By Cian O’Connell

Something is stirring in New York. On Saturday at Netwatch Cullen Park New York will be involved in a third championship match in 2023.

The Tailteann Cup preliminary quarter-final against Carlow is the next assignment for Johnny McGeeney’s outfit.

A lively Connacht SFC campaign brought a victory over Leitrim at Gaelic Park before losing to Sligo. Tiernan Mathers is one of the homegrown players in a New York panel. There is a nice blend alongside established inter-county performers.

“When you’re playing here, you wouldn’t get that kind of experience,” Mathers says about the influence of those, who have moved to New York.

“You wouldn’t be playing against other county players week in, week out. This year, I’d say 14 out of the 15 starters stayed on from last year, then a few county players came in, so we were building our skill level and experience.”

That so many New York born players have been exposed to trips to Ireland previously with Féile and third level teams is significant according to Mathers. “It’s massive to get over there because not only do we get the experience, we also get to showcase our homegrown talent as well,” he responds.

“Here, all the players are split up into different teams, so we wouldn’t really get the chance to play together except when we travel home to represent New York. It brings us along together as a team.”

Mathers acknowledges the vital work being carried out in the juvenile ranks throughout the past decade. “There are a lot of underage teams and, coming up to the summer, everybody is training two or three nights a week then playing matches at the weekend,” Mathers says.

“So on a weekend in Gaelic Park, you could have four or five games on a Saturday then more on Sunday, then midweek matches as well. There’s definitely a lot of competition now in New York.

“To get over the line against Leitrim was massive. We’ve been in the competition for over 20 years, and finally getting that win, it was some amount of pressure that came off our shoulders.

“We enjoyed the win, enjoyed the couple of days after, then went right back to training and all eyes towards Sligo.”

Tony McEntee’s charges, though, proved too strong for New York, who remain eager to make an impact in the Tailteann Cup.

Mathers fondly recalls childhood holidays spent in Down and Armagh where his parents are from.

“We probably spent most of the summer over there, doing Cúl Camps at Longstone club, training away when we’re over there,” he laughs.

Ambrose Rodgers and the Polands were a significant influence in Longstone. “I definitely looked up to Mark and Ambrose when I was younger,” he says.

“I would’ve been training away with them when I was playing with the Longstone team, so I learnt a lot from them. They were a big influence on my career.”

Sport was always central for the Mathers’ family. “We played a lot of sports when we were younger, that’s the good thing over here,” he says.

“I played soccer, basketball, volleyball, baseball. We started playing football at U6, Dad was one of the founders of Shannon Gaels so he would’ve been training us when we were younger and getting us involved, so we’d be playing football and hurling from a young age. It just kinda grew from there.

“It definitely helps you to be in touch with your roots so I do enjoy it. I have been doing it since U6, playing here is massive. You feel you are in touch with your roots, travelling home to be able to represent the New York team is massive.”

The triumph over Leitrim illustrated New York’s potential. Inspiring the next generation is a challenge Mathers embraces.

“It was so special after the match, just the flood of kids on to the field, it is something we had never seen before,” he responds.

“Just the amount of support. We had a night after the match when all the kids from the club teams came up to meet the team, kinda to inspire them, especially as an American born player it means a lot. Not just to us, but for the community here.”

Mathers combines working for the New York sponsors Navillus alongside studying for a masters degree.

The schedule is hectic, but playing with New York in June is particularly rewarding. “It is massive because last year was the first year we ended up having two matches,” Mathers responds.

“Normally you'd be preparing from January and you'd only have the one match to look forward to. If you lose that is it, you're done until next year.

“Last year after the Sligo match we knew we had another game, we were obviously preparing for that. The more game time we get the stronger we will grow as a team. This year to have three matches, it is an even bigger deal.”

Mathers is enjoying the adventure.