OMAGH CBS will bid to get their hands on the first silverware of the College season when they lock horns with St.Pats Armagh in the Rannafast Cup final at Dunmoyle on Saturday morning (Throw-in 11am)
It's a meeting between two sides who are there on merit after both came through tight semi finals and the final also brings together an interesting match up along the sideline. Omagh CBS are managed by Kieran Donnelly and Armagh county defender Finnian Moriarty while the Orchard side are led by Tyrone senior stars John Devine and Davy Harte, both men of course winning Tyrone senior league medals with Errigal Ciaran a couple of weeks ago, a side trained by Fermanagh native Donnelly!
Omagh accounted for St.Pats Maghera in the quarter final before coming from behind to beat Abbey CBS last Saturday morning on a 1-6 to 0-7 score line.
In that semi-final Omagh were slow to get going and it was the Newry lads who led 0-4 to 0-2 at the break after an opening half hour that saw both defences very much on top. Centre half forward Ruairi Bradley hit both of Omagh's points from frees but the pattern of the game changed in the seventh minute of the second half when they struck for the only goal of the game.
Quick thinking from a free kick from Cormac O'Neill saw him put Colly McRory in the clear and the full forward showed great composure to round Abbey CBS keeper Conor Hanna and put the ball into the empty net for an advantage that they were never to lose.
McRory finished with 1-2 to his name, Bradley grabbed three points and centre half back Tomas McCarron was their other point scorer, although the latter's afternoon ended early when he was sent off at the beginning off the final quarter for a second yellow card offence.
Despite that setback Omagh managed to hold out and in fact there is no doubt that they should have emerged more comfortable winners as they hit an alarming dozen second half wides.
No doubt that is something that they will have to work on before Saturday's decider as there is no way they can afford to do that against a good St.Pats Armagh side.
Key players for Omagh CBS include the likes of James Gallagher, Blaine Garrity and McCarron in defence, Stephen Kelly and Brendan Donaghy in midfield and Bradley, McRory, O'Neill and Ciaran McConnell up front.
This group of Armagh players will be hoping to finally make the breakthrough at College level as under the guidance of Devine and Harte they lost out in the Corn na nOg final two years ago before coming off second best again twelve months ago in the Brock Cup decider, two games that they were desperately unlucky not to have won.
They accounted for St.Michael's Enniskillen in the last eight before winning a tough semi-final with holders St.Pats Academy Dungannon last Friday.
In that game they had to show all their resolve as the holders enjoyed a terrific start with midfielder John Loughran finding the net as they led 1-2 to 0-1. They hit back though with a goal from Sean McLaughlin but Dungannon were still looking the likely winners until a late Niall Patterson free sent the game into extra time.
During extra time they finished the stronger as they outscored their opponents four points to two to emerge 1-9 to 1-7 winners.
The management on both sides will know the surroundings of Dunmoyle well but so to will both sets of players as their respective quarter finals and semi finals were both played at this venue.
It all adds up to a mouth-watering spectacle in a contest that is expected to go right to the wire.
