The Junior Championship’s opening fixture between Aghadrumsee and Newtownbutler will be many people's pick for the two teams who go on to meet in this year’s final.

Given both sides league positions and runs of form at different points of the season, it's fair to consider them to be the strongest sides in the competition as Newtownbutler look to make an immediate return to intermediate football.

Coa and Brookeborough will also meet in the other quarter-final on September 14 at 4pm.

The O’Dwyers sealed a fourth-place finish in their Club Players group at the start of the year with a win over Aghadrumsee and a draw at home to Tempo.

They defeated Brookeborough in the fourth-place play-off but then had a disappointing league campaign losing all nine games.

A last-minute goal from Heber Mahons player Mickey Campbell saw Brookeborough win by a point in the two side’s league meeting.

Meanwhile, there was also only a point between the teams when the O’Dwyers won in the Club Players play-off, with another tight affair expected.

Coa player/manager Gary Lynch is aware his side won’t be favourites heading into the championship but that hasn’t dented his ambitions.

“We are in it to try and win it, I get we’re not favourites but getting to a final isn’t beyond us and then you just never know,” Lynch said.

“Preparation has been good, good numbers out to training, and everyone seems to be really up for giving this championship a rattle, hoping to have a full panel available.

"Us and Brookeborough always have close games, this won’t be any different. It will come down to the last five minutes of the game, both teams have absolutely nothing to lose.”

New boss Donal Boyle is also hoping to cause an upset after leading Brookeborough to their best-placed league finish in four years.

“We want to try and go as far as possible, there are much stronger teams in the competition, but I think we can compete with any of them on our day,” Boyle said.

“It’s good to get the break between league and championship. The aim now is to get everyone fit to play, something we have not had this season to date.

"It will be a close game against Coa. There has been nothing more than a point or two between us over the last number of seasons.”

After a poor start to the year, Aghadrumsee turned their fortunes around with three wins on the bounce midway through the league with consecutive victories over Maguiresbridge, Coa and Newtownbutler.

A win over Brookeborough on the final day of the league saw the Magpies swoop into a sixth-place finish in Division Two.

Jason O’Connor will be aiming to bring silverware in his first year in charge and will be hoping his side can carry momentum and belief from their earlier win over Newtownbutler when the sides meet at the quarter-final stage.

Aghadrumsee suffered a semi-final defeat to Lisnaskea last year before going on to lose again to the Emmets in the final after beating Brookeborough in the back door semi.

Manager O’Connor said: “I suppose the aspirations going into the championship is the same as the other teams and it's to try and go out to win it.

"With regards injuries, we have a few lads out and hopefully get a few back in fully fit much like every other team I would well imagine.

"We have ‘Newtown in the first game and were under no illusions that ‘Newtown are massive favourites to win the competition outright after coming down from intermediate and everyone will say that it's the toughest draw we could have got, but if we had of got Coa or Brookeborough it would have been tough too.

"Look we will keep our heads down and work really hard and see where it takes us.”

After winning the 2022 Junior Championship, Newtownbutler find themselves having it all to do again following defeat to St Pat’s in last year’s intermediate relegation match.

They went unbeaten in their opening Club Players group games including a draw with Irvinestown and a win over Tempo but were unable to replicate their form in this year’s league campaign.

Frank Mulligan is hoping his side can make a swift return to the Intermediate Championship.

“Obviously we want to win it,” he said. “Injuries have cleared up a bit and we’ve actually got Blobby (Ryan Carson) back out to do goals for us because we have lost our two goalkeepers.

"He’s going to stand in, he has just started training there last week, that will be a big help for the boys, a bit of experience behind them as well."

Looking ahead to Aghadrumsee, he said: "It will be hell for leather. It’ll be all guns blazing to see who can get the upper hand, both teams will want to get the upper hand.

"They are going well at the minute, they beat us earlier in the year, hopefully, we can return the favour this time.”