WILL it be a sixth successive senior championship success for Derrygonnelly on Sunday night, or will Ederney end a 52-year wait to get their hands on the New York Cup?

That is the question that will be answered at Brewster Park as the two best sides in the county go head to head in the battle for the biggest prize in club football in Fermanagh.

There is no doubt that the Harps will go into the final as big favourites; their record in recent years speaks for itself.

They have seen off all-comers over the past six years, including victory over Ederney in the final two years ago, and they will be determined to land that sixth title in a row.

There are very few weaknesses in this Derrygonnelly side and it is fair to say that they have grown into one of the most formidable sides in the province.

This year they have had a solid league campaign before being pushed all the way by a dogged and determined Roslea side in the opening round of the championship.

The Harps, though, showed all their championship experience and know-how and, in the end, that bit of extra quality that they had saw them over the line.

The semi-final against Kinawley was much anticipated, with the Brian Boris having beaten Derrygonnelly in the league, but in truth the championship encounter was a one-sided affair.

Although the Harps were not as clinical as they would have wanted in the final third, they controlled matters for the best part of the contest to ease to the win.

Sunday though will provide a different test again against an Ederney side that will be determined to put up a much better showing than they did in the decider two years ago.

The St. Joseph’s men had come into that game with many feeling that they would be the ones to end the Harps dominance of the Senior championship, but the occasion possibly got the better of them on that day and they had no answer as Derrygonnelly sealed the victory.

Experience

The experience of that day though should stand to them on Sunday, and if they are on top of their game then they have the tools to make it an uncomfortable day for Derrygonnelly.

Ederney’s passage to the final has seen them avenge last year’s quarter final defeat to Belnaleck before getting past a typically battling Teemore side in the semi-finals.

Scoring has not been an issue for Mickey Cassidy’s outfit, to date, hitting 1-1l against Belnaleck before following it up with 2-16 against Teemore.

However, they have shown a vulnerability under the high ball in both games, and that has maybe kept their opponents in a game that they should have won more convincingly.

In fairness, Belnaleck’s Darragh McGurn and Teemore’s Barry Owens have the capability of giving any team trouble in the air and it is not a tactic that Derrygonnelly have often used.

There should be a lot of key battles all over the pitch on Sunday – not least in the middle third.

This is a sector that Ederney are going to have to make an impact in if they are to win, as the Harps have been dominant here in most games.

Ryan Jones and Stephen McGullion provide them with a great platform and Ederney are going to need big games from the likes of Marty McGrath in the middle if they are to get a good enough supply into their attack.

Defensively, Ederney will know that they have to tighten up in terms of giving up goal chances, and they will look to limit the threat posed by a Harps attack that has a number of dangers in the likes of Conall Jones, Gary McKenna and Micheál Glynn.

The St. Joseph’s men are going to need Declan McCusker, Paul Maguire, Enda Cassidy and company to be on top of their game in this regard.

The most intriguing battles though may be at the other end of the pitch, and whether or not the Ederney forward line can get the better of the Derrygonnelly defence.

With Sean Cassidy, Mark McCauley, Ryan Morris and Paul McCusker Ederney have an attack which is arguably the best in the county, but they will be faced by the best defence in the county, with the Harps rearguard manned by experienced and quality operators such as Mickey Jones, Eamon McHugh, Tiarnan Daly and Shane McGullion.

This does have the making of a fascinating contest, and while the Harps will be fancied, Ederney certainly can’t be ruled out as they look to claim a famous victory.