Eskra And Killeeshil Carrying The Hopes Of The Entire County

Sunday 03.11.2013

Club

It is a big day for Tyrone’s Intermediate and Junior champions Eskra and Killeeshil as they prepare to dip their toes in the ultra competitive world of Ulster Club championship football. Not all that long ago this dream was the preserve of only the senior club champions in each county.

However since the extension of the provincial and All Ireland club competitions to include the junior and intermediate club champions every team in the country now has the chance to prove themselves against all the top sides in the country at their particular level.

Since the introduction of the intermediate and junior club championships Tyrone sides have enjoyed a fair degree of success with several Ulster and All Ireland titles making their way to the county. The standard of football in these divisions within Tyrone is clearly on a par with anything in the rest of Ulster but the beauty of the competition means that new teams are consistently featuring in it and getting the chance to make a name for themselves and give their community and club their day in the sun.

Both Killeeshil and Eskra have looked very impressive in their wining of county titles but they must make sure they approach this afternoon’s games in the same focused manner that they displayed in the Tyrone championship.

In recent years Tyrone teams have seen how important experience can be in the senior competition but at intermediate and junior level teams are usually new to the situation and are reliant on the experience of one or two more seasoned individuals to cope with the step up in intensity and class. Players like Kevin Hughes, Packie Mc Mullan, Shane Mallon and Gary Reilly will all be central to the Killeeshil cause today while Adrian Scullion, Niall Mc Ginn, Paul Marlowe and Peter Hughes will play crucial roles in guiding their team mates against Enniskillen in Healy Park.

This is a completely new scenario for all those involved in today’s matches: players, management teams and supporters. A win today could be the start of something much bigger and who knows where it might end. Some may even be harbouring thoughts of a run out in Croke Park in February and perhaps that might happen. However one thing is for sure unless the players get it right today any hopes of a night under the lights at headquarters will soon evaporate.

Today’s game between Eskra and Enniskillen Gaels will be live on Teamtalkmag.com radio while we will also be keeping