Ulster Minor Football Championship: Cavan v Fermanagh (today, Kingspan Breffni, 6pm)
THE Breffni youngsters cantered to a 16-point win when these sides met in the Ulster League but this is championship and both counties are expecting a much tighter affair this evening.
Fermanagh will be bolstered by the return of a posse of St Michael’s Hogan Cup winners and their manager Maurice McLaughlin will be confident his side can give a much better account of themselves.
Cavan boss Gary Farrelly has drawn a line over the league campaign and expects championship intensity from the throw-in.
“The Ulster league is in the past and it’s all about championship now,” said Farrelly.
“We’re all ready to go tomorrow. We have a good mix of pace, we have a bit of power and we have some tight backs and we’d be happy with the squad.
“We mixed and matched through the league and found out quite a bit about the players so it’s just about trying to get that balance right on the day. We won’t have it perfect, there were tight calls in a few of the positions but we can make a few changes if we need.”
Cavan’s most recent Ulster title came in 2011 and it was the county’s first since 1974. Last year the Breffni youngsters beat Fermanagh 2-9 to 1-7 on their way to reaching the semi-finals and Ramor United clubman Farrelly still has Peter Smith, Caoimhin McGovern, Evan Kelly and Matthew McGahan from that team.
“Over the last few years we have focussed on development squads and trying to bring groups of players through,” said Farrelly.
“I’d be happy with the group of players I have and it’s all credit to the guys who are working with them and the players. We are putting in a lot of work and getting up there with the best and you have to keep these groups together as long as you can and keep developing them.
“It’s a local derby and there’s always that bit of bite in it. Breffni looks good, hopefully the weather will be good and we’ll get a good run at it and get a good result.”
Meanwhile, Fermanagh have been boosted by the returns of Josh Horan and outstanding forward Micheal Glynn, both starters for St Michael’s in their MacRory Cup and Hogan Cup successes, and squad members Evan Curran, Conor Murphy and Ronan McCaffrey.
“We have the lads back in and training has been going fairly well for the last month or so and we would feel our players have it within themselves to deliver a performance that will get them close to getting across the line,” said Erne county manager Maurice McLaughlin.
“It’s great to have the St Michael’s boys back in but we’re under no illusions, we know the challenge that we face going to Breffni. Out of all the teams we played in the league, Cavan are right up there and they have some fine players like Caoimhin McGovern (midfield) and Fintan Reilly up front, they have some exceptionally talented players.
“The one thing about this group of players is that they’re exceptionally hard-working. Anything that has been asked of them, they’ve done it and they’ve given 100 per cent commitment and we just hope they can deliver the performance that does themselves justice and gets them across the line.”
