Clogher Valley Captain Aaron Best is looking forward to leading his team out to their fifth Towns’ Cup final in six years in front of an enthusiastic band of travelling supporters from the West.

Easter Monday has almost become an annual outing for the club’s fans and this year is no different.

Bus loads will make the journey to the newly refurbished Kingspan stadium, and the team captain believes their presence in the stands can help push his side over the try line.

“It really spurs you on when you look up and you see all the people there,” he said. “There is a good atmosphere around the club and around the whole town. Everyone around the town really looks forward to it and it is a great day out for them all. There will be a big crowd down I’m sure because our supporters travel very well. You definitely hear them during the match and it definitely gives you that extra bit of motivation to go that wee bit harder.” Aaron acknowledges his team will need the support as they face a tough challenge from Ballynahinch IIs, who cruised through their semi-final against last year’s beaten finalists Donaghadee by 22 points to 5. “We have had a few encounters with them over the years and they are always a good side,” he said. “They are a great club and they can be very difficult to beat but it will come down to who performs on the day. We are all positive. We have had a good few weeks in training preparing for this and it looks good. We are really looking forward to it.” The players will be trying to approach the match as just another game in a long season, but the buzz of a cup final is difficult to ignore, and Andy admits the big occasions do feel different, although he believes they are well equipped to cope with the added pressure. “You try to go through the same routine as normal but at the back of your mind you know that it is that wee bit bigger than a normal game,” he admitted. “There are always a few extra nerves, but you just try to stick to your normal routine as best you can. We have had a good few trips to Ravenhill, or the Kingspan, and I think that helps. You have that familiarity of knowing what it looks like, although we have a few new people in the squad this year who probably are making their debuts there. It will be very exciting for them to be making their first appearance at Ravenhill but there is a lot of experience in the squad as well. The thing about being captain this year is that it has been very easy. There has been a lot of support around me to help me out.” And if Clogher valley can emerge victorious, Andy admits that raising the trophy aloft at the final whistle would be a treasured memory. “It would be a tremendous honour and it would cap off a good year for us,” he said. “We are a victim of our own success in some ways. People say we haven’t had a successful season just because we have had better years in the past, but winning the cup final would make it a good enough season for us.” Clogher Valley Captain Aaron Best is looking forward to leading his team out to their fifth Towns’ Cup final in six years in front of an enthusiastic band of travelling supporters from the West.

Easter Monday has almost become an annual outing for the club’s fans and this year is no different.

Bus loads will make the journey to the newly refurbished Kingspan stadium, and the team captain believes their presence in the stands can help push his side over the try line.

“It really spurs you on when you look up and you see all the people there,” he said. “There is a good atmosphere around the club and around the whole town. Everyone around the town really looks forward to it and it is a great day out for them all. There will be a big crowd down I’m sure because our supporters travel very well. You definitely hear them during the match and it definitely gives you that extra bit of motivation to go that wee bit harder.” Aaron acknowledges his team will need the support as they face a tough challenge from Ballynahinch IIs, who cruised through their semi-final against last year’s beaten finalists Donaghadee by 22 points to 5. “We have had a few encounters with them over the years and they are always a good side,” he said. “They are a great club and they can be very difficult to beat but it will come down to who performs on the day. We are all positive. We have had a good few weeks in training preparing for this and it looks good. We are really looking forward to it.” The players will be trying to approach the match as just another game in a long season, but the buzz of a cup final is difficult to ignore, and Andy admits the big occasions do feel different, although he believes they are well equipped to cope with the added pressure. “You try to go through the same routine as normal but at the back of your mind you know that it is that wee bit bigger than a normal game,” he admitted. “There are always a few extra nerves, but you just try to stick to your normal routine as best you can. We have had a good few trips to Ravenhill, or the Kingspan, and I think that helps. You have that familiarity of knowing what it looks like, although we have a few new people in the squad this year who probably are making their debuts there. It will be very exciting for them to be making their first appearance at Ravenhill but there is a lot of experience in the squad as well. The thing about being captain this year is that it has been very easy. There has been a lot of support around me to help me out.” And if Clogher valley can emerge victorious, Andy admits that raising the trophy aloft at the final whistle would be a treasured memory. “It would be a tremendous honour and it would cap off a good year for us,” he said. “We are a victim of our own success in some ways. People say we haven’t had a successful season just because we have had better years in the past, but winning the cup final would make it a good enough season for us.”