'Blayney want the experience

Castleblayney’s Ciaran Hughes is a doubt for the semi-final

Monaghan Senior Football Championship semi-final
Clontibret v Castleblayney
Sunday, Clones, 3.30pm

THE meeting of Clontibret and Castleblayney is a clash of two teams at very different stages of their progress, and that is likely to decide the outcome of the game.

Clontibret are one of the form team’s in the Championship, four-time winners in the past six years, and bolstered by plenty of county footballers. Castleblayney are former greats, who have long fallen from the summit, but under joint managers Martin Brady and Dermot McArdle, they are trying to battle their way back to the top with a swathe of young stars.

Clontibret will more  than likely win, but Castleblayney’s real goal is to learn from experience.

“This is the first time in five years that we have got to the semi-finals. They have a lot more experience than we have,” he said.
“We have brought a lot of young players into our team this year.

“Clontibret have been competing for Championships for years. Our players haven’t been through that, they don’t have the experience of playing at this level.

“That is not to say that they don’t have the ambition. We don’t have any doubts or concerns about the team, we just don’t know how they react in these situations.”

The full story is in the current issue of Gaelic Life, published on Thursday September 13. Buy your copy now in your local newsagent, or you can purchase the online version – for only 90p – by clicking here