to equalise, we went 2-1 up, and then we got a third one from Vinny.”
There is no shortage of matches ahead in the next couple of months for Salthill, who have also qualified for the FAI Senior Cup. That is another challenge Collins’ charges will embrace.
**Listen to the full interview with Salthill Devon manager Victor Collins on this week’s ‘Cian on Sport’ podcast available on Soundcloud, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
