Shane Harte says the romance of the cup is alive and well as Maynooth University Town dream of a quarter-final upset over Bohemians tonight.
And the Maynooth boss is calling on his Leinster Senior League players to draw inspiration from their trip to Dalymount Park.
Harte told Mirror Sport: “We’re not going there to make up the numbers or to have a good wave at our families in the crowd.
“The odds are stacked against us and that’s the beauty of getting this far - lads can dream.
“But you have to put in the hard work too although it’s all on Bohs because their fans will be baying for blood as they expect their team to put on a show.”
Maynooth - 2018 FAI Intermediate Cup winners - dumped Cobh Ramblers out in the previous round but this is another level altogether.
Harte - who also played for the club - continued: “I was watching Bohs in Europe at the Aviva Stadium a few weeks ago, and now we’re playing them.
“I’d pay to watch them every week and their front five are as good as anything in the league.
“I haven’t been off the phone since the start of last week. It’s been madness but it’s great publicity for the club
“We got to the Last 32 and Last 16 before so this is progress. The romance of the cup is alive but this is a reward for the last five or six years.”
But Celbridge native Harte - who reached the FAI Cup semi-finals as a player with St Pat’s - is under no illusions how difficult a task this is.
“We’re the team everyone wanted to get, let’s be honest,” he said.
“We’re realistic and know we won’t win the Cup so the next best thing was to get a high-profile draw - and we’ve got the favourites.
“Our club name has been put on the map and the amount of people in Maynooth and Celbridge stopping me to talk about the game is brilliant.
Harte added: “We’re enjoying the attention but it’s a game of football and we have serious work to justify being in the last eight.”
Harte is assisted by former League of Ireland striker Ciaran Kilduff and is also keen to highlight the roles played by first-team coach Gavin Kinsella and physio Elaine Farrell.
Kinsella is also Director of Football at Ballyoulster United in Celbridge where he oversees players and coaches across 34 teams.
Like Harte, he also played for Maynooth and featured in their clash away to Cork City three years ago when the Rebels were reigning double champions at the time.
And sizing up tonight’s quarter-final, Kinsella said: “It’s a huge task but a great occasion and the players couldn’t be happier with the draw.
“You want to pit your wits against some of the best in the country and Bohs have three in the Irish Under-21s and a goalkeeper in the senior international squad.
“But we’re not going to Dalymount Park to take photographs, we want to showcase our talents and see where it takes us.”
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