Enniskillen Rangers player-Manager Neil Coulter is hoping to end a 23-year wait since the club last landed the Mulhern Cup when they take on NFC Kesh in this Friday night’s showdown at Ferney Park.

The ’Gers last Mulhern Cup success came in 1999 with victory over Kevlin United in the final and Coulter is aiming to put that run to bed this year.

“It is the first final in 23 years for the club so hopefully we can put that hoodoo to bed.

“Everybody is buzzing, it is nice to be in the final and it gives us a chance of getting silverware and it is nice to have that chance,” he said.

Indeed, a Mulhern Cup winners medal is all that a lot of the Rangers players are missing after massive success in recent times in both the league and Junior Cup.

“It is the one that has been missing for the majority of the players, even Michael [Kerr] doesn’t have one.

“They would love to have that domestic cup medal in the cabinet,” he added.

Coulter though is one of the few that does have a winners medal and indeed has won the Mulhern Cup already as a player-Manager after leading Ballinamallard Reserves to the win in 2011.

“Of the current squad, I think it is just myself, Nathan Khan and Mattie Chambers who have won one from our Ballinamallard days.

“We played Tummery in the final at Lisbellaw’s pitch and we won it on penalties,” he said.

The squad might not have too much Mulhern Cup final experience but Coulter stresses that they have the experience of big Junior Cup finals in recent years, and they will draw on that for Friday’s decider.

“Look, we know what the occasion is all about. Over the past few years there are a lot of the players who have played in finals and hopefully we can draw on that experience, especially in the latter stages when the game is in the melting pot, and hopefully that experience will help to see us through,” he added.

Coulter knows that Kesh will provide plenty of problems for his side but he believes that the quality that he has to call on will give Kesh plenty to ponder on as well.

“If you look at that Kesh team there is a lot of quality throughout it, but if we can put our stamp on the game and continue to do what we have been doing since Christmas, when our form has been very good – if we can do that, and get our dangerous players and attacking players on the ball, there is no doubt we will cause them problems too,” said Coulter, who is happy with how preparations have gone for the final.

“They haven’t been too bad. We are happy in general with how things have gone and it will be a light week this week ahead of the final.”

And Coulter says that it all comes down to performing on the day.

“It boils down to on the day, if we can play to our potential and take our chances, it will gives us a good foundation to go on and win,” he said.