The action in this years Senior Championship gets underway this Saturday evening with Erne Gaels facing 2015 Intermediate Champions Irvinestown at 5.30pm in Derrygonnelly.
The Belleek men will enter the game as favourites but they will know that Irvinestown are a side well capable of taking a scalp, a point alluded to by Maurice McLaughlin, the Erne Gaels manager;
“I have been very impressed by Irvinestown this season. We played them twice and they are a very capable side who are well organised and well coached. They will really fancy their chances of turning us over,” he stated before turning his attention to his own side;
“We have always said that we just wanted to keep improving and that is still our aim. We have done reasonably well in the league but the championship is completely different and we know that; so it is up to us now to go out and perform well.”
Irvinestown player manager Shane Goan guided his side to a league and championship double in 2015 and they proved that they were well fit for life in division one this season finishing 6th and avoiding the relegation play offs among the bottom four teams. Goan revealed that his players are now looking forward to the championship.
“This is what it is all about now, the championship. The league was our priority in that we wanted to maintain our division one status but now we have done that we will put our best foot forward for the championship,” the former Ulster player revealed.
“Obviously we will be big underdogs for the game and they have been winning some big games lately so they will be confident but we will go out there and give it everything. There is no real pressure on us so we just have to go out there and play as well as we can,” Goan concluded.
Irvinesotwn have been operating with a sweeper this season with Goan himself performing the role and they play a very consistent brand of running football with Kevin McDonnell in particular a real threat coming from the half back line. They will be without experienced attacker Gary Maguire who was red carded in their league game with Ederney at the weekend but they still have plenty of threat inside with Ronan Ormsby, James Duffy and Francie Ward all capable of causing problems.
Erne Gaels meanwhile have the look of a very settled side. They have slight injury worries over Shane Rooney and Tommy McCaffrey but both are expected to make the starting grid. McCaffery has been coming in to a rich vein of form and he is well supported by Seamus Ryder and Ryan Lyons while Brian Mullin and Daniel McGullion are other experienced performers on the Erne Gaels side.
Turnovers could be a key aspect of this game. Erne Gaels are at their best when breaking at speed and Irvinestown will need to ensure that they keep the ball and don’t give it up cheaply. An intriguing encounter is set to commence the weekend.