Hard work is paying off for Sperrin Óg

By Niall Gartland

ALL the hard work behind the scenes is paying off for a Sperrin Óg team that take on Ederney this Saturday at Dunmoyle for the Ulster Junior Championship title.

Under the watchful eye of Sean Teague and Mena Tuohey, the Greencastle-based side fell at the final hurdle at the hands of Drumragh in the 2025 Tyrone Junior Championship final.

There was only one thing for it – dusting themselves down and redoubling their efforts, and now they stand on the cusp of a prized provincial title.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s showdown, Sean Teague, who is in his second stint at the helm, said that they’ve left no stone unturned in their efforts to get the very best out of themselves this season.

“The difference this year is that I got the girls out from early on, whereas last year I didn’t get them all out until closer to the summer. A couple of girls had retired or had babies.

“I got them all gathered up early this year, so there’s a good year’s training behind them, and that’s the difference. We ran out of legs in the county final last year and we had no answer to Drumragh, but we’ve made amends.”

One thing that has been very evident in their championship journey is the enthusiastic backing of their supporters. They were overjoyed on county final day against Donaghmore, and now they’re hoping to complete a special double this weekend against Fermanagh opposition Ederney.

Teague said: “We’ve a very good following and it’s certainly appreciated. It’s an extra lift to the girls on the pitch, and I’m sure there’ll be a big crowd at Dunmoyle this Saturday to support us.”

Sperrin Óg booked their spot in the final with a 2-7 to 2-4 victory over Derry side Desertmartin last weekend. It wasn’t simple – Teague acknowledges that Desertmartin were wasteful in the first half, and the game went right down to the wire. Sperrin Óg showed immense resolve in the closing stages to pull through.

Teague commented: “The first half was cagey. Desertmartin are a strong footballing team and they were unfortunate, as a few of their shots fell short of our goalkeeper. We managed to pounce on two good goal opportunities. That was the difference in the first half – they missed and we scored.”

“We only got 2-1 in the first half. Then, in the second half, we missed a few chances that would have kept our noses in front. They got back into it and brought it all square, but we managed to tip away with the odd handy score just to keep us in the hunt. I suppose we kept at it long enough that we ended up winning it.”