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Extra.ie
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Extra.ie
Wayside Celtic: Meet the Leinster League side looking to shock the FAI Cup
The magic of the cup is back in the air as the Sports Direct FAI Cup kicks off its second round this week, with the League of Ireland sides making their first foray into this year's tournament. Cup football is for some people the best type of football, you can reminisce on the great moments of the World Cup, FA Cup and the FAI Cup, whether it was the great runs of the last amateur team to win it Home Farm, to Longford Town's back-to-back triumphs in 2003 and 2004 to even Drogheda United last year winning it all, cup football can conjure up some great stories. One amateur side looking to cause a 'cup-set' is Wayside Celtic. The Kilternan side are one of a number Leinster Senior League sides in the second round and they'll make the short 7km trip across to Bray to face off against Wanderers at Carlisle Grounds. Pic: Eddie Lennon Sporting Images While this is a huge occasion for Wayside, it probably hasn't come at the perfect time. With the Leinster Senior League and the League of Ireland don't have an aligned calendar, with the LSL running the traditional slot of around August-May while the LOI runs from February to November. For Wayside this has meant that they're off-season was somewhat brief, mainly due deep runs in the FAI Intermediate, Charlie Cahill and the Metro Cup meant firstly they qualified for the FAI Cup first round but also their 2024/25 season ran long. Their season didn't actually end until 8 June and less than a month later on 7 July full training was underway for the Bray tie. Pic: Alan Quinn (LSL Live Updates) When speaking to striker Darragh O'Connor he explained that pre-season hasn't actually started much earlier than the last season they weren't in the FAI Cup, but the intensity of it that has made it such a challenge. 'We don't have time to be doing running for a few weeks, you need to come back fit. We've been back in the last 10, 11 days officially before this game. It's like, come back fit and we need to just go straight into football tactics, games.' Wayside were able to squeeze in one friendly in preparation for this game but manager Ross Zambra spoke about the difficulties of the quick turnaround to next season. 'We only went back to training Monday last to prepare for this game and to be honest with you, it's not long enough preparation for a game like this, but the break wasn't long enough for the players in terms of our off season coming as well. So the timing is far from ideal but it's the same for all the Senior League clubs. We're all out of season while the League of Ireland teams are bang in season and they're up to speed and all that.' Pic: Alan Quinn (LSL Live Updates) It wasn't just the players who had a busy off-season. While they were trying to stay fit Zambra and his coaches were busy scouting Bray, watching every one of their games they could, whether in person or on LOI TV while Zambra was also busy recruiting players for the new season. Zambra commended the huge commitment of his players over the 10 days, some of whom have taken time off their work to make sure they can keep up with the rigorous training schedule. This squad already has experience of playing at this stage, having reached the second round stage last season where they hosted Wexford at Jackson Park in a 3-1 defeat, with O'Connor getting on the scoresheet that day. It's not just the underdogs aspect that makes this tie so interesting but the closeness, both geographically and metaphorically between the clubs. The Zambra family are synonymous with Bray Wanderers, brothers Ross and Dean both played for the club with Dean captaining the side and their father Garry was involved in coaching at the club for 25 years. He was First Team Coach when they won the FAI Cup in 1999 (Dean was a mascot that day too). Bray Wanderers celebrate following their 1999 FAI Cup win. Pic: INPHO/Andrew Paton But now Ross and Dean are coaching at Wayside with Dean involved with the squad in the lead up to the tie. Zambra spoke about how big of a tie it is for the community and the local area. 'I think it was the perfect draw for us. I think it's something that has really captured the imagination of people inside the club and the local area. We're getting lots of messages of support.' O'Connor further added; 'This game is such a big deal, there will be all the all the club members around the place, the school boy clubs, it's such a big occasion. Pic: Eddie Lennon Sporting Images The tie between the clubs runs through the players at Wayside as well, with O'Connor for example playing with Bray fullback Max Murphy since they were kids at Cabinteely. He explained how that tie runs deep in the squad. 'I'd say about three-quarters of our team and coaching staff have either played, managed, coached, or have had some involvement in Bray and Cabo [Cabinteely]. That kind of affiliation. So it's a massive draw. Literally, they're down the road. In fact, half our team are from Bray, so they'll probably walk to the game.' It won't be a walk into the next round for Wayside but unlike last year where Zambra made the point of embracing the occasion against Wexford, this year him and his team are out to ruffle a few feathers and cause an upset. It'll be a night to remember for everyone involved in Wayside on Friday.
Irish Daily Mirror
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ireland footballing legend looking to master another sport
It's coming up to the 12-year anniversary of that goal, the strike that changed everything for Stephanie Zambra, and now post-retirement she is continuing to challenge herself but in another sport. Football will still always take precedence but next week is the culmination of a different journey where she will play in the KPMG Women's Irish Open Pro-Am. Golf used to be a passion for the 36-year-old, ever since the days when she played with her brother's eight iron in the makeshift golf course in their local estate in Shankill. And this summer she jumped at the opportunity to take part in Golf Ireland's First Tee initiative. 'When I was younger we were very lucky we had loads of green areas so whenever any sports were on we were out playing it,' said Zambra. 'Whenever the golf was on, we'd go out and my brother played a little bit when we were growing up, and he had a set of golf clubs and he always used to leave his eight iron in the hallway, so we used to always go out with that and a few golf balls. 'We actually made a little golf course down in our estate that had little holes in the ground. We had three holes that we used to play through so we used to play a bit outside, but I never had any lesson or knew what I was really doing. 'I was just kind of hitting the ball and hoping for the best. I always had a keen interest in trying to learn, but didn't get around to actually learning until I was retired from football because I was so busy.' Zambra played 58 times for the Republic of Ireland over a remarkable 15-year international career, while she also played club football in France, the United States, England and Italy. Her own personal highlight was representing her country while the famous Peamount United strike against Wexford Youths in October 2013 catapulted her into the limelight all across the globe. It led to her appearance at the Ballon d'Or ceremony, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and her goal finishing only second to James Rodriguez for the Puskás Award. Zambra ended up back in Ireland at the tail end of her career, spending a few seasons with Peamount United again before she finished things off at Shamrock Rovers. She retired last season but returned to the Hoops where she is a coach in Collie O'Neill's backroom team there, while she also helps out with the Ireland U-17s. Meanwhile, her home life has also continued apace where she and her husband, Dean, have their own business Champion Coaching. 'The FAI are doing a program called the Player-to-Coach pathway. There's myself, Aine O'Gorman and Rianna Jarrett doing it, so the idea is that we get experience in the underage setups and see how it works and how it runs, just to try and get into coaching really. 'I've been coaching now for a long time. I went to America years ago in my early 20s coaching in camps and ever since then I have had an interest in getting involved and coaching and we set up our own coaching company about seven years ago now. 'I go into schools and I coach after school programmes and we do camps, we do small group sessions with actual players who have ambitions to go and play at a higher level and we do girls' clinics so I'm coaching all the time. 'When I retired from playing, Collie asked me to come on board as a coach as well so I'm doing that too. It's very busy. I don't have any evenings free, but I wouldn't have it any other way. 'I love being involved. It's better to be involved than to completely cut myself off from it, having been involved for so long.' To continue with that theme, Zambra was delighted when the opportunity arose at Golf Ireland this summer. Having prior knowledge of the game and a natural competitive edge has certainly helped her take to the game. And her coach, Hazel Kavanagh, noticed the talent that was there right from the outset. 'Hazel would always compare different things to football,' said Zambra. 'When you're playing football, if you're taking a free kick, you usually plant your standing foot in the direction where you want it to go and it's the same with golf. 'When you're hitting the ball, you need to plant your hips, sometimes I'm probably pointing my hips, but not the club, so in terms of aiming she compares that a lot to football. 'I've been up with Hazel quite a bit. The first lesson I went to she said to me that I strike the ball quite well, which kind of gave me that little bit of enthusiasm then. The worst thing is if you go somewhere and you know you're terrible at it straight away. 'Hazel was quite complimentary of me and obviously gave me a few little tips and hints to kind of improve my drive and stuff like that and ever since then I've just said I want to get better at this and anytime I go out for a lesson try to take on board everything she says. 'Sometimes you forget it then when you go onto the course, the hardest thing is trying to remember to get the information that you're given. 'It's just so frustrating, that's the biggest thing I'll take from it because there'll be times where I do hit a really good shot and then the next shot might not be as good, so you've ruined a good shot. 'I'm trying to bring it all together and have good shots consistently, it's probably the hardest part.'
