These are not normal days at Castlebar Celtic. They have been the undisputed number one in Mayo for almost two years, but now it is time for them to take the next step and, in the words of striker Jordan Loftus, right last year’s mistake.

The club haven’t had too many bad days in the past twelve months, but the defeat to Athenry on penalties in last year’s Connacht Cup was certainly one of them. However, instead of derailing them, it has inspired them to greater heights.

They went unbeaten in regaining the Super League title and their only defeats since the Connacht final came in the Super Cup semi-final against Ballina Town and in the FAI Junior Cup against Pike Rovers on penalties.

“We let one go last year. We should have won that game, we all know that. Everyone knows there was, we just need to correct the mistake now. We are a better team than last year. We have more motivation than last year,” said a bullish Loftus.

The defeat to Pike, who reached the semi-finals of the Junior Cup, was painful, but the 29-year-old believes a large part of the young squad came of age that day.

“Even down 2-0 that day, came back, 2-2, character, men stepped up. You know, these guys, like I said, these guys have become men.

“We all spoke, we were all upset in the locker room. It was like unleashing the beast in a way, because I saw the pain in people’s faces. We’ve been on a crazy run since then. We have been undefeated since then and we are only going to get stronger. We are getting better and this is really the best team I have played in for many years.

Club captain Ioseph O’Reilly, at 35 the group’s elder statesman, marvels at how this team responds to failure.

“I actually said a few words after (Athenry), hoping that the boys would stay and give the same dedication, hard work and dedication. They increased it by ten. Our performances now show it a bit.

“Even at the back our main focus during pre-season was that we thought we were letting stupid goals through. We have already kept some clean sheets. We have only conceded four goals in eight league games and scored a lot (42).

“You see guys fade away a bit after such big defeats, but these guys, it doesn’t affect them. These young boys don’t have a care in the world on the field. It’s great to see, they have so much fun and they love the hard work. Now you can see even in games that they just work for each other,” said O’Reilly.

“We should have beaten Pike there. We had two penalties to get the win and that just didn’t happen on the day, but it did stop us. I think it’s a good milestone for us to continue next year and hopefully progress further in the Junior Cup. Go win a Connacht Cup this year and you never know what will happen next year.

Failure may be a strange word to use, but the bar has been raised at Celtic Park over the past two years and winning just one trophy last year feels like a missed opportunity for Loftus.

“It may sound harsh, but I do think it was a failure. I said that to the boys, it’s clear that the team is too good to win just one trophy. So this year we must correct this mistake.

“We are all very hungry, we want to win everything. Every cup, every match we play, every cup we participate in, we want tons of trophies this year.”

However, you can see where Jordan Loftus is coming from when you see the power that Celtic possess. Even with the departure of last year’s Player of the Year nominee Johnnie Cocozza, they have been boosted with the return of Liam Flatley in attack and Cathal Coyne in defence, while the signing of Dylan Edwards last year proved a masterstroke. Loftus himself faces stiff competition for a starting spot with Luke Kelly and Eoghan Hughes in red-hot form, while in the middle of the park he believes they have the ‘best player in the county’ at the moment in Ben Murphy, while he also mentioned Bahso Hay and Brian Walsh at the back.

“He goes completely under the radar,” Loftus said of Murphy. “He is a phenomenal footballer and he has also been a pillar in our team over the past year, without people realizing it. Fionn Mahon is performing now, Oran Groarke is there too.

“The depth is frightening. The goals and assists already in eight games this season are incredible. I think it’s about thirty difference from the front four.

“Brian Walsh, our Player of the Year last year, is now moving a bit into the left-back position and competing with Mark Howley. It just shows the adaptability of the team, and again the strength and depth.

“Look how Bahso just came back (against Manulla last Sunday), maybe the man of the match, two assists from the right. It’s just a phenomenal sight. It’s really a very good view. But then again, we need trophies to justify this.”

A unique challenge awaits them in Maree/Oranmore, who are competing in their first ever Connacht Cup final, with Celtic in 19th place. The teams met a few years ago, but it’s a very different side to the one they face now, with a large portion of their squad under 21. Loftus expects a big battle but believes Castlebar Celtic may have the advantage in experience and physicality.

“We expect a very good side there. We haven’t won anything because we beat Athenry and Salthill, and it would be very stupid to think that.

‘Maree/Oranmore will be ready, all guns blazing. Of course they also had a few weeks to do this. I don’t know if that’s a good thing for them or not, but they’ll be ready for it. Tactics are sometimes lost in cup finals. It comes down to great determination and fitness levels.

“At the beginning of the game there will be adrenaline rushes among the players and who can handle that well? Their second wind, their third wind, and so on.

“The physical advantage we might have because they’re younger, so we might be able to bully them a bit, make them a bit difficult and hopefully show them some physicality that they haven’t seen yet in the Galway League.”

Ioseph O’Reilly has played for the club for more than a decade, but this will only be his third final. He knows that these kinds of opportunities don’t come around often and that it’s time for the team to get results.

“I’ve been playing for so long now, I just want to get that Connacht Cup under my belt. With the team that is there now, with the quality. They are a young team, except for one or two, there are a handful of us over 25. They are so young and they are so good, I don’t think they realize how good they are.

“The world is their oyster. I think if we win a Connacht Cup this year we can win another one next year. I think it’s just about crossing the line with it.”