Club chairperson Aaron Clogher has been one of the driving forces in the backround as Pearses have advanced into the provincial final. He says that it’s all new territory for the club.
“This is unprecedented for our club. We set out at the start of the year, as we have almost every year in recent times, (with the aim) of winning the Fahey Cup. It was a long time coming and a lot of us are all our lives dreaming it might happen. Now to go on and get to a Connacht final in our first year in the competition…it’s an opportunity that we intend to enjoy and make the most of it”.
He says that the big crowd that travelled to London has galvanised the support for the club even further.
“The fact that we played in London recently and that such a big crowd travelled over has brought the club even closer together. The members and friends and supporters and everyone that travelled was remarkable and anyone who has seen the photos and videos since will agree. The chairman of the London County Board said that it was the biggest crowd he had ever seen over to follow a club team.
“The support we got financially and with so many travelling over was fantastic because remember we had only a week to prepare. While there was a bit of preparation involved it was a huge operation to get 45 people over to London. Club treasurer Kieran McGreal put in a huge shift and Kelleher’s Travel in Ballinasloe were a huge help to us as well. But it was all worth it in the end and it was a memorable weekend”.
Aaron says that this Connacht final is such an exciting prospect for the club.
“With regard to the Connacht final we don’t know when this opportunity will come around again for all of these lads. Winning their first county title was a massive weight off their shoulders and it has given us a release now and they are playing with more freedom and a nothing-to-lose mentality.
“It’s a fantastic journey to be on to be playing probably the greatest club football team of all time, the ‘Dublin’ of club football and they are going for three All-Ireland titles in a row. It’s a massive task but we will give it our best shot and see how it goes,” he concluded.
