St Paul’s Ulster Minor Club Championship preliminary round
Kingscourt (Cavan) v Mayobridge (Down)
SUNDAY, 1pm, Colaiste Feirste, Belfast
Maybe it’s the passing of D’Unbelievable’s Jon Kenny that’s stirring up some nostalgic bias, but you can see Pat Shortt alongside him acting out the Kingscourt script.
For some locals, it’s three weddings in three days. Cavan star Pádraig Faulkner is the third of those three on Saturday.
By then the smell of the red wine and blood of Jesus Christ in the chapel may well be overpowered by some less holy rivals, despite the best efforts of cold showers and coffees.
And then on Sunday it’s up to Belfast. Chairman Kevin Shiels isn’t too concerned about any holy matrimony. On the Lord’s day of rest, the Kingscourt minors will be emptying the tank at St Paul’s:
“The lads are an absolute credit. It’s their last year of juvenile football and they’ve driven it home.
“To win the league and championship, that’s something that doesn’t come around very often.
“A number of these boys will go on and play senior football next year. They’re great lads, first of all as people, and also as footballers.”
For now, however, next year is of little interest. Mayobridge. Sunday. 1pm. Colaiste Feirste. Therein lies the challenge.
Within the Breffni County, it was Cavan Gaels who presented the biggest challenge, and ironically it was Cavan Gaels who knocked Mayobridge out of this tournament a year ago.
Back then it was U17, now it is U18. Should Kingscourt be capable of overlooking their long standing rivalry with Gaels, perhaps they have nuggets of advice to take on board.
But Shiels is wary too that this venture is far removed from last year or anything they’ve seen in The Breffni County:
“It’s difficult to know where you’re at. You can’t look beyond your first game. I know it’s a cliché but you don’t know the level of these other teams.
“We know Mayobridge won the U17 tournament in Down last year, and they won the U18 tournament again this year, so they’ve shown they’re top level.
“For us, it’s a bit of a step into the unknown.”
Shiels says that this side have “yo-yo’d” with Cavan Gaels since U13s in terms of taking home silverware, so it is clear they are cut out for the big occasion.
Captained by Cormac McAvinney, they beat Gaels in the league final, before overcoming the same opposition by a point in the championship semi-final to secure an historic double.
Michael McKeown is a name to keep an eye out for at full-forward, name checked by his skipper amongst others as they seek to replicate the success of their Cavan rivals in the 2024 edition of the St Paul’s tournament - in its 41st year.
The winners of the preliminary tie will meet Tyrone’s Cookstown Fr Rocks in the quarter-final, with 2023 champions Four Masters opening their defence against Scotstown at the same stage.