A year that began with the potential for five pieces of silverware has slid and now Villa FC are left to fight for three titles.
Last weekend Conor Coad's side were beaten on penalties by Gorey Rangers in the FAI Junior Cup semi-finals, bowing out of the tournament and missing out on the chance of reclaiming the title they won two years ago.
They were also beaten in the Munster Champions Trophy final, again on penalties, losing to Newmarket Celtic in Fermoy.
Attention this weekend turns to the Munster Junior Cup final, with a familiar opponent standing opposite the Waterford Champions, while the league is still very much a live chance, and the Ardagh Premier Cup also looms.
Tipperary's St. Michaels will be looking for revenge when they line out on Sunday, having lost to Villa in the FAI Junior Cup semis at the start of March. That result was relatively straightforward with some usual suspects in Conor Kilgannon and Dean Walsh on the score sheet.
"The immediate reaction from the St.Michaels players and management after the Junior Cup game was 'We'll have another crack at ye in the Munster Junior Cup,'" says Manager Conor Coad.
"I think we had to play a semi-final still at that stage so we didn't take too much heed of that then. It shows that they have been competing for the top provincial and national trophies for a number of years now, and that's the attitude you need. You need to be able to have that bounce back ability and ability to react to big disappointments in the hopes that there will be bigger days ahead."
Coad will be wanting to see that bounce back from his side following their defeat to Gorey last time out. Bowing out of the FAI Junior can be satiated by winning the provincial crown to put the train back on the tracks with a good heading.
"It was hugely disappointing and still is hugely disappointing. Yeah, down the club all week it's like someone died. It's something that we really wanted to do this year. We felt we had a squad that was capable of going very close, some people will say getting to the semi-finals is an achievement in itself, and that is going close, but no, not for me, I wouldn't take any solace in that."
Coad points out that this game is a new challenge for his side as they aim top recover from the disappointment of losing. They don't lose many games and when the taste of defeat comes, it's normally a sour taste, albeit one they rarely have to sample.
"A lot of the time it's on to the next game after winning a game. Any time they have had to react to a draw, or the Munster Champions game, they've reacted really well and they've been itching to get back on the pitch and make it right. There's definitely a sense of lads feeling sorry for themselves, but you get that overwhelming sense of 'just get us back out there and we'll make this right on Sunday."
