Hi everyone, Michał here. A few days ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Finn Harps captain Tony McNamee and Wexford forward Mikie Rowe. First, I’ll share my conversation with captain Tony McNamee, followed by my discussion with Mikie Rowe. Enough from me — let’s get into the interviews.
Michał: What is your personal goal for the rest of the season, and what does the team aim to achieve?
Tony McNamee: At the moment we’re lucky we are fighting on 2 fronts, we’ve the league and the cup. But we’re taking everything game by game and who knows what can happen. We’ve gathered a bit of momentum but anything cause change like the flick of a switch.
Michał: With both the league and the cup still to play for, do you approach the games differently, or is the mindset always the same?
Tony McNamee: You’ve gotta prepare for every game differently, you have to take the opposition in to perspective, we’ve got to have a look at the strengths each team have and nullify them as best as we can. And we also have to look at ways we can hurt them.
Michał: Is there any particular team in the First Division that you feel is especially difficult to prepare for tactically?
Tony McNamee: Each team has their own strengths. For obvious reasons the teams at the top (Dundalk, Cobh and bray) are more difficult to prepare for due to the size and quality of their squads. However every team has strengths which can cause problems to the other teams.
Michał: Is there any young Finn Harps player you think has the potential to become a top player in the future?
Tony McNamee: There’s a lot of young players coming through at the moment. You’ve got Josh Cullen, Óisín Cooney, Corey Sheridan, Gavin McAteer, Odhran McHugh and Lukas Doherty who’ve been capped with Ireland / Northern Ireland. Who knows with a bit of luck what can happen. It’s all about timing and luck. The right scout/coach at the right game and who knows how far they can go.
Now, let’s move on to my conversation with Mikie Rowe.
Michał: What is your personal goal for the rest of the season, and what does the team aim to achieve?
Mikie Rowe: My personal goal is the same as the teams goal and that is to get into the play offs. We haven’t been as consistent as we would have wanted or needed to be this year as a group and we’re doing everything we can to put that right between now and the end of the season.
Michał: What do you think needs to change or improve the most for the team to reach that consistency?
Mikie Rowe: Football is a game of fine margins and too often we’ve been on the wrong end of those fine margins this season so I don’t think there needs to be drastic changes – if we can be a little better in both 18 yard boxes, where games are won and lost, between now and the end of season then we’ve got every chance of turning those margins in our favour.
Michał: On a personal level, what part of your own game are you focusing on most to help make that difference in those key moments?
Mikie Rowe: Experience is huge when you get to this part of the season, especially as part of such a young squad, so it’s important I lean on my experience and look to lead by example for our younger players in what is a huge few weeks for this group and for the club.
I would like to thank Tony McNamee and Mikie Rowe for the interview, and I wish them both every success in the future. Thank you also to everyone for reading.