Lowry brothers not at Limavady United for 'a jolly-up, says Stephen as midfield ace targets winning end to the season
Stephen Lowry says he is not at his hometown club Limavady United for “a jolly-up” as he targets a successful end to the season with the Roesiders.
Paul Owens’ men currently top the Championship standings as they plot a return back to the top-flight, as well as being in the final of the North-West Senior Cup, where they will face Strabane Athletic.
They also caused a major shock in the Irish Cup last Friday as they ousted Linfield to set-up a north-west derby against Coleraine in the quarter-final stage of the competition next month.
Lowry started his career at Limavady before successful spells at Ballymena United, Coleraine and Linfield.
He returned to the club ahead of the 2024/25 campaign and was joined by his brother Philip at the start of this season.
Despite winning every honour the local game has to offer, Stephen doesn’t want to rest on his laurels by adding more winners’ medals to his collection.
"It just feels very normal, to be honest,” Lowry said about playing with his brother Philip.
"My hometown club...he's there, I'm there, it just feels like it's a good fit, but at the same time, we're not here for a jolly-up.
"We're not here to see out our careers. We want to do something and we want to make an impact. We want to win things, and that's why we're here.
"Philip and I on the pitch are very demanding of each other. We shout at each other for 90 minutes and shout at other people.
“It’s about high standards...what's the point in doing something if you're going to do it half-hearted?
"Demand high standards from yourself and everyone else around you and that's why we're doing well.”
Stephen is approaching his 40th birthday and he discussed how he still continues to shine in the middle of the pitch.
He explained: I'm definitely a bit slower and all...that's why I'm not as sharp as I was but I still feel my touch is as good as it was.
"My passing still is good and I can read the game very well, which gives me an extra yard.
"But at the same time, it's not easy to track these third-man runs when you have top players playing against you.
"That's why sometimes you just need to communicate better and pass things on and just try and ride your luck at times against a top team.
"I came back here to enjoy my football but I'm very demanding and very competitive.
"When I'm on the pitch, I'm very demanding of the younger players. I think it's a really good learning curve for them and to experience an atmosphere in a game like Linfield...hopefully we’re only going up the way things are going.”
United continue their Championship commitments on Saturday as they take on Institute at the Brandywell.
Ahead of the contest, Lowry stated: “The league is our priority. We've beaten Institute twice marginally, very marginally, so it's been very tough for us. We want to go there and win.
"We want to push on and hopefully the Linfeld result will give us a good springboard.”