Drumquin buzzing ahead of Red Knights tussle

INTERMEDIATE CHAMPIONSHIP FIRST ROUND

NEWLY promoted Drumquin are buzzing with confidence as they prepare now for a return to the Intermediate Championship and they will fancy their chances in an intriguing first round encounter against Beragh.

The Wolfe Tones won their place in Division Two thanks to league success in 2024. Their campaign included a win against the Red Knights and that’s a result that they’ll be aiming to repeat when the teams renew acquaintances at Killyclogher on Sunday afternoon.

It has been an encouraging year so far for Drumquin, and they have certainly got all the ingredients in place for a good run in the Paddy Cullen Cup series.

Eoin Skelton believes that securing survival represents an important boost for the Wolfe Tones as they aim to build on their 2025 momentum.

“Any year that you come up from a lower division is going to be tough. We knew that at the start of this season that we had to pick our games well. In fairness, we got off to a good start, got a few good results and then fixtures kind of tightened up a bit after that,” he said.

“It was a massively important step for us in the first year promoted. You definitely don’t want to fall into a situation where your’re battling for points and a dogfight. We set out targets and thankfully we were safe going into the last few matches.

“This has been huge for us. In the last few games of the league we kind of got to play with a weight of our shoulders. It has been great for the club because the amount of work that has been put into the club this past 18-20 months has been amazing.

“There have been a few young lads coming into the panel and they’ll be more available for next year.”

Skelton also reflected on the challenge of Beragh, who Drumquin defeated by 1-17 to 0-17 a few weeks ago.

“Division Two football is completely open. Beragh are a quality side and we just got a better handler of them in Drumquin. We played some good football in that game and this will be a good game.

“Both teams have quality footballers and it will be all to play for. For the two of us, it’s a chance to get into the quarter finals. This year’s championship will have a draw at each stage, and everyone in our team is looking forward to the game.”