McNabb pleased with Ramor’s resilience

By Niall Gartland

OPPONENTS Gowna may have had a smoother season on the results front, but Ramor boss Jude McNabb is quietly hopeful ahead of Sunday’s Cavan Senior Championship quarter-final at Kingspan Breffni.

The Virginia-based side cut it fine in the group stages, losing their opening two encounters before bouncing back with wins against Ballyhaise and Castlerahan.

McNabb, a native of Trillick in Tyrone, is in his third season at the helm. In year one, they reached the Senior Championship final, losing a low-scoring contest to Crosserlough on a day where the weather wreaked havoc. Last year they bowed out at the semi-final stage to eventual champions Kingscourt, losing by only two points, so it seemed that they were primed for a big 2026.

It hasn’t been quite that simple, however, as McNabb explains.

“We wanted to kick on this year, but we had lots of lads returning late from travelling on J1s, alongside Ben Smith and James ‘Miller’ Brady returning from Australia in late July.

“Then Sean McEvoy got hurt in round one of the League, and he was out for five months, returning in late July. Matters injury-wise were compounded when former county player Enda Maguire was out for two months with a bad hamstring tear, and Jenson Tynan came back from the county and was again out with a knee issue for seven weeks.

“So, all in all, it was difficult to get momentum in the League with lads missing, and we found ourselves losing the first two rounds of the Championship against the holders Kingscourt and League champions, Cuchullains, albeit by small margins.

“Our backs were to the wall in Round Three, taking on Ballyhaise, and on a night when Ballyhaise were terrific, we played sparkling football at times to win by a single point heading into Round Four.

“Round Four saw us take on near neighbours Castlerahan, and it ended up being a winner-takes-all clash for a quarter-final spot. On the day, we found ourselves nine points behind at one stage, but we rallied to reel them in and win by two in a performance that was workmanlike in the main.”

So after all that, they still find themselves firmly in the race for the Oliver Plunkett Cup. Gowna stand in their way of a place in the last four, and it’s fair to say that Ramor are underdogs. Gowna have been a model of consistency in contrast to Ramor’s mixed form, but McNabb is keeping the faith, particularly given their shows of resilience in recent weeks.

“Scoring-wise, there is nothing to separate both teams, while defensively they are a fairly mean side. They have a big pedigree and they are the big favourites at the weekend, at least with the bookies, I see.

“But we have shown great resilience this year, and we have played some very good football, albeit in patches, in games to date in the Championship.

“Look, at the end of the day, Ramor United know the challenge we face. We respect it. They have got some very good players, but so do we. I expect this game to go down the stretch and hope that perhaps our battle-hardened run is going to stand to us come Sunday evening.”