Enniskillen Gaels may be going into Saturday evening’s Intermediate Championship final with the ‘favourites’ tag, but Coach Simon Bradley is expecting a big battle against a Maguiresbridge side which has so far refused to be beaten.

The Gaels have seen off Irvinestown and Aghadrumsee to seal their place in the decider, but Bradley feels that they could face their biggest test, to date, on Saturday.

He said: “I’m expecting pretty much what I saw in the last 15 minutes on Sunday from Maguiresbridge – the ability to score goals.

“They are obviously very confident, having come through three tight, high-scoring games. You could maybe argue that they are a wee bit susceptible at the back, but they can certainly punish you up front.

“We are expecting a close encounter, which we probably haven’t had in the championship, so it is going to be an interesting test. We are just expecting a tough game.”

Bradley was impressed with how Maguiresbridge finished Sunday’s replay against Belcoo, turning an eight-point deficit into a three-point advantage in the final quarter.

He said: “They were basically able to rearrange their team at the last water break and they were a different team after that.

“You have to remember they lost Carson and McCusker to injuries against Belcoo, and were eight points down with 12 or 13 minutes to go, but they showed great character and they will be thinking they are unbeatable.

“Having said that, we have played two and won two in the championship, so we will be confident, too. It will be an interesting game,” he added.

Enniskillen won the Intermediate final back in 2013 when they coincidentally defeated Maguiresbridge in the final, but this is a much changed team from seven years ago, with only Richie O’Callaghan and Conor Kelly still playing.

On the whole, this is a very young squad, with this being a first adult final for the majority of the players.

Bradley added: “Actually, when you look at the experience on both teams, the ’Bridge have the more experienced players.

“We have a good group of young players coming through but, as I have been saying all year, their average age is around the 19 or 20 mark and we don’t want to put too much pressure on them.

“They have dealt with what they have had to deal with in the last two games, in terms of expectation and in terms of the competition, and we just hope they do the same again on Saturday night.”

For the winner on Saturday night there will also be promotion to the Senior Championship, and while Bradley says it is important for the Gaels to be playing at that level, he argues that it is the same for every club.

“There is no getting away from that – it is important, but it is important for any club to progress and get into Senior football.

“I’ve been saying all year that this is a learning process for our boys; this is their first adult final, so it is another part of the learning process, and we are very keen to get up to Senior, but so too will be Maguiresbridge.

“I don’t think it is any more important for us to get up to Senior than it is for the ’Bridge or any of the other teams who played in the Intermediate Championship,” he stressed.

However, he does feel that if Enniskillen can produce a sustained level of performance, then they will be in a good position to lift the title.

“So far, we have been getting spurts of five or six minutes here and there adding up to maybe 20 or 25 minutes in a game. That is not going to be enough, because the ’Bridge never quit – they have proven that in all their games so far.

“The winning of it will be us performing to the level we know we are capable of performing to, for an extended period of time.

“Within the field, each individual has their own battle to win, and certainly the two inside forward lines make for interesting watching,” he concluded.