With the key target of promotion in the bag, both Derrylin and St. Patrick’s can now set their sights on silverware with the pair to meet in Sunday’s Division Two final at Brewster Park.

It has been a great few weeks for the O’Connell’s as they secured promotion by finishing top of the table and then followed it up by lifting last year’s delayed Junior Championship title with victory over Coa after a replay in the final.

And Manager Aiden Gilroy would love to get his hands on the league trophy as well.

“It is nice to have come top of the league but it is always nicer to have a trophy to go with it, and it would give us a bit of momentum going into championship,” he said.

Derrylin did suffer a heavy loss at the hands of Teemore last weekend, but with nothing riding on the game Gilroy took the opportunity to rest any player who had any sort of knock.

“We had that game against Teemore and it was a bit of a dead-rubber so we genuinely didn’t play anyone who had any niggles or anything like that.

“It was a bit disappointing to see such a heavy defeat, but finals are for winning and we wanted to give everybody who was carrying a knock every chance of making the league final,” he added.

However, he does say that they will be without a couple of key men on Sunday.

“We will have no Fearghal McGovern or Luke Flanagan; we might be able to patch up the rest, but we will have to err on the side of caution with some of the boys who have niggles,” he said.

And he knows that St. Pat’s pose a massive threat to his side’s hopes.

“They are the best team we have played all year, by a mile. They have a lot of pace in their attack, they are well drilled and they have embraced what their new Manager has brought in this year.

“They are a good side and we will have to be at ourselves to compete and see how we get on.”

However, Derrylin will come into the final full of confidence after that win over Coa and Gilroy believes that the experience of that final will stand to his players.

“It was a big occasion and we struggled with that the first day but we got to grips with it in the replay, and that game will have been a good experience for us.

“We have another final now and it will be another good experience and we will be able to play all our young lads in this one who were unavailable for the Junior final, so hopefully they will come on for that experience and it will be great preparation for our championship game against Devenish in a couple of weeks,” he added.

St. Pat’s Manager Paul Hasson is also keen for his players to get their hands on a winner’s medal on Sunday.

“It was one of our targets that we could get to this stage and the final is a bonus. We got the job done but it will still be nice to get a Senior medal for the recognition that the boys have put in throughout the year.

“It has given the club a massive boost and a massive lift around the place.

“Sunday’s league final is a final and a trophy. At the end of the day, those boys don’t have many Senior medals in their pockets, so it will be nice to get a trophy to keep the momentum going into the championship.

“Every match you go into, you try and win it. It would be lovely to get the trophy on Sunday,” he acknowledged.

Derrylin inflicted one of only two defeats on St. Pat’s in the league and Hasson feels his side are coming up against a strong outfit.

“Derrylin were a much stronger side the last time we played them than when we did in the club players competition.

“They are a slick side. They weren’t handed a county title for nothing – they work hard and the likes of the Leonards and them boys are accomplished footballers. Derrylin are an up-and-coming team.

“Also, the experience Derrylin have, especially with Brewster in the last two or three months playing on that occasion, should stand them in good stead, but we’ll take it as it comes,” he added.

The Donagh men have rattled up some big scores in the league and carry a serious goal threat, and Hasson says that both sides like to play attacking football, so it should make for an entertaining final.

“We set the team up and made no lie about it, I like to play and go and win matches, and you have to put the ball over the bar and in the net to win games.

“That reflects the two teams at the top of the league this year, probably the two highest scorers, and that is all due rewards. The two are meeting again in another final.

“Hopefully it will be as good a game we have had with Derrylin. The standard of football is very high so it should be a very watchable game as well,” he said.