Keady hoping to navigate An Port Mor challenge

Armagh Junior Championship Football final: Keady v An Port Mor (Saturday, Athletic Grounds, 7pm)

KEADY manager Paul Doyle is hoping that the footballers can put the coup de grâce on a fantastic year for the area by getting past An Port Mor in Saturday’s Armagh Junior final at the Athletic Grounds.

Keady’s football (Michael Dwyers) and hurling (Lamh Dhearg) clubs are different entities – but the former Orchard minor manager said that the cooperation between the two has been superb this season.

That has led to the hurlers winning the county title and the Tain League while the footballers have already annexed the league title after winning all 18 games.

Now they have their eyes on the double which, they hope, will mean that their dual players have two Ulster campaigns to focus on.

“The support has just been fantastic this season,” he said.

“The two clubs have worked really well together. When the hurlers had their county final we left them alone to focus on that and now we’ve had them for the last three weeks to focus on this match.

“Everyone has been chipping in and working together and that has really helped with spirits.

“A few examples. We needed lights for the pitch we were training on and we enquired about getting generators or something, next thing you know one of our sponsors, Benny O’Keefe from OK Electrics, arrived up with them and set them up.

“Paddy Og Nugent is chairman and one night our physio Shane Hughes away and he arrived with ‘Ozzie’ (Oliver Gaughran) do fill in for the night. That all helps so much.”

Keady may have been untouchable in the league but An Port Mor weren’t far behind having lost just three times in 18 games.

The O’Neill’s, managed by Justin Corr, Ciaran McDonagh, Joseph McQuade, Liam Conlon and Niall McKenna, can call on a number of players who claimed the Ulster Junior title in 2012.

“An Port Mor are an excellent side with a lot of talent throughout the team,” Doyle continued.

“They came second in the league so I think it’s fair to say it’s a meeting of the two form teams in Armagh junior football.

“The likes of the Nugents, Brendan and Shane, and the Currans, Mark and David, have been there and done it, and they’ll be determined to add even more to their haul.”