Sion are hungry for more cup success says Blake

TONY Blake believes winning the League Cup back in the summer has given his Sion Swifts players added hunger for more knockout success.

At the beginning of July, Swifts defeated Cliftonville 2-0 in the League Cup decider at HW Welders’ Blanchflower Stadium.

Three months on and Sion are bidding to secure a place in yet another showpiece final. On Saturday evening the north Tyrone outfit lock horns with Crusaders at Stangmore Park (kick -off 6.30pm) bidding to reach the final of the Electric Ireland Women’s Challenge Cup, which they won for the one and only time back in 2017.

Current manager Blake believes his players are fully focused and relishing the last four showdown with the Crues.

The Donegal man says having already tasted cup success will stand his players in good stead.

“At the risk of looking too far ahead to do a cup double would be quite something,” said the Swifts supremo.

“Winning the League Cup was obviously a great experience for everyone and it has definitely given the players extra hunger.

“Training has been excellent and the players are very focused.

“They are buying into everything that Ryan (Mullen) is asking off them.

“We’re are pretty much at full strength and the hard bit will be getting the right formation and the right selection.”

Sion reached the semi-final by defeating Lisburn Ladies 6-0 in Round Two before receiving a bye in the quarter-finals after St James’ Swifts pulled out owing to a tragic death within their club.

Games against Crusaders are traditionally hard fought affairs and Blake isn’t expecting a break with tradition when the teams meet again at the Dungannon venue.

“We are evenly matched and it could go right down to the wire,” he added.

“If we keep it tight at the back, which we have been doing recently, then we have the players to hurt the Crues in attack.

“When we won the League Cup it was the big support that helped get us across the line and hopefully everyone again gets behind us again on Saturday evening.

“They have been the 12th man (woman) before and there is no doubt that the players respond and feed off their backing.”

The winners of Saturday evening’s showdown will meet either Glentoran or Linfield, who were reinstated to the competition after Cliftonville were found to have played an ineligible player in the last-eight clash between the sides.