By Rory McKee
HOLYWOOD midfielder Josh Craig says there is a belief within the Spafield side’s dressing room that they can challenge for more honours.
Speaking in the aftermath of the penalty shootout defeat to Ballymacash Rangers on Christmas morning, the long-serving Craig stressed how far the team had come to first reach the Steel and Sons Cup final and then produce the performance they delivered at Seaview.
“We gave everything and we took them all the way, so to lose on penalties was tough to take,” he said.
“We are unbelievably proud just to be here. I’ve been with the club for seven or eight years now and we thought we would be stuck in [Division] 1C, so to match a team two leagues above us is unbelievable. We’re so proud of what we’ve done.”
Like his teammate JJ McKinley did in the aftermath of the semi-final, Craig paid tribute to the work of the previous management team in helping lay the foundations for where Holywood are today.
“I think a lot needs to be said about Crawfy (Mark Crawford), Conor (McGeown) and Wellsey (Stuart Wells) and what they have done in the last few years. They really set the tone and I think this year it has just gone to a new level.
“This was big, but we have a league to try and win. It’s tough to take now, but we have a lot to look forward to,” he added.
“I know we get written off, but we feel that we have the team to be able to challenge for things and keep growing.
“This isn’t the end, we’ll regroup, keep going and hopefully challenge for more trophies.”
