Boyle says Harps will have to pull out all the stops against Town

BENNY Boyle say that his Strathroy Harps players will have to pull out all the stops if they are to advance to the semi-finals of the fonaCAB Irish Junior Cup at the expense of Enniskillen Town United on Saturday.

The Fermanagh and Western heavyweights lock horns at Omagh Leisure Centre with the winners taking a crucial step towards an appearance in the May Bank Holiday showpiece decider.

The stakes couldn’t be higher and the stage would appear to be set for titanic quarter-final tussle.

Both clubs have won the prestigious silverware twice – Harps in 2012 and 2013 and Town in 1994 and 2007.

The two league games between the teams finished 1-1 and Enniskillen are currently sitting fifth with Harps just below them. On paper it would appear there is little between the sides and Boyle accepts that his players are going to have to be at their best to reach the last four.

“Any time you play Town or any teams in the top half of the Fermanagh and Western you have to be at your best,” said the Harps supremo.

“It probably boils down to which team takes their chances. We have leaked a few sloppy goals of late but we are winning and I’m happy enough.

“We are playing very well at the minute, things have turned since beating Rangers (Enniskillen).

“We are now unbeaten in six. League form hasn’t been great but I have been throwing boys in to get a look at them and giving them minutes and stuff.

“Not only is Saturday a big day but so is the following weekend when we play in the Mulhern Cup. I have been emphasising to the players it’s a big fortnight coming up.

“It makes or breaks our season there is no point lying about about it. I think we can win both ties, that’s the aim.

“I’m not looking ahead of ourselves but when you are in the position we are you have to be wanting to go all the way.

“People have said to me if you get to the quarter-final or semi-final of the Junior Cup and Mulhern Cup it’s a good season. That’s not how I see it. If you are this far now you have to have aspirations to win it. That’s the mindset I want from the boys.

“If we don’t go any further, then that will be the mindset for next season and we’ll keep building on that. I truly think we can go all the way.”

No doubt Town go into the tie with similar ambitions and it would be a brave man or woman who would bet against extra-time and penalties being needed to separate the sides.

It’s fair to say that both teams are a different animal now than they were at the beginning of the season and Boyle has been instrumental in again making Harps a force to be reckoned with.

“When I took the job on I knew I had a big task on my hands but I knew that getting the players fitter would be half the battle,” he said.

“We hadn’t be fit for a couple of years and we had to change that.

“I’m disappointed in three or four league results and that could have left us in the top four.

“But maybe sitting mid table has kept us under the radar and that has been to our benefit.

“It’s taken a bit of doing but right now I’m happy where we are at. We made a couple of good sigings at Christmas and having Teague back adds a lot of quality.

“Things are falling into place but it has to take us further than late February early March.”