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Lisbellaw banking on home comfort against Middletown

 Lisbellaw's JP McGarry, right, was to the fore in Fermanagh's Lory Meagher success
 Lisbellaw's JP McGarry, right, was to the fore in Fermanagh's Lory Meagher success  Lisbellaw's JP McGarry, right, was to the fore in Fermanagh's Lory Meagher success

Ulster Club SHC quarter-final: Lisbellaw v Middletown

(tomorrow, Maguiresbridge, 3.30pm)

ARMAGH champions Middletown will square off against Fermanagh kingpins Lisbellaw in the quarter final of the Ulster Senior Club Hurling Championship tomorrow. The game is down for a 3:30 throw in at Maguiresbridge with the Armagh men entering the game as favourites to progress.

They can call on 11 of the Armagh panel that lost to Roscommon in the Nicky Rackard Cup final earlier in the year and have went through the Ulster league unbeaten and were convincing winners of the Armagh Championship.

Meanwhile Lisbellaw qualified for this stage by default as there is no senior hurling championship in Fermanagh and the vast majority of the Erne county team that won the Lory Meagher Cup this season are drawn from the ranks of Lisbellaw.

The Fermanagh club side will fancy their chances of causing something of an upset, especially with home advantage, and they will be able to look on last year’s success in reaching the semi-final where they put eventual winners Portaferry under serious pressure.

Middletown have Arthur Hughes installed as their manager and Hughes also takes charge of the club’s senior football team with the vast majority of the players of the dual variety. They beat Keady in the Armagh final 2-10 to 1-08 having held a nine point advantage at the break.

They have some real firepower in attack with the Carville cousins David and Cathal a real handful while Ryan Gaffney has been accurate from dead balls and creative from open play. Martin Mullan at corner forward has been their scorer in chief and he will need very close watching from Lisbellaw.

The Fermanagh side are strong at the back with Daniel and David Teague along with Karl Keohoe all key men among their back six. In the middle third of the field Lisbellaw will be able to welcome back Ryan Bogue to a sector that already can boast John Duffy and JP McGarry.

Duffy and McGarry were in brilliant form as Fermanagh won the Lory Meagher earlier this season and they will need to continue on in that vein tomorrow if they are to help Lisbellaw cause spring a surprise.

Bogue has returned from a year in Australia and he will add poise and strength to the Lisbellaw cause while further up front the Corrigan brothers Sean and Ciaran are two forwards who will take a serious bit of watching by the Middletown defence. The Corrigan boys were brilliant in Fermanagh’s victory over Sligo in the Lory Meagher Cup final. Pacy and direct they both have an eye for a score with Sean in particularly lethal when in form.

Middletown will need Paddy McBride at centre half back to try and cut off the supply to the Lisbellaw inside line while Kevein McKernan is a skilful operator at wing half back. Martin Maguire has been catching the eye for the Armagh champions around the middle of the field and if he can dominate the possession stakes tomorrow then his side will be one step closer to a meeting with Cushendall in the Ulster Semi final.