Belcoo have been gaining the mantle of comeback kings after two great second-half displays have pushed them into the county semi-final against a youthful but gifted Irvinestown side this weekend.  

Superb second-half displays have seen them overcome Tempo in Tempo and most latterly Roslea after suffering a shock first-round defeat to mercurial Maguiresbridge.

But affable and eloquent Belcoo boss, Mickey McGillen, is hoping his charges can put on the burners from the off against Shane McDermott’s emerging team.

“We played Maguiresbridge in the first game and they beat us up in Belcoo which left us under severe pressure for the rest of the championship because we were looking at the possibility of relegation into junior football.

“We had to play Tempo in Tempo and Roslea in Enniskillen and won both with two good second-half displays and that meant that we topped the group and it brought us to the semi-finals.”

But McGillen is puzzled about his side’s slow start and is keen to avoid a repetition against a lively Irvinestown side.

“I just don’t know why but we came out and put in two great second halves to clinch victory.

“But those were two massive results and to beat Tempo in Tempo is never easy and to beat Roslea who are just down from Division One was a big achievement too.”

Belcoo are spurred by leader Ciarán Flaherty up front, Eoin Shiels, Josh Killilea, Conor McAloon, Michael Burns and Larry McKeown and they have a good spine of a team.

“We don’t know a lot about Irvinestown but we have heard that they are a very young team and very well put together which is no surprise as any team that Shane McDermott would be looking after could not be bad.

“They are a very good side and it has the makings of a great game.”

McGillen had spotters at the Irvinestown and Roslea game on Saturday and the north Fermanagh men were most impressive.

“They had a good win on a score of 1-13 to 1-06 and that win will give them huge momentum going into the game with us.

“They are a very fit, youthful side and they have five players from the minor team including Mattie McDermott and Barry Goodwin as well as Josh Largo-Ellis, Tiarnan Daly and Ronan Ormsby are all top performers.

“And their minors have just won four Fermanagh minor league titles on the trot and they are just so used to winning which is a great confidence booster.

“Irvinestown have always been hard to beat and we have not won an Intermediate championship since 2017 and Ciarán Flaherty and Kieran Leonard and maybe Barry McGovern are still around.”

When asked if there was a good buzz around Belcoo with the team in the semi-final, McGillen said the club was trying to “keep the players' feet on the ground".

“That is the way we are preparing and we have achieved our objective in staying in Division One and going a step further than we did last year in the Intermediate championship so we have achieved our goal.

“We are trying not to blow it up and make it just like any other game and we are trying to eliminate this slow start so hopefully we can get the ball rolling right away and get into it and get over the line.”