Tickets remain on sale for the home cup tie. Kick-off in Tallaght Stadium is at 8pm.

We filled in last weekend’s competitive break with a 2-1 win over Glenavon in a friendly last Friday. Were you and the staff and players happy how that game went in the various aspects?

“We were really happy and especially that everyone came through with no injuries. It was great to get John McGovern on the pitch with the group in a proper game, that feel in the stadium with having a few fans in. I was really happy with the workout. Glenavon played well too so it was what we wanted and needed to keep us ticking over.”

John McGovern scored both goals early on, two extremely smart finishes with either foot. He looked sharp and eager and as you said when you signed him, he should give us a new dimension up top.

“He definitely will. You have to remember he’ll get fitter and stronger and understand our game and we’ll understand John more also as it goes. But we saw glimpses against Glenavon of what he’ll bring to the team, even glimpses when he came on against Sligo, what John will bring to the team. So it’s just about us recognising that early enough and making sure we use all the qualities John has.”

So we begin our FAI Cup quest for 2025 with a long overdue home tie against Wexford FC. Is our disappointing record in the Cup since we won it in 2019 and were runners-up in 2020 something everyone is keen to improve upon?

“Yes it is. It’s definitely a competition we want to go far in. This is the first time in a long time that we’ve got a home draw in the FAI Cup without having an away European game before it, which has caught us the last few years. So this is the first time we haven’t had that, which is really good and it gives us a chance to really go and attack it. And that’s what we’ll do tomorrow night.”

Wexford are currently sixth in Division One. What can we expect to see from Wexford who reached last season’s semi final and will be fired up to put in a performance as underdogs against us?

“They will and I’m sure they’ll come with a freedom and a gameplan to win the game. So we have to be ready for that. In Stephen Elliott, they have a manager I know quite well, who I played with and he knows his football. So I’m sure he will have a really good gameplan for Wexford to come and beat us. So we have to be ready for that and as you said, our record hasn’t been good in the Cup so we want to improve on that. That starts tomorrow night.”

Wexford made quite that managerial appointment last November in former Ireland international Stephen Elliott, who you said you previously played with. How do you expect him to set up his team tomorrow?

“I played with and against Stephen, mostly with him all the way up. He was a really good footballer who had a really good career. You can see what he’s trying to implement at Wexford when you watch them play, see what he’s trying to do in and out of possession. Stephen knows the game inside out and tomorrow he’ll come, however he decides to set up, we have to be ready for and respect that.”

Have any of Trevor Clarke, Adam Matthews and Aaron Greene regained fitness yet and did everyone emerge from the Glenavon game ok?

“Everyone came out of the Glenavon game ok. But none of Trevor, Adam or Aaron will be ready tomorrow. If we were at a different stage, you might push all three but with where we are, giving them the extra few days, I’m sure they’ll train on Monday or Tuesday, which will be good.”