Ulster Club JFC Quarter-Final
Naomh Padraig Uisce Chaoin v Naomh Comhghall Antrim
O’Donnell Park Letterkenny- Saturday 2-30pm
Antrim champions, Naomh Comhghall face a difficult opener when they travel to O’Donnell Park, Letterkeny on Saturday to face Donegal champions Naomh Padraig, Uisce Chaoin in the quarter-final of the Ulster Junior Football club championship.
The Inishowen men were mighty impressive in their win over Inishowen neighbours, Carndonagh in the Donegal final at Saturday’s venue, running out 2-12 to 0-8 winners to claim their first Junior title since 2016.
The Antrim town side will travel to Letterkenny with confidence however having enjoyed their best season for some time where they recorded a division 3 league and Junior Championship double.
Naomh Comhghall appointed Barry Burns as manager at the start of the 2024 campaign and under the guidance of the St. Paul’s man they have went through their league campaign with maximum points and carried that 100% record through their championship winning campaign.
Naomh Comhghall finished 8 points clear of Laochra Loch Lao in division 3 of the ACFL and carried that fine form into the championship where they recorded resounding wins over Eire Og, St. Malachy’s and Wolfe Tones before going on to defeat Pearses by 8 points in the semi-final.
St. Agnes had been setting the pace in Group 2 of the qualifiers and had 8 points to spare in their semi-final win over St. Malachy’s and were expected to provide St. Comgall’s with a stiff challenge in the final.
A prolonged hail shower created pools of water on the surface prior to throw-in at St. Enda’s and both sides were forced to try their upmost to adapt.
St Comgall’s dealt with the elements better and survived a late scare to lift the Antrim Junior Football Championship, defeating St Agnes 0-09-1-03 on a wintry Saturday afternoon in Hightown.
Pre-game favourites St Comgall’s hit the front after Tom Patchett’s free dropped short, Miles Devine gathered and laid the ball to Patrick O’Connor to drop his shot over the bar.
St Agnes had one sole attempt on target in the opening half, though Ronan Carroll kicked his free wide.
It took Comgall’s until the 18th minute to double their advantage in the form of a Miles Devine point and he would double his individual tally moments later after exchanging passes with Ryan Clarke and bending his shot inside the posts.
Devine added a converted free before the break as his side were 0-04-0-00 ahead at the interval.
St Comgall’s extended their lead with three converted frees inside of the first six minutes of the second half.
Tom Patchett’s trusty left foot guided the first two over with Ryan Clarke kicking the other from close-range.
It took St. Agnes 47 minutes to register their first score but the Antrim Town men seemed to lose their way at this stage and had a man dismissed following a second yellow card
St Agnes’ took advantage of their numerical advantage from the resulting free that Colin Clarke floated into the rectangle and substitute Patrick Mulgrew’s fisted attempt saw the ball tail through a crowded goalmouth and into the net.
Naomh Comhghall held on to claim their first title in three years and will hope for a better surface on Saturday as they aim to get back to the form that has made them a formidable opponent this season.
Barry Burns Interview
In the lead up to Saturday’s Ulster Junior Club championship meeting between St. Patrick’s of Donegal and Naomh Comhghall, Paddy McIlwaine of the Saffron Gael speaks to Naomh Comhghall manager, Barry Burns.
The St. Paul’s club man has transformed the Antrim town club since his appointment at the start of this year and Naomh Comhghall are unbeaten in League and championship as they recorded a famous League-Championship double this term.
Saffron Gael: Barry you have brought about a remarkable improvement in Naomh Comhghall this season culminating in a Division 3-JFC double. What do you put that improvement down to.
Barry Burns: The buy in from everyone, the players and people around the club too, the effort and commitment to train and develop was incredible from the start.
Saffron Gael: The last time Naomh Comhghall won the Junior Championship, they defeated Rasharkin in the final. I travelled to Clones on a Saturday night for the game against the Cavan Champions and was disappointed with the performance with Naomh Comhghall suffering a bad defeat. How confident are you that they can win Saturday’s game?
Barry: Hopefully they have learned a lot from that game but this is a different team from then with a different mind-set. We will give it everything and we hope that we can go and give a good performance, and if we play to our best you never know what can happen.
Saffron Gael: Who are the players within the Naomh Comhghall ranks who have been responsible for you success this season and can be leaders in Letterkenny on Saturday?
Barry: All of them, they have been pushing each other in every session. Some lads have come back after a few years away, and have performed like they have never been away.
Saffron Gael: What do you know about Saturday’s opponents and who are the players that you will have to keep an eye on if you are to overcome the challenge of the Donegal champions?
Barry: We have watched the county final and they are a serious team with a lot of talented players. We have good players too and we know what we need to do come Saturday, The boys just need to enjoy the game and play with no pressure and have fun doing it and see where that takes us.
Saffron Gael: Barry, tell me how the preparations have gone since the county final. Have you a clean bill of health.
Barry: Training is going well, the club have been very supportive in getting us the facilities to be ready. There is a good buzz about the club and town, and hopefully we’ll get a good support up with us in Letterkenny. Everyone is looking forward to the game and hopefully it goes our way.