Derry trio ready for crucial triple-header in Ulster provincial battle
Magherafelt, Desertmartin, and Swatragh carry the county flag into next weekend's high-stakes football campaigns.
Ulster club action will continue for three Derry sides next weekend, with Magherafelt, Desertmartin and Swatragh all set to take to the provincial stage in their respective campaigns.
Last weekend, Intermediate Hurling champions Lavey fell to a 1-15 to 0-13 defeat against Antrim’s Cushendun in Armoy, while Waterside club Doire Trasna were well beaten by Lacken Celtic in the Ulster Junior Football Championship quarter-final, bringing both sides’ campaigns to an end.
Lavey were perhaps dealt the toughest hand against the battle-hardened Glens men as they look to continue their ascent back towards the summit of the Derry hurling hierarchy. Cushendun, who are due to contest the refixed Antrim final this weekend, were granted passage into the Ulster campaign following a ruling that rendered their opponents, Carey Faughs, ineligible.
Carey claimed the provincial Intermediate crown in 2024, defeating Swatragh by a single point, and were therefore unable to participate in this year’s competition. Erin’s Own made the step up to Intermediate after reaching last year’s Ulster Junior final, but Cushendun ultimately proved a step too far. The Antrim side were fully deserving of their victory, having led 0-9 to 0-5 at the interval.
Fintan Bradley and Rian Collins carried much of Lavey’s scoring burden, but a Sean McKay goal shortly after the restart gave Cushendun the momentum, and they never looked back.
Doire Trasna, meanwhile, saw a memorable twenty-fifth year of their existence come to an end as Cavan champions Lacken Celtic cruised to a 2-14 to 1-5 victory. The Galligan brothers, Thomas, Cian and Killian, contributed a combined 2-6 to help propel Lacken beyond Trasna. Nevertheless, there is a bright future ahead for the Waterside men after what has been a remarkable year for Na Piarsaigh.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Swatragh secured the only Derry victory of the weekend with a stunning 5-30 to 0-7 win over Armagh’s Killeavy. The Orchard County side were simply no match for the Derry Junior champions, who now march on to a mouth-watering semi-final against Belfast’s Patrick Sarsfields next weekend.
Magherafelt will have the pick of the weekend's fixtures, with the newly crowned O’Neills Derry Senior Football champions travelling to St Tiernach’s Park to take on defending Ulster champions Scotstown, with a place in the provincial semi-final at stake.
Having finally broken their county final hoodoo and secured an eighth McLaughlin Cup with a 3-17 to 0-20 victory over South Derry rivals Newbridge last Sunday, Enda Muldoon’s charges could hardly have been handed a tougher assignment as they return to the Ulster stage for the first time since 2019.
The Monaghan kingpins possess a wealth of talent and considerable two-point scoring power. Rory Beggan, arguably the finest goalkeeper in the country, has already broken Derry hearts this year, playing a decisive role in Monaghan’s dramatic Ulster semi-final victory over the Oak Leaf men in May. Beggan kicked the winning score deep into injury time and finished the contest with 0-6.
Muldoon’s charges will look to the likes of Conall Higgins, Shane Heavron and Eoin McEvoy to help propel them into the last four, in what promises to be a fiercely contested encounter.
Having stumbled three times in the Derry final since their previous triumph in 2019, there is a sense that Magherafelt will be eager to test themselves at provincial level. There can be few better examinations of this talented group than the challenge of Scotstown at St Tiernach’s Park.
Desertmartin, meanwhile, will compete in the Ulster Intermediate Championship for the first time in the club’s history after finally getting their hands on the Sheridan, Bateson and Lee Cup at the sixth attempt, following an impressive display against Greenlough last weekend.
The Yellas have a promising generation emerging within their ranks, and, with the elusive Derry title finally secured, they will be hoping to build on that success when they face Monaghan Intermediate champions Donaghmoyne Fontenoys in Inniskeen on Saturday.
Key to their hopes will be county sharpshooter Lachlan Murray, the placed-ball accuracy of Joe Conery and the form of Ryan McEldowney, who kicked a superb 0-7 in Desertmartin’s 0-17 to 1-11 county final victory over Greenlough.