St Macs boss Ricey braced for tough Termon test

Three in a row Donegal champions Termon present a massive challenge for St Macartan’s on Sunday as the Ulster Ladies Senior Club Championship gets underway, manager Ryan McMenamin believes.

In contrast to Termon who, inspired by Geraldine McLaughlin, enjoyed a stroll in the park as they retained their county title with ease, St Macs had to pull out all the stops in Tyrone to clinch the Jarlath Kerrr Cup for the 14th time.

After missing out on the league title against Errigal they were able to ensure Championship progression at Errigal’s expense with two points to spare in the quarter final.

They followed on with a gritty win against Trillick in the semi-final, and then Carrickmore in the final were eventually beaten after extra time with Chloe Mc Caffrey coming off the bench to knock over some crucial scores.  McMenamin acknowledged that their Championship run had been far from plain sailing.

“ It was tough this year especially with the amount of injuries we have had so it’s great to get through again.”

Mc Menamin wasn’t exaggerating either as McCaffrey picked up a nasty knock early in the win over Errigal and skipper Shannon McQuaid suffered a serious knee injury against Trillick.

McQuaid is sure to miss out this Sunday and while McCaffrey came off the bench against Carrickmore she remains a doubt as Ricey explains.

“ Injuries haven’t really cleared up. They are all long term while Chloe has a knock that is proving harder to shake off than we initially thought. In reality it has been an issue for us all season, although hopefully our physio can resolve the problem for Sunday but it’s going to be close.”

While the ace Tyrone forward faces a fitness race, Termon have no such concerns over their star attacker McLaughlin.

She hit a goal hat-trick in Termon’s 7-13 to 1-8 County Final victory against Moville. In total Termon racked up thirty goals throughout their six Donegal Championship games.

Ryan is well aware of Termon’s quality and knows they will take to the pitch full of confidence.

“Termon are strong. They have everyone back again and they destroyed Moville in the final.

“ We are all well aware of what we will face. They’re never easy to beat but heading to their ground will be even tougher especially with us missing so many key players.”

St Macartan’s won their only Ulster club title in 2017, while their Donegal opposition have secured two provincial crowns in 2010 and 2014, and also reached the final in 2019.

St Mac’s would dearly love amother rattle at Ulster. On the plus point Joline Donaghy continues to be a key component for the Tyrone champions, while Slaine McCarroll is back to her best. Sunday represents a big ask but it’s one Macartan’s will savour.

Meanwhile in the Ladies Junior Club Championship Beragh await the winners of this week’s preliminary opener between Eoghan Rua Coleraine and Knockninny Gaels, while newly crowned Tyrone Intermediate champions Cookstown will head to County Down to play Saul in their quarter final on October 27th.