Magherafelt aim to stop Newbridge charging into uncharted territory
Enda Muldoon’s Magherafelt seek ultimate revenge for 2025 heartbreak as the holders hunt a historic senior hat-trick
An absolute blockbuster is in store this weekend as a festival of football descends upon the banks of the Foyle, with the Derry Senior and Intermediate Football Championship finals set to take place at Fibrus Celtic Park.
In the O’Neills Senior Championship decider, three-in-a-row-chasing Newbridge will face their neighbours Magherafelt in a repeat of last year’s pulsating 1-17 to 1-15 final, with revenge firmly on the minds of the O’Donovan Rossa men.
It is a meeting of the two form teams in the competition, with both emerging from the cut-throat O'Neill's Derry Senior Football Championship with 100 per cent records to date. That will change on Sunday evening, however, as a winner must be crowned, with another cracker in store between the South Derry rivals.
Magherafelt, managed by inter-county legend Enda Muldoon, will be looking to banish the ghosts of 2025 and will pose a serious challenge to the reigning champions. The O’Donovan Rossa men have been hugely impressive throughout the competition, easing past Slaughtneil, Steelstown and Robert Emmet’s once again in their most recent outing, with Lavey providing their only serious fright in a 1-15 to 1-13 quarter-final victory.
Conal Higgins has been in spectacular form for Muldoon’s charges, strengthening his case for consideration by Derry manager Ciarán Meenagh ahead of the 2027 inter-county campaign. Usually deployed in the full-forward line, Higgins has scored 1-17 across the four games. Last time out against Slaughtneil, he helped power Magherafelt beyond the Robert Emmet’s challenge, finishing with 0-7 to his name.
Magherafelt have also been boosted by a number of additions to their panel this year, which they will hope can give them the edge on Sunday. The return of Odhrán Lynch between the posts, alongside Giuseppe Lupari, has helped refresh a squad that came within inches of claiming an eighth John McLaughlin Cup last year.
In the opposing dugout, Gary Hetherington and his Newbridge charges showed signs of reaching the levels they are capable of in their last outing, easing past the challenge of 2024 All-Ireland club champions Watty Graham’s Glen.
A late rally from Glen helped make the scoreboard more respectable, but in truth the champions had the result put to bed six minutes after the restart. Conor McAteer’s goal, following a lightning-quick turnover and break, saw Newbridge move into a 2-10 to 0-6 advantage in a game they had led from the third minute.
Like Magherafelt, Newbridge boast quality throughout the pitch and have blended a number of young players into the squad this year to keep things fresh within their ranks. Oisín Doherty is another serious prospect for county selection, having been in superb form throughout the competition.
His injury-time goal helped ensure there would be no upset as Newbridge survived a scare to overturn Bellaghy in the quarter-finals. Over the course of the championship, however, Doherty has scored 1-29, underlining just how vital he is to Sean O’Leary’s side. Conor McAteer and Pádraig McGrogan have also been in superb form for the champions.
Sunday’s decider has all the ingredients to be an absolute thriller and could once again go down to the wire. There may be little to separate these sides, with the strength of the benches potentially proving decisive. While calling a winner is an impossibility, a betting man certainly would not rule out extra time and penalties in what promises to be a bruising and attritional South Derry derby.