Clogher Valley go into Saturday’s All Ireland Junior Cup Final at the Kingspan stadium confident that they can overcome Ballyclare and capture the trophy for the first time in their history.

The club has tasted success in numerous competition in recent times, but club Captain Paul Armstrong admits that the addition of the All Ireland title would take pride of place in the trophy cabinet.

“This would be our biggest win,” he admitted. “We have got the Towns’ Cup, the Junior Cup and the smaller cups a few times over the last 15 years, but we have never got this one. It would be a nice one to get!“

Clogher Valley go into the match as favourites for victory.

They have already got the better of Ballyclare twice this season, defeating their cup final opponents 14-10 back in August, and repeating the victory with a 14-7 success at the Cran in December. They also have the edge over their opponents in the league table, sitting 15 points clear of them, and having only suffered one defeat all season.

With a virtually full squad to choose from, the Captain is in buoyant mood going into the contest.

“I would be fairly confident,” he admitted.

“We have beaten them twice this season. Both games have been fairly close, but we didn’t play anywhere near the way we can play in either of the two games so I would be confident. I know if we do what we can do, then we will be grand.

“We were poor enough three or four weeks ago, but we have got better week by week, and we were good on Saturday so hopefully we are in the best shape we can be, and the mood in the squad could not be better.

“We have been looking forward to it for weeks, and it is nice to have all the other games out of the way now. Everyone is buzzing for it, and there won’t be much sleeping done!”

Paul was a member of Clogher Valley’s last All Ireland Junior Cup final squad, when he suffered the agony of a one-point defeat to Enniscorthy back in 2014, and he is looking to make amends when he takes to the pitch on Saturday.

“I was 18 at the time and it was my first season,” he recalled.

“As an 18 year old back then it was real excitement, but to lose by a point is something I will think about. This is a chance to put it right. We knew the last time if we didn’t win it we weren’t going to get it for a long time because the squad was getting old, but now the average age is back down about 24. I would still like to get it now, rather than waiting for another chance!”

Although that defeat was tough to take at the time, Paul is hoping that experience will help the more senior members of the squad this time around.

“There are still seven or eight in the squad that were there the last time, so there are old heads in there that can speak whenever the time is right,” he said.

“At my age now I’m nearly more nervous than I was at 18 because at that age you go out with no fear. A couple of our young boys are cool characters, and they won’t get too excited.”

The All Ireland Junior Cup final kicks off at 5.30pm and spectators must have a ticket to gain entry.