Beragh Ladies all set for Coleraine challenge

BERAGH Ladies face a trip to the northcoast on Saturday afternoon as they embark on the Ulster Junior Club Championship trail against Eoghan Rua.

The Coleraine side, better known for their camogie success, have made major strides in ladies football over the past few seasons and enjoyed a big win over Fermanagh Junior champions Knockninny in the preliminary round last weekend.

The Red Knights came through five tough matches in Tyrone to clinch the Brenda Logue Cup, sealing glory with that dramatic victory over Drumragh in the final, but manager Cain Hamilton says that their sights now are on more silverware.

“ It is bonus territory for us of course but it isn’t just about making up the numbers we are here to win the competition and why not. I have a winning mentality and the rest of the management and players are on the same wavelength too.

“We have a chance to create some history for Beragh and that’s why we are determined to do just that.”

It’s a Championship journey that Hamilton and his players are determined to prolong and with a fully fit squad they are well primed for a provincial assault.

On the back of winning that Tyrone Championship the Red Knights took a few days off to savour their County success and that break proved timely for some of the players who have had an extensive run at Club, County and Schools levels.

Hamilton added: “We were able to take a short break and let the players enjoy the championship win, but for the likes of Jayne Lyons, Keeva Owens and Aoife Farley they needed the break but now everyone is back and everyone is fresh and refocused.”

Derry champions Coleraine pulled away in the second half against Knockninny Gaels last Saturday eventually finishing with a 4-10 to 1-9 win. Hamilton and assistant Oliver Meenagh made the trip north to watch the match.

“ It worked well for us. We headed to see them and they had plenty of quality on show. It was close enough before they were able to get away from the Gaels in the second half. We were able to assess them and identify their key players but it was certainly a good opportunity,” added Hamilton.

“We went the long route in the Championship, five games and that’s not easy although we were able to get momentum going in the latter stages of the league and carried that through to the Championship. On the plus side we had a full squad through the Championship.“

Hamilton was able to use his bench effectively in the County Fianl against Drumragh with the likes of Dervla Farley chipping in with two goals. Katy Grimes also made an impact as Beragh got over the line in an exciting contest.

Hamilton concluded: “We have a good squad and really everyone of those players can do a job for us. That’s the way we wanted it and we have a clean bill of health for the weekend, it will take everyone.”