Winners!

That is exactly what the current crop of youthful Irvinestown have been at underage level for the past six to seven years under ex-county star Shane McDermott.

Having stepped up to senior level under the same manager, they played games this year and their only defeat was to Teemore in the Division Two league final.

But manager McDermott has his sights firmly set on winning the Fermanagh Intermediate Championship title after their big win over Derrylin at the weekend.

“The lads showed good form yesterday and I suppose it was a bit of a dead rubber really as both sides were already through to the next round.

“I wonder how much Derrylin really put into it but the win means we now have a home tie against Roslea in a fortnight.

“This is the business end and we had a chance of maybe getting to a semi-final ahead of ‘Skea on score difference.

“In the first-half, when we were 13 points up at a stage, we were thinking that maybe we might do this but when we heard Donagh went down to 13 men we knew it would not happen as ‘Skea piled on the scores and Donagh were already looking to the relegation play-off.

“But these young lads are coming at the right time and a bunch of us have been bringing these lads from U8 and U10 and they were winners and now they are keen to do the same at senior level.”

He added: “They are working very hard and have moulded into a good team.

“We were disappointed that we did not stay in the First Division last year and now the young lads have brought it on but it is all about getting consistently good displays every week.

“They played well against Derrylin but it is all about putting another good one together when we meet Roslea, who are a pretty seasoned team.

“They are very experience and well used to playing in championships and with Sean Quigley, Niall Cosgrove and Niall McMahon they have great leaders so we are aware of the challenge they will bring."

Disappointed Derrylin manager Sean Donnelly was making no excuses for his side’s heavy defeat in blustery Belnaleck.

For this one-sided affair was effectively over at the break when the winners led by an imposing 3-08 to 1-01 in a wind assisted opening half.

And the O’Connell’s failed to make any impression with the wind at their backs in the second half as Irvinestown eased off.

“Irvinestown took a big lead with the breeze in the first half, and we were just not able to counter them.

“They have a team of good footballers and all of them are good on the ball, and they have had so many good underage players coming through in recent years, so they are a coming team.

“But we lost Jake Smith as he will be out for a year and needs a knee operation.”

And two goals towards the end of the first-half sealed the deal for a well-drilled Irvinestown.

“We, have had a shaky season and the belief seemed to go in us once they got the good start in the first half.

“We are understrength, and we have lost Paddy Dolan and Cahair Leonard and they are big players.

“We are just not strong enough.

“They were up by 3-08 to 1-01 at the break and while we improved in the second half and as we beat St. Pat’s and we now meet Tempo in Tempo in the quarter-final and we are hoping to have Cahair Leonard back.

“Kian Prior and Diarmuid Owens did well yesterday for us and we will now focus on Tempo and it is do or die.”