EDERNEY full forward Sean Cassidy has been enjoying his football since it returned following the coronavirus lockdown.

The 20-year-old, along with the rest of the Ederney squad, has been in good form throughout the shortened 2020 season, and they are all looking forward to another Senior championship final appearance when they face reigning champions, Derrygonnelly, on Sunday.

Cassidy said: “To be honest, I suppose being a lot fitter and looking after myself better this year rather than last year has made it easier for me to play well.

“I have been enjoying my football since I came back.”

They have been here before, in 2018, and failed to show up. They were expected to make a push in 2019 but were dumped out in the first round by newcomers, Belnaleck.

All this adds up for Cassidy and brings that extra bit of motivation to finally get over the line.

This year, they got their revenge over Belnaleck in the quarter final and followed this up with a win over Teemore in the semis to book their final place.

‘Hurting’

“I suppose we were hurting from last year, and the Belnaleck one was a big one,” said Cassidy.

“As soon as we heard that draw, we upped it in training, and when we got over that, we knew that with Teemore, you never, ever play Teemore and get an easy win.

“We knew it was going down to the wire, and Teemore never lie down.

“It was good to get those two tough games in, and hopefully it will help us for Sunday.”

In 2018 Cassidy was in his first year of Senior football and he admits himself now that there was maybe a bit of naivety and taking the whole experience too lightly.

“Looking back on that one, it was my first year playing Seniors. Winning a championship game, I just thought it was the best thing ever and you had to celebrate for two days.

“We probably played the occasion in 2018, and speaking for myself I was thinking. ‘This is lethal – a county final in my first year’, and I suppose that and the hurt of last year and 2018 put it in place for this year.

“We are more mature and that bit older. We felt the hurt of it. We have been to the bottom, so hopefully we can get to the top on Sunday.”

Standing in the way of Ederney are Fermanagh kingpins Derrygonnelly and Cassidy knows all too well of the challenge they pose as his side look to reach the top.

‘Organised’

“No team goes for six in a row by accident. They are a great team, in fairness. They are going to be organised, they are going to be good in defence, they are going to be clinical up top. We just have to play our game plan, and give it our all.”

However, Ederney have the players to damage Derrygonnelly, and Cassidy is one of them.

With his brother, Enda, also back fit and playing, and father, Mickey, in charge they are just a few of the family connections in the Ederney side, alongside the Maguire twins Michael and Paul, the McCusker brothers Paul and Declan, and the McGees, Conor and Oran.

Although it will be nice to celebrate a championship victory with family, Cassidy is only looking as far as getting out on to Brewster Park on Sunday, and whatever is going to happen afterwards can wait.

“It would be a nice occasion [to win] but I don’t think those thoughts have entered into the three of our heads. We will just worry about Sunday, and look at that stuff after it.

“The training has been good; the boys are chomping at the bit to get going, and we are just looking forward to Sunday,” he said.