*Luke Woodrow with Eoin Slattery. Photograph: Joe Buckley
AVENUE UTD Luke Woodrow finished the season on a high with a man of the match accolade to accompany his CDSL Premier Division and Clare Cup medals.
Woodrow kept a clean sheet during normal and extra time as Avenue Utd overcame Newmarket Celtic on penalties in Saturday’s Ennis Carpets Clare Cup final.
Reflecting on the victory, Luke said, “It’s always nice to win the Cup and especially against Newmarket, bitter rivals going at it head to head. Winning the man of the match is also a bonus on top, I just played my normal game and I just got a nice little trophy here with me”.
Having stepped up in the semi-final win over Bridge Utd, Woodrow was very pleased to put together successive strong performances between the posts in the Clare Cup. “That game was a tough test, we were under the kosh a bit and again I just did my job, we luckily ran out winners but yeah it’s fine margins in these type of games,” he recalled.
When it comes to penalties, it really is a lottery, the goalkeeper admitted. “Penalties are fifty fifty on who is going to win, you can’t go into a penalty shootout knowing you are going to win because anything is going to happen. Shane Cusack saved one, I didn’t save any and we won the game, it can just go any way and thankfully we pulled through”.
Goal chances of note were very a rare commodity during the game with Woodrow having little to do in the opening half, particularly. “With Newmarket we know how they set up, we know their game plan. We know their system and how they operate, whether they come ninety miles an hour or sit back and wait, it doesn’t faze us because we have a job to do in the end”.
With seventy eight minutes on the clock, Woodrow got a vital flick to the ball to prevent Newmarket Celtic’s Darragh Leahy from rounding him. “That was another one on one, similar to the one against the Bridge where they were pulled for offside, this time I got the ball one hundred percent there was no doubt about that, there might have been a bit of afters and he left something on my head but that happens and that is football. Any second later or sooner it could have been a penalty or he could have rounded me, I’m just glad that we pulled through,” he recalled.
Dust may be settling on the season that was but Luke is anxious that Avenue Utd push on further in provincial and national competitions. “This season we should have gone further in Munster and the FAI, we will definitely look to go further in the FAI, we’re much better than the last thirty two. When it comes to Munster, we got beaten by a good St Michael’s side who ended up winning it but there was times in that game where we could have got a goal or two, it is fine margins, we’ll take a break for a month or so and come back into pre-season, set targets and kick on from there. Winning silverware is great no matter what, we have a big group of players, anybody can start, anybody can play or be subbed off, it is great to have this success over these years and hopefully we will keep it up for years to come”.
To finish the season on such a high is a real boost to the Ennis goalkeeper who earlier in the year lost his spot to James Tierney before regaining the number one jersey. “Russell showed faith in me since I signed, I was only nineteen when I joined, I’m twenty one now. That little blip in the weather time when James came in, he was having a few games, I was having a few games and then Togher away in the Munster Junior Cup quarter-final, I started that game and from then on I’ve been inside the goals ever since, he has showed great faith in me, hopefully he thinks I’ve repaid the faith now, I’m glad I could help the team”.
