There is no hiding the importance of this Saturday’s derby encounter at the Cran (12noon) as Clogher Valley take on Enniskillen in Championship Division One.
Clogher simply have to win as they fight to stay in the division while Skins know that victory for them would see them take a big step towards safety.
With so much on the line both sides are expecting a tough contest.
“Saturday is a massive game,” said Clogher coach Davy Black. “It could define whether we stay in Division One or whether we don’t, but it is what it is ,and as long as it’s mathematically possible we will keep battling on. With it being a derby game it won’t be hard to get the boys up for the game. Skins will probably go into the game as favourites given their league position but we are at home and we won’t make it easy.”
Black admits that Clogher have not been good enough so far this season but that a win on Saturday would give them a big lift.
“Our team performances haven’t been good enough for Division One to this point but if we could get a win it would give us a lift going forward. However, at the minute we can’t look any further ahead than Saturday.”
Skins coach Willie Gibson also knows how big a game Saturday is.
“It’s a vital game for them and if they win it they could get themselves going and could still get their way out of trouble. For us, if we win then it would be another step towards safety,” said Gibson.
The Skins coach is determined to steer his side away from a bottom two finish and he knows that the two games against the sides below them in the table are key to achieving that target.
“You don’t want to finish bottom or in the play-off place, you want to be safe and we have three games left. We have Ballyclare who are pushing hard at the top of the table and then we have Coleraine and Clogher and they are important games.”
Gibson believes that Saturday is going to be a difficult test for his side.
“In the last game between us they gave us a battering for the first 20 minutes and if they had got over in that period it could have been a different game. It is going to be tough and you can expect a few bruises after it,” he said.