Enniskillen Gaels and Derrygonnelly Harps will do battle for the U21 Championship crown this Sunday.

The Gaels will go into the game as favourites as they look to retain the title they won last year with victory over the same opposition in the final but manager Rory Rafferty says that they will not take the Harps lightly.

“Our aim from the start of the competition was to retain the crown and we are delighted to be in the final and we will be preparing for a tough test against Derrygonnelly, as it always is.

“They will have a lot of their minors playing who competed well against Crossmaglen in the Ulster minor championship and that group of players will have been training hard for six or seven weeks so they will be prepared and we know that we will have to perform,” said Rafferty.

Enniskillen ran out comprehensive victors when the sides met in the group stage of the competition and Mick Glynn, a member of the Harps management team states that they will go into the contest as underdogs.

“We know we are the underdogs, Enniskillen are very strong and are backboned by the side that won the Ulster Minor Club.

“We will be relying heavily on our minors and we are going to be missing some key players with Shane McGullion injured, Odhran McBrien unavailable and Oisin Smyth away at college while Lee Jones is not fully fit.

“We will go there though and give it our best shot and see how we get on,” he added.

The Harps will be looking for big performances from the likes of Aidan McKenna, Colm Jones and Nathan Jones on the day.

Rafferty also has injury worries but he is hopeful that most will clear up in time for the game.

“A few boys like Eoin Beacom and Johnny Cassidy have been struggling but I would hope that they will come through along with Conor Love.”

All three will be big players for the Gaels, who will also look to players like Brandon Horan, John Reihill and Conall Quinn.

Last year’s final was a competitive affair before Enniskillen went on to claim the win and it is the Gaels who will be fancied to make it back to back titles by prevailing this Sunday.