By Michael McMullan

ST John’s manager Gerard Cunningham said it’s a case of “business as usual” as they prepare for the club’s first senior hurling final in 31 years.

They face Loughgiel who are aiming to get their red and white ribbons on the Volunteer Cup for the first time since 2016.

Whatever way Sunday goes, it will be a novel success with recent standard-setters Dunloy and Cushendall missing out in the semi-finals.

With players experiencing a final for the first time, there is always a balance to be struck between embracing the occasion and locking eyes on the threats an opponent will pose.

“We’ve taken a step back,” said St John’s manager Cunningham of the days after eventually getting the semi-final monkey off their back.

“I’ve really kept it business as usual with the lads. There’s a lot going on around the club with it being the first final in a long time.”

After years of missing out on final preparation, being out on the grass, together, is the enjoyable part of life in the club.

“So many times, we were sitting in the house after semi-finals,” Cunningham explained.

“We’d all have been saying ‘what if we’ve done this, what if we’ve done that’. Now, we’re concentrating on what we’re doing on the pitch. We’re letting all the madness go on in the club and all the excitement.

“Our excitement now comes from still being out on the pitch training. Whenever we’re meeting during the week and during our sessions, that’s when our excitement builds.”

Cunningham can see it first-hand. Excited kids disperse from their indoor sessions at Corrigan Park, peeking towards their senior heroes coming stepping off the pitch outside.

“They’re all talking about getting the flags ordered and there is a real buzz about the place,” he added.

“Everybody’s just talking about the semi-final win. It’s normally hard luck stories at this time of the year for us but there is just a great buzz about the place.”

To some on the outside, ousting Cushendall was a seismic shock. Those who know their hurling landscape were better versed, seeing St John’s laying an assortment of blows in recent seasons without managing to land the knockout punch.

“This group is a confident group to be fair to them,” Cunningham said of his side.

“We always came up against a Cushendall team that just beat us by a puck of the ball.

“Again, there was a puck of the ball between them but the lads showed great character just to get out the other end of it.”

The fact a core of the current team have been in the trenches together over the last decade speaks volumes of their resolve. They didn’t even have the sporadic success to act as a carrot to keep on trucking.

The sacrifices, grind and persistence have all been worth it but Cunningham’s eyes are wide open about what comes next.

“Loughgiel are used to being in finals more recently than us,” he said. “We have a lot of respect for Loughgiel.

“They’ve earned their place in the final the same as us and any team that beats Dunloy deserves to be there.

“They’ll come as well prepared and as motivated as us. They haven’t won it in nearly 10 years.

“It’s going to be a tough match, but we’ll focus on ourselves. It’s all about how we perform.”