Two Senior semi sizzlers on the cards

SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINALS

TWO top semi-final pairings are destined to provide the very best in local footballing action as the Tyrone Senior Championship reaches its climax with a double-bill of matches guaranteed to attract full attention in the coming weeks.

Fans who packed into O’Neill Park in Dungannon on Sunday evening were left breathless by the drama of the draw made in the immediate aftermath of Loughmacrory’s win over Donaghmore. The St Teresa’s will now play their parish neighbours and rivals, Carrickmore, while Trillick will bid to dethrone the Errigal Ciaran team that defeated them in last year’s County Final.

It’s a lineup destined to provide thrilling contests ahead of the O’Neill Cup decider. Loughmacrory are going for their very first title against three teams who have been dominant forces for decades with a grand total of 33 O’Neill Cup successes between them.

But past history will mean little as this 2025 race reaches its completion. Afterall, Carrickmore are bidding to bridge a 20 year-gap since their last, there’s no shortage of motivation for a Trillick team aiming to turn the tables on Errigal, who themselves have the target of become the first to retain their title since Carmen in 2005.

For Loughmacrory, the full focus is on making a memorable championship campaign even more unforgettable. Their centre-back, Ronan Fox, though, isn’t preferring to put the attention on what matters to them rather than the outside talk that will dominate a mouth-watering parish derby.

“It doesn’t matter who you get in the semi-final, but we’ll be playing the neighbours from Carrickmore. We will prepare for that and focus on our own game and I’m sure Carrickmore will do the same,” said Fox.

“Our main job now is to just get ready for the semi-final, and there’s a lot of things for us to work on. But, as the old cliche says,our aim was in the hat for the last four and that’s just where we wanted to be,” said Fox.

“There’s two weeks to work towards the semi-final. We have made good progress through the league and championship. There were a lot of men away in the first five starred matches and then we got them back and ended the league well.

“I suppose we were disappointed to have just missed out on a league semi-final place, but overall we were satisfied with how things went in the league.”

For Carrickmore and Loughmacrory and Trillick and Errigal Ciaran, the semi-finals offer the opportunity for a shot at glory in the County Final on Sunday October 26.

Each of them will seek improvements from their quarter final ties, including the St Teresa’s who are now very much in unchartered territory.

“It’s brilliant for us to get into the county semi-final for the first time.But our win over Donaghmore definitely wasn’t easy. There were only four points in it at the finish, but it was nip and tuck the whole way,” added Roan Fox.

“We have played with a lot of the Donaghmore lads at inter-county underage level and they have plenty of quality. They were going to get scores and did, but it’s some feeling for us to have come through into the last four.