There is a strong Fermanagh and Western representation in round four of the fonaCAB Irish Junior Cup, with eight local sides making it into the last 32.

The draw has kept all eight apart for Saturday’s scheduled fixtures, with seven of the local teams on the road and only Enniskillen Rangers playing at home. Rangers have cruised through the opening rounds, scoring 11 and keeping clean sheets in both their matches, but manager Michael Kerr is expecting a tougher test against Ballymena based outfit All Saints OB.

“In my opinion they would be the second best team in that Ballymena league after Harryville so it will be a tough test, but it is a big thing to have home advantage in the Junior,” he said.

“We want to keep getting clean sheets, because that is half way to winning the game, and at the other end of the pitch hopefully our attackers can get a couple of goals.

“We had them watched three weeks ago and it is going to be a tough tie but one we are looking forward to. It’s a good chance to progress to the last 16 which would be a good achievement.”

Tummery are another local side that have cruised through the early rounds of the tournament, scoring 20 goals in their three games, and they face an in-form Killymoon in round four.

The Cookstown team have not lost a competitive game for over four months but the Fermanagh and Western league champions will present them with a tougher test.

“We finished the year strongly and I think we are in a good place,” said Tummery boss Ryan Hanna. “We had a decent few weeks over Christmas with a few training sessions and a friendly and we are looking forward to the game.

“It is going to be a tough game and a test of character but the lads are up for it. They are a decent side and they have signed well in January. They are scoring a lot of goals and attacking wise they are very strong. They are averaging over four goals a game so we know we have to be solid defensively, but we will have a plan and look to execute it as best as we can.”

‘Tie of the Round’

The IFA have selected Ardmore against Enniskillen Town as the ‘Tie of the Round’.

Town’s North West opposition are dominating their own league and striker Jack Coyle is attracting attention with his goalscoring feats this season, but Rory Judge is confident his side can emerge victorious.

“We will go up there expecting to play the best version of them, and if we can bring the best version of ourselves then I don’t think we will be too far away,” he said.

“They are flying high and they are putting up cricket scores against teams in their division, but it’s hard to know the strength of their league.

“We are certainly expecting a tough encounter.

“We were beaten up there in Gerry Love’s time and then we played them at home two or three years ago and beat them, so this could be the decider. I think it is crucial to our season.

“The longer we stay in it, and the longer we keep this group together, then the more formidable we can be. It is a very important one for us and hopefully we can come out on the right side.”

Kesh reached the quarter final of last year’s competition, and Ryan Campbell believes he has a stronger squad this season as they look to progress to the last 16 with victory over Donemana.

“I think we have a better squad this year but when you see the teams that are left it is a very competitive cup.

“I have no doubt if we can turn up on the day in each game we can definitely go further than we did last year. We have the quality to do it. We just need to believe in ourselves and keep pushing.

“We have got a few reports on Donemana and their pitch is small and compact so it suits them. We will have to be prepared for a battle and make sure we match them in that first, and then hopefully the football will take over.

“In the games we have played I have been happy with how we have performed but individual errors have cost us in a few games so we need to make sure everybody is at it.”

Confident mood

Lisbellaw travel to Dungiven in confident mood after a strong end to 2023, but manager Kyle McCleery knows they will have to be at their best if they are to progress.

“They are doing well in their league and have had a couple of good results in the Junior Cup, but it is one we are looking forward to and fingers crossed we can get through into the next round,” he said.

“We have only been beaten once in 9 or 10 games, which was that crazy game against Enniskillen Town that I don’t know how we ended up losing, so we are in good form. We have trained well and our preparation has been really good. Everybody is hungry for it and we are definitely looking forward to it.

“It is the furthest we have got in the Junior Cup for a couple of years and we are keen to make the most of it. There is a bit of a buzz about the camp at the minute so its really encouraging.”

Irvinestown are hoping they can put their recent league woes behind them as they face Mid Ulster Division two side Armagh Celtic, who got the better of Fintona Swifts in the previous round.

“We got knocked out in the first round last season so our target at the start of the season was to still be in it at Christmas, so to be there is great,” said Wanderers manager Darren Higginbotham.

“Now we need to take every game as it comes in the cup, and Saturday against Armagh Celtic will be no straightforward task.

“They have already beaten Fermanagh and Western opposition to get here and they have beaten some teams that we have beaten already in our Junior run this season. We will take them seriously and prepare as best we can and go down there and give it a good rattle.

“As with any away game in the Junior Cup, it is vital that we prepare properly. We know they have some good players and we know it will not be easy but we have good information on them and it is now down to us. It’s a great opportunity to get into the next round, and one we hope to take.”