By Michael McMullan

THE Newbridge group is very coachable but also highly competitive. That’s the take of joint-manager Gary Hetherington ahead Sunday’s Ulster Senior semi-final showdown with Monaghan’s Scotstown.

The back-to-back Derry champions head into a ninth ever game at this level, having reached the 1970
decider, losing to Down’s Bryansford.

“The lads are buzzing, the club’s buzzing, and the community’s buzzing at the minute,” beamed Hetherington, who manages the side alongside Kevin Brady.

“To be where we are, playing football at the end of November, is massive for them. They’re more than happy.”

Newbridge ran Clann Éireann into a tight finish in last year’s first-round defeat. Despite a narrative of being more up for it this year, the ‘Bridge took last year’s Ulster tilt just as serious.

The one abiding memory was of referee Paul Faloon letting more go than they’d tasted in Derry. That was the difference in Ulster they’ve come to appreciate.

“We were walking off the pitch going, ‘that was a bit of an eye-opener’ and we did work hard on it over the winter,” Hetherington said of the Clann Éireann size.

After testing games against Steelstown, Sleacht Néill and Magherafelt, they won a 12th Derry title. They’ve backed it up with wins over Armagh’s Madden and Antrim’s Dunloy.

Beating Glen in last year’s county final ended a 35-year wait to get their hands on the John McLaughlin Cup. A hallmark of their performance is the composure they played with against the then All-Ireland champions.

“Myself and Kevin, we stress that they go out and play the game in front of them and not the occasion,” he said, commenting on how the players adapt to what is thrown at them.

It brings the conversation back to Hetherington’s word for Newbridge. Coachable. It sounds good but, on the face of it, what does it mean?

“They soak up everything that you’re giving to them and they come back questioning you, looking more,” he said. It’s in the club’s fabric. The committee are always searching for what will improve the overall picture.

“They’re so approachable and so coachable,” he said of the playing group.

“There’s a drive in them to win as well, if you haven’t got that, then it doesn’t matter how coachable you are.”

Newbridge lost their first championship game at the hands of Dungiven, but eased to the quarter-finals before showing their underbelly in the Derry knock-out stages.

“It was great to win the county final and play well,” he said of beating Magherafelt.

“Against Glen last year, it was (perceived) as if you dogged it out. Some possibly say we stole it by a point in the last minute, but we didn’t.

“I wouldn’t say we played overly well that day and neither did Glen but we played well against Magherafelt.

“When we analysed it, we were reasonably okay against Dunloy and came good in the second half at spells.”

There was the comfort of holding off Madden to book Sunday’s place against Scotstown.

“You look at Scotstown,” he said of Sunday’s opponents. “This is going to be their fifth Ulster semi-final in 11 years and this is our first.

“They have all that on us, they have lots of experience.

“We’re just hoping our boys don’t get overawed by the occasion, I don’t think they will.

“We want them to go and perform and look after themselves. If we tweak a few things to try and nullify Scotstown, that’s a bonus and we’ll see where it’ll take us.”