Friday night’s match in Turner’s Cross kicks off at 7.45pm and is shown live on LOITV

We reached the semi final of the FAI Cup last Friday with that dramatic 5-4 penalty shootout win in Drogheda after an equally dramatic end to the 95 minutes played when we led until the last kick of the game. It was great to get past such a tough game.

“It was. The aim of any cup game is to get into the next round, and we did that. It was a tough one to take at the time, in terms of Drogheda scoring in the last few seconds. But that’s Drogheda, you have to give credit to them, they keep going and asking questions of you and they scored a good goal in the end. But I thought how the players responded to that in extra time was excellent, how they managed it. So we’re in the next round and it’s job done.”

When Drogheda equalised right at the death, was the mood still calm and focussed and did it remind you at the time of the 2019 final, which we also won on penalties, when Dundalk also equalised with virtually the last kick of normal time?

“The players were nice and calm when we brought them in before extra time and we had a little chat. They were in a good place. I thought extra time was a lot more like the first half, in terms of us controlling the game. So that showed me where they were in their head, their mentality and how they were able to settle down, reset and get back in the game. That comes down to years of experience.”

While we made five changes during the 90 minutes and a sixth in extra time, our fitness and conditioning didn’t seem to waver. That must be a real plus.

“We know we have a good group who work extremely hard and have done so for a long period of time. We know our fitness levels are in a good place. When we make changes in the game, it’s really important that the levels don’t drop, that didn’t happen and it was good to see. So we definitely saw our fitness levels were good in extra time.”

Finally on the Drogheda game, and you’ve been saying this regularly recently, Ed McGinty again showed just how well he’s grown into the team, with a big save in normal time and those three saves in the shootout.

“Ed was excellent again on the night. As I’ve said before, he’s grown into that role and that jersey, he fills it and is a real personality and character in it. So he was excellent and he has been for some time.”

Tomorrow we go away to Cork City, where we dropped two points earlier in the season. We’re very much at the business end of the season now, how much should that help our mindset given our experience of that in recent years?

“We know this is the part of the season where you go to work, the business end, where it’s time to stay really focussed and be ready for what will be a difficult game in Cork. Ger Nash has done a really good job since going in there, you can see the changes in their team, in their form and in how they’re playing. That’s quite clear to see. It’s the last round of games, when things are won and lost. So we need to make sure we’re ready.”

Cork City are in decent form recently, are also in the FAI Cup semi final and have only lost one of their last four league games. With Ger Nash now settling into his job, is he beginning to put his philosophy on the team who are in turn responding?

“I think you can see that. It’s clear to see the changes he’s made since he’s come in. He has them in a place where they’ll be looking to stay up, in terms of play-offs and even beyond that. I don’t think anyone would’ve thought that was possible before Ger came in. So he’s done that and the improvements he’s brought to Cork City are clear to see. So we know it’s a difficult game, but we have our own aims and goals, our own reasons for wanting to go there, perform and get three points.”

How did everyone emerge from the Drogheda game, how is Connor Malley and is anyone unavailable for the Cork game?

“Connor is doing well, he’s had no setbacks and is in a good place. Max Kovalevskis had a knee problem a few weeks back but is doing really well too. We have one or two knocks from Drogheda that we need to check on today and we’ll make that assessment after training.”