Letterkenny Gaels v Stewartstown
Both these teams had contrasting quarter final victories but that will count for little when the enter the Owenbeg arena tomorrow afternoon. Letterkenny Gaels needed a heroic second half comeback to sneak past Derrynoose in the opening round.
The Armagh side, with the aid of a strong breeze, raced into a seven-point lead by the halfway stage, but Letterkenny Gaels stormed back into contention. Led by bustling full forward Conor McBrearty, the Donegal champions clawed their way back into the game and a goal from substitute Brendan O’Brien sealed the deal.
The Gaels will look for strong performances from Diarmuid O’Cathail, Brian Diver and Shay Doherty, who all stood up after an underwhelming first half display. 24 hours before hand, Stewartstown were hitting full flow as they powered past a helpless Teconnaught in the quarter final.
15-points to the good at half time, Blake Smyth’s charges won at a canter, with 21-points the difference at the final whistle, 2-20 to 0-5. Dan Lowe is the chief marksman for the Tyrone side, and he top scored with 0-8 in that win over the Down champions, while Gareth Devlin and MacAuley Quinn rattled the net.
The Harps defence will surely face a much stiffer test tomorrow and if they can hold their own, they have the firepower to advance to the final.
Newtownbutler v Drumlane
When it comes to scoring power, Newtownbutler have it in spades. Their tally of 3-18 against Pearse’s has only been bettered by Galbally’s freakish 7-12 across the three grades of the Ulster Championship.
At the forefront of attacking quality is 41-year-old, former Fermanagh full forward Ryan Carson. The veteran top scored for Darren Chapman’s side two weeks ago with a personal haul of 2-4 (2-3 from play).
Ger O’Keefe also hit the net for Newtownbutler and finished with 1-4 as they ran out comfortable 18-point winners. Cavan champions Drumlane come into this one slightly under the radar, having gone about their business quietly.
While their opponents put up an eye-catching scoreline, Drumlane have done just enough, twice, to make it to this stage. A one-point win over Craigbane in the preliminary round was equalled in their victory against Clones at the last eight juncture. They would surely take a one-point victory again this weekend if it comes their way.
Star man Ryan Connolly has been in fine form in front of the posts and his registered 0-12 across their two games. Connolly, and the Drumlane defence, will all have to be on top of their game this weekend to make the decider.
