Fona/CAB Ulster Minor Tournament
The host club St. Paul’s enters the fray as the fona/CAB Ulster Minor Football tournament continues at pace this weekend. The Antrim winners, St. Paul’s were set to play a preliminary round game against the winners of Tyrone a few weeks back but the Tyrone representatives have been eliminated from the competition as the Tyrone championship has not yet been concluded.
St. Paul’s advance to the quarter-final proper this Saturday 16th December where they will meet Mayobridge of Down at 1.00pm. St. Paul’s haven’t seen serious action since they defeated Aghagallon in the Antrim final at Davitt’s Park back on the 8th of October but have been training hard for Saturday’s game.
They are a useful side with some outstanding individuals in Oisin McCann, Ewan McGreevey, Ciaran McAlea, Shea Burns and Niall Carmichael but it was their overall team play that saw them account for Aghagallon in a somewhat one sided Antrim final.
Mayobridge will probably represent a step up in class for the host club but if St. Paul’s can produce the form they displayed on their way to this year’s Antrim title then they can advance to the semi-final.
In the remaining quarter-final, Irvinstown of Fermanagh and Cavan Gael meet at Sportlann at 5.00pm with the Cavan champions given a tentative vote in that one while the winners of the two quarter-finals already played, meet in the first semi-final on Sunday.
Four Masters of Donegal and Castleblaney Faughs meet at Shaw’s Road at 1.00pm and this promises to be a real cracker with both sides coming through tough quarter-final encounters.
Goals proved the difference as Monaghan champions, Castleblaney overcame the challenge of a fancied Magherafelt 2-9 to 0-13 and those goals came late in the game with the Derry champions seemingly heading for victory.
Kevin Muldoon began the come-back with a goal from the penalty spot and Tiernan McBride rose to fist home the second, five minutes into injury time to break the Magerafelt boy’s hearts.
It was even closer in the other quarter final as Castleblaney Faughs edged past Clan na Gael of Armagh by 1-12 to 1-11 with Shea Broderick sending the Monaghan men on their way with a goal in the third minute.
They were pushed all the way by a good Clan na Gael side with Max McGinnity hitting a late free to see the Faughs home.
This one is sure to attract a big crowd to Shaw’s Road and here’s hoping the weather will be kind to both sides and the organisers for what promises to be a real cracker with Castleblaney possibly just edging it.
