Eirgrid Ulster U20 Football Championship quarter-final: Fermanagh v Antrim (tonight, Brewster Park, 8pm)
BOTH Fermanagh and Antrim will be able to call upon the services of players who tasted action in the Ulster Senior Football Championship last weekend when they line out in the U20 Ulster Championship quarter-final on Friday evening.
Goalkeeper Sean McNally and half-forward Josh Largo-Elis put in decent performances in Clones as Fermanagh were beaten by 10 points by Monaghan.
Fermanagh will also be able to call upon Conor Love, who was involved in some of the Allianz Football League fixtures.
As well as the senior trio, manager Maurice McLaughlin has also called in six of the U17 panel that lost out to a last-minute goal against Monaghan in the Ulster semi-final last month.
Ronan McCaffrey, Fionan O’Brien, Diarmaid King, Micheal Flanagan, Justy McDade and Ronan McGovern have trained with the squad.
They were some of the standout players in the agonising defeat to Monaghan in June.
All three Fermanagh senior players are Hogan Cup winners with St Michael's College, Enniskillen and along with fellow medalists Joe McDade and Darragh McBrien, there is a strong core in the Fermanagh team that have tasted success in recent years at underage level.
For the Saffrons, goalkeeper Luke Mulholland and midfielder Conor Stewart played in the defeat to Armagh last Sunday.
Stewart in particular has been an impressive figure in the middle of the park for Antrim and he may well be partnered by Cargin's Pat Shivers.
Shivers was the standout performer for the Saffron's last year when they beat Derry in the same competition before running eventual Ulster champions Tyrone to two points in the semi-final.
Antrim manager, Hugh McGettigan, has coached a number of these players through the age groups with Antrim and his opposite number Maurice McLaughlin knows his side will have to "outwork" Antrim from the first whistle.
"We are under no illusion about the challenge that we face on Friday night. This is going to be a very tough game,” said McLaughlin.
“We can say we have the talent in the squad, there’s no doubt about it, a very talented squad but talent alone will not be enough to win us this game on Friday night.
“We really have to outwork Antrim from the word go.”
“They are a pretty formidable outfit and they will be coming down to Brewster Park and they will be coming to win,” added McLaughlin.
