President Junior Cup - Enniskillen Rangers v St Michael's AFC
September 12, 2019
This Saturday (14th September) at Ferney Park, Ballinamallard the President Junior Cup Final is been held between the winners of last seasons Irish FA Junior Cup (Enniskillen Rangers) and the FAI Junior Cup (St Michael's AFC), to decide who is the best Junior side on the island of Ireland.
Having lost last years final to North End United (Wexford Town), Enniskillen Rangers will be hoping to make amends for their narrow defeat when they take on one of the premier junior sides in the Rep of Ireland, St Michael's AFC from Tipperary town.
Michael Kerr's Rangers team have been the dominant force in Junior football in Northern Ireland in recent years winning the Junior Cup on the last 3 occasions, bringing their total tally to 4 Junior Cups over their history. Despite a few retirements over the summer Enniskillen Rangers have started the new season where they left of last year, winning the Kennedy Cup and their first 4 league matches of the new season. With experience players such as Captain Richard Johnston, Mark Culter, Jason Keenan and Christopher Currie, Rangers will no doubt cause alot of problems for the Tipperary men.
St Michael's AFC will travel north full of confidence having recently defeated Dublin 'kingpins' Sheriff YC 1-0 in Galway to lift the FAI Junior Cup for the third time in their history. Based in the football hotbed town of Tipperary, St Michael's compete in the Tipperary South and District League, which would be considered one of the top Junior Leagues in the south. Established in 1947 St Michael's, like Rangers, they have a long successful history, producing many quality players through the youth systems. Current Southampton and Ireland striker Shane Long started of his career at the club before moving to Cork City and then onto England. Having won every competition locally, in Munster and nationally at Junior level, the President Cup is the only trophy they have yet to lift. With 4 members of this years Ireland's Regional Cup squad in their ranks (Sean Guerins, Chris Higgins, Jimmy Carr and Shane Ryan) St Michael's no doubt will be as tough a challenge as Enniskillen Rangers will have encountered.
The match is been played at the home of Ballinamallard United which boosts one of the best playing surfaces in the country. Kick off on Saturday is at 3pm, so if you are free please go along to this special match and cheer on our fellow Fermanagh and Western colleagues as they try to become the first Junior side from Northern Ireland to lift the trophy.
