Derrygonnelly are now just one game away from an historic All-Ireland final appearance but Manager Garry Smyth insists that their approach will remain the same as always.

Having overcome British Intermediate champions Round Towers last week in London, the Harps are back on the road this Sunday when they face Tipperary and Munster champions Mullinahone in Kilkenny – and Smyth says they will continue to take it one game at a time.

“Our approach has always been about taking it one game at a time and giving our best in each and every game you go into, and that will be no different this weekend,” said the Harps boss who is expecting a massive test against the Tipperary outfit.

“They have come through Tipperary and they had a good run in the Junior Championship last year and are obviously going well again this year.

‘A big challenge’

“Any team coming out of Munster is going to have earned their stripes, so they are going to have to be respected and when you throw into the mix that it is a home game for them, then it is a big challenge that our group is going to have to face,” he added.

Derrygonnelly returned home from London on Saturday evening and Smyth is glad that they have eight days between the quarter final and semi-final.

“It was important that we had everybody back home on Saturday night to give themselves a day at home on Sunday before everybody starts back into their working week and school or college.

“It was great to have that extra day, because travelling does take it out of people and we have to be conscious of that this week in terms of how we prepare for the weekend that we are facing into.”

The win over Round Towers was a memorable one for everybody associated with the Harps but Smyth says that the focus is now all on Mullinahone.

“Last weekend the entire group had a very memorable experience, not just with the travelling together but the whole occasion in Ruislip and the fantastic support that we had there.

“It was a very memorable game and one that we will all look back on in time as one of the standout moments.

“But we have got through that fixture and we just have to get ourselves focused on the weekend ahead.”

Derrygonnelly took time to settle on Saturday but they went on to produce an excellent second half display.

“Initially the first half took us a while to settle and maybe the travelling was a contributing factor there but certainly we were pleased with how we applied ourselves in the second half.

“Defensively, again, we were in a position to give ourselves a good platform to build on and thankfully then we took the scores when the chances presented themselves,” he said.

With games having come thick and fast in recent weeks, it is all about improvement for the Harps and Smyth is hoping to see that continue this weekend against the Munster champions.

“I keep saying that it is hard to beat playing games because every game you play, you will learn from it.

“We are looking to improve as we go and we would hope that we would have points to learn and take from last weekend’s game, and that would help us to improve the level of performance.

‘Continuing to improve’

“I feel as though we are continuing to improve as we go deeper into the competition, but obviously the quality of opposition that we are facing is improving too, so it is a question of whether we can bring our best performance on the day and hopefully that will be enough to get us the result.”

There was a massive Harps support that made the trip to London last week, and no doubt will travel to Kilkenny this week to get behind the team in their bid to make an All-Ireland.

And Smyth says that they are grateful for the backing they get.

“The group will be getting prepared this week to give their best on Sunday and I know that we will have good support with us, albeit I know that it is a long journey.

“That support though is a massive boost to the team, and we are grateful for people making that effort to support the team,” he concluded.