Fermanagh Junior Champions, Newtownbutler will represent the county in the Ulster Junior Championship when they face off against Drumgath of Down at Brewster Park this Sunday with a throw in time down for 1pm.
The First Fermanagh’s and their Down opponents share a common ground in that both were in recent years operating in the senior championships in their respective counties.
Newtownbutler manager Vinny Connolly is pleased that his side have reached the Ulster club stage because it means that the primary aim of the season has been achieved;
“We said at the start of the season that we wanted to win the Junior championship and get into the top three or four in the league and we did both of those things so we are happy with that.”
Newtownbutler have one of the richest histories of any club in Fermanagh with most of their time being spent at senior level especially in the most recent past and Connolly acknowledged that there was an expectation on the club to bounce back up the ladder of Fermanagh football;
“I think there was pressure because everybody in the county was expecting us to win the Junior Championship. We tried not to put any pressure on ourselves but instead just play away at each game but there was definitely a feeling around the county that Newtown should be winning the junior championship.”
They beat Belnaleck in that junior final but Connolly expects his side to be at a higher level when they take to the field this Sunday.
“To be honest with you we did not really play well throughout the Fermanagh championship but we would be hoping that now we are out in Ulster that we can relax a bit more maybe and play that bit better.”
Newtown will be looking to mixture of youth and experience to see them through to the Ulster semi final. Brendan McBrien, in his mid 30s and still going strong, continues to be an elusive figure in attack while James Connolly at 30 is playing some super football and his been Newtown’s most consistent attacker for a number of years now.
Their talisman remains Ryan Carson who is a brilliant ball player and if he plays well Newtown are normally in with a great chance of winning the game. Jarlath Jackman has turned into a consistent performer for the First Fermanagh’s while Sean Mullaney is another that they will be looking to on Sunday to help them secure the win.
They face a side who are going to be full of confidence themselves. Drumgath saw off Teconnaught in the Down final on a scoreline of 4-15 to 0-05 and that 22 point win was not even flattering. Colm Maginn is an impressive midfielder while Packie Downey and Jack Lynch are two forwards that will take plenty of watching by the Newtown rearguard.
All in all this has the makings of an excellent encounter with both sides capable of playing good quality football. Newtownbutler will probably need to improve on the form they have shown in the Fermanagh championship if they are to reach the next round but they are a side well capable of doing so.