CIARAN GOURLEY will never shy away from a challenge, but he’s wary of this weekend’s Ulster Club JFC semi-final opponents, a club that won the Fermanagh Senior Championship not so long ago.
Newtownbutler were kings of Erne in 2007, and they have a smattering of New York Cup winners in their current side as they continue the climb back towards the top. Tyrone champions Rock have a flawless record in the Ulster series, and they will attempt to extend an unbeaten ruin at the Athletic Grounds on Sunday.
“From what I can gather they’re quite a strong team. They won a senior championship in Fermanagh in 2007, and that’s not that long ago,” said Gourley.
“So I think they’ll be a step up in opposition for us. It something we have to expect, that the further you go in a competition, the stronger the teams are going to be, but we’ll look forward to that challenge.
“Of all the quarter-finals in the junior section, the Newtownbutler-Drumgath game was probably the pick of the games, from what I can gather. Both teams were rated quite highly, so whichever team came out of that was going to be strongly fancied.
“So we know we have to up our game again for them, but likewise, they will take a look at our performance and see how impressive we were. It has the makings of a good game.”
Rock won the Ulster JFC title in 2007 and 2014, and their experience in the competition will be a big asset, but their success has also made them a prized target for opponents: “There’s no doubt about it, we’re lucky that in this competition we have been quite successful any time we have entered it,” said the former Tyrone star.
“But the teams that are coming in to that competition will be raising their game against us, because they’ll see us as being the team that has been there before, and they might question whether we have the hunger to do it again. I’m sure Newtownbutler will have plenty of motivation going into that game, and they’ll be keen to get to a final.”
The Tyrone champions’ defence has been rock-solid in the provincial title race to date, conceding just 1-8 over two games, with Aidan McGarrity and Conor McCreesh major scoring threats.
