Banbridge Town midfielder Kevin Anderson is hoping to scale the heights this season - both on and off the pitch.
The 34-year-old helped Town earn an impressive 2-0 win over Bangor on Saturday to keep the club’s promotion push on track.
Anderson is also hoping to do ‘summit’ special this July when he will climb Mount Kilimanjaro to help raise money for charity.
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It is a twin mission laced with risk and significant reward, but the experienced midfielder is relishing the challenge.
First up is Banbridge’s promotion push, with Saturday’s win over Bangor edging Frankie Wilson’s men to within six points of the top two, with a game in hand.
“It was a great result. We performed against them at Bangor earlier in the season and got a 1-0 win, but we knew it would be difficult to get two wins over them,” Anderson told Match on Tuesday.
“We knew how important it was to get a result, to stay in the hunting pack at the top end of the table. So it was a massive result.
“Getting a clean sheet against a team like Bangor was also a big positive. They are a physical team who get the ball up to their attackers early.
“We did work on that ahead of the game, and we are very lucky that we work well defensively, and young Lewis (Hunter) has been brilliant in nets for us.
“He sweeps up well and gives us that confidence when a ball comes into the box we know he will come and collect it.
“That’s two wins on the bounce and three unbeaten, and it keeps us in the mix.
“We have Limavady on Tuesday night which is another very tough game. That’s a big one and a tough task going up there on a Tuesday evening.
“But that’s the way it goes and you have to go into these tests with confidence. They are a decent side and it will be a good challenge, and a good opportunity to try and close that gap.
“All the games will be tough from now on, but we are approaching it one game at a time. Every game is a cup final and we have to treat it with that mentality.
“We have to win every game to stay in the mix, because the teams around us are picking up good results. So if we lose one the chances are we will slip behind. The gap will become too big for us.
“So it’s good we are hitting form at this stage of the season. Momentum has been building and the players’ confidence is on a high.”
Saturday’s win over Bangor was earned through goals from Sean Og Gallagher and Reece Doyle, with both arriving in the first half at Crystal Park.
Anderson believes the youthful look to Town’s squad bodes well for the future, and is confident they can finish the current season with a flourish.
“We have defended well this season, but we have sometimes struggled to get goals. We need more goals and you can see the lads getting confidence, and not just relying on our strikers,” he said.
“Sean Og got one on Saturday from midfield, and Reece has been scoring goals as well. But other lads have weighed in.
“It is great to see, and I can see the potential in the squad. Massive credit has to go to Frankie and Simon. They have brought in fellas who they would have known from their international Under 18 team.
“And you can see the past couple of weeks that they have grown into it. They are getting match fit and you can see what they are bringing to the table.
“I am 34, and I think the next oldest on Saturday was 24. We had something like nine Under 20s playing, so it is great.”
After the season is completed, Anderson will take on a new challenge by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro on July 2.
He is raising money for ALPS (All Lives Are Precious) which is a mental health initiative in Downpatrick.
“It will take us seven days to get up and down the side of the mountain, so I am trying to balance doing my training for that and also playing GAA. I am a busy man at the minute,” Anderson joked.
“I have never done anything like this before, so I am a complete
novice. We have done Donard here and been to Wicklow, so I have been getting the miles in that way.
“We have some altitude training about two weeks before we go, because that becomes a major issue in terms of fitness and also sickness.
“That and lying in a tent on the side of a mountain!”
Anyone wanting to donate to Kevin's charity climb can do so on his JustGiving page HERE
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