Dromore Bid For Semi Final Spot In Paul McGirr

Friday 13.11.2015

Club

Tyrone U16 champions Dromore face a very difficult task in the Paul McGirr Ulster U16 Club Champions Tournament this Saturday when they face Donegal champions St. Eunan’s Letterkenny. [2.00]

Dromore, appearing in the competition for the first time as Tyrone champions in the tournament’s 16 year history, defeated Enniskillen Gaels 1-14 to 2-07 in the preliminary round and they will be hoping home advantage and a large St.Dympnas support will drive them on as they seek to progress to the semi-final. However in St.Eunan’s they will be facing a team well accustomed to the tournament as regular visitors and a team who have featured regularly in semi-finals and finals in recent years. Having also secured the Donegal U14 title this season youth football is certainly on a high in the Letterkenny club and under the management of Paul McGovern they will be entering the competition with a great degree of confidence. Having been defeated by rivals Sean MacCumhaills in the Donegal Northern Board final, St. Eunan’s gained revenge over the same opposition in the county final. Earlier in the competition St.Eunans also defeated pre-tournament favourites Naomh Conaill and they also won the Ulster Og Sport title in 2014, defeating many of the teams in this year’s Paul McGirr tournament on the way to the title.

Dromore though are a team who have been improving steadily throughout the season and emerged from a competitive Tyrone championship following a convincing replay victory over Loughmacrory. Their performance in the preliminary round against Enniskillen Gaels was perhaps their best of the season so far and had they have been a bit more clinical in front of goals then the winning margin would have been much more convincing, however according to joint manager Joe Rafferty they cannot afford such profligacy as the tournament progresses.

“Our build up play at times against Enniskillen was superb but our final product was certainly not something that we were pleased with, it really is one part of our game which we must improve on if we are to reach the semi-finals. Our midfield pairing of Cahir Goodwin and Caolan McCarron dominated against the Fermanagh men and provided the perfect platform for us and we hope that they can repeat this performance on Saturday. The experience of finally getting to play in the Paul McGirr tournament has been great for the boys and it has given everyone at the club a boost, hopefully on Saturday we can put in a performance worthy of the occasion and if we can be that more efficient up front then I don’t think we will be too far away at the final whistle”.

While the loss of inspirational full back Ciaran McDermott for the rest of the season has been a huge blow to Dromore team, Ruairi Teague, Caolan Slevin and Mark McGrade have been superb in defence and they quelled the Enniskillen threat superbly. Up front the return to fitness after long term injury of Odhran Rafferty has been a huge boost and he along with Oran Sludden, Nathan McCarron and Pearse McNabb will prove a handful for the Letterkenny defence. John MacRory was the goal scoring hero against Enniskillen and he will be hoping to maintain his recent rich scoring vein. The highlight of the game though promises to be the midfield battle between the powerful Cahir Goodwin and St.Eunans towering Patrick McColgan. The game has a 2:00 throw in at Gardrum Park and the game will be preceded at 12:00 by the other quarter final battle between Antrim champions O’Donovan Rossa and Cavan’s Southern Gaels. All proceeds from the games go to the Spirit Of Paul McGirr Trust in support of their work with the poor in Lusaka, Zambia.