Enniskillen Town and Enniskillen Rangers will clash tonight (Thursday) in a mouthwatering Mulhern Cup semi-final tie at Ferney Park.

The place in the final is the prize for the winner and the derby element to the game brings an additional spice to the mix of what promises to be an intriguing encounter.

Town are still firmly in the race for the league title but joint manager Rory Judge insists that the league will take a back seat and the semi-final is their whole focus at the minute.

“It’s been a few years since we have been in a final and at the end of a long season it is great to have this semi-final to look forward to, with a place in the final up for grabs.

“This is a game that we will be looking to win and we will worry about the league after that,” said Judge.

Rangers come into the game as cup holders and they have had their eyes on retaining the title, with it being the last piece of silverware that they can win as they are out of the battle for the Mercer League.

’Gers boss Michael Kerr said: “It is our last chance of silverware this season and both us and Town will first of all want to win this game, and then will want to win the cup.”

And Kerr states that these are the type of games that you want to be involved in.

“You want to play in the biggest games and this is a big game, nevermind it being a derby game too. There will be a big crowd and a great atmosphere, so we’re looking forward to it,” he said.

Rangers were convincing 4-0 winners when the sides met at the quarter-final stage of last year’s competition and they also took the bragging rights when the sides met at the Ball Range in the league earlier this season.

Judge believes that midfield is an area that they will have to improve in from those two defeats.

“They had a fairly convincing win over us in the league before Christmas, but I would expect this to be fairly even and the derby factor will add a bit of spice to it.

“When they have beaten us it is when they have had the upper hand in midfield so that is an area we will look at.

“Semi-finals can sometimes be a cagey affair with teams afraid of losing, but I just hope that the two teams go at it. From our point of view, I think we need to go out and express ourselves,” said Judge.

Like Judge, Kerr believes that controlling the ball will be decisive.

“I think that whoever has more control of the ball will win. Town will be favourites, and rightly so – they have been very consistent in the league, but form goes out the window in the cup, and we will be looking to produce a performance," he said.