Six days after contesting a hard fought Division One final, Derrygonnelly and Kinawley will cross swords again with the Senior Football Championship title this time on the line when they meet at Brewster Park on Saturday evening.

Derrygonnelly claimed an historic first Division One title last Sunday as they secured a one-point win over Fermanagh kingpins Kinawley and it was a win that delighted manager Garry Smyth.

“It was a very exciting game which could have gone either way on the day. Both teams had their purple patches with some excellent passages of play and at times we rode our luck against a good Kinawley team,” said Smyth.

“Overall, I am pleased for the girls and everyone in the background who have worked hard over the years to progress ladies football in the club. A first title at senior level gives the club a lift as there is some tangible reward for that effort,” he added.

Ideally, Smyth would have liked more than a six day turnaround but understands the pressure that the County Board are under to get fixtures played.

“I would say when the fixtures schedule issued both clubs would have preferred to see at least another week between the two finals, but the County Board’s Fixtures Committee had very little scope to work with due to the county team’s extended season, so we just have to work with the way it has fallen. Six days between the two finals gives very little opportunity for the players to do much by way of physical preparation other than recovery, but it is the same for both teams,” he added.

And he doesn’t think that last week’s game will have any bearing on this Saturday’s encounter.

“With the game being in Brewster Park it will have a different dynamic so I am not sure last week’s result will have that much of a bearing once the ball is thrown in, particularly as this is championship.

“It’s the premier competition and I am sure Kinawley will be keen to retain their title as County Champions.”

And to that end he is expecting another tight affair between the sides.

“They are a very experienced outfit and have strong players throughout their line-up but as a player and as a club that’s where you want to be, competing against a team of Kinawley’s quality .

“Our players are looking forward to the game and testing themselves again. Last year’s final was decided by a point after extra time, and last Sunday’s game was very close, so it has the makings of another great game.”

Kinawley manager Mark Cunningham thought his side failed to make the most of their chances in the second half last week but acknowledged that Derrygonnelly deserved to win.

“I thought we had the chances in the second half to win the game, but we weren’t clinical at the key moments and ultimately that proved costly.

“However, our performance as a whole was disappointing and we didn’t get to the levels we needed to win the game.

“In contrast, I thought Derrygonnelly took their chances when they came and were deserving winners in the end,” he said.

Cunningham, who hopes to have a full squad to choose from, feels that this Saturday night’s contest is an opportunity for Kinawley to put right things that didn’t work out for them last week.

“We have a short six day turnaround so we have focused on getting a good week’s training in and keeping things simple. We know it will be another tight contest but it’s a chance for us to improve on a lot of things from last week.”

And he is hopeful that Kinawley can put in a performance that their efforts throughout the year deserve.

“Championship final day is where you want to be at the start of the year, so now that we are here I am hoping the girls put in the performance that their hard work and commitment all year deserves,” he stated.