There are some games that mean a little bit more, and this Saturday our Abbey Rangers Minors take to the field in Cedral St Conleth’s Park for a Championship Final against neighbours Monasterevin.
Throw-in is at 3.00pm, and we’re calling on the whole club to come to Newbridge and get behind this very special group of young players.
For many of the lads, the journey to Saturday can be traced back years. The photograph above shows a group of them together as U12s with Ballykelly — a fine group of footballers who have continued to develop together through the age grades.
One person who has been a constant throughout much of that journey is our own Brendan Abbey. Brendan has put an enormous amount of time and work into these players over the years and, remarkably, this will be the second year in succession that he has brought a Minor team to a final.
Abbey Rangers was strengthened further this year with Castlemitchell joining the combination, and Dave Fennin coming on board with the coaching team.
Naturally, it took a little time for a new group to come together. The early rounds of the league were as much about players getting to know each other and learning to play as a team as they were about results. Fast forward to now and you would think these lads had been playing alongside one another since childhood.
That development has earned them a place on one of the biggest stages available to them — a Championship Final at our county ground. It will be a great opportunity for the lads to show their talents at Cedral St Conleth’s Park and an occasion they have thoroughly earned.
There will also be no shortage of familiarity between Saturday’s finalists.
Monasterevin had the upper hand when the sides met in the group stages a few weeks ago, so Abbey Rangers know exactly the challenge that awaits them. Our lads will be determined to show how far they have come and produce the performance they know they are capable of when it matters most.
Whatever happens on Saturday, huge credit is due to the players, their coaches and everyone across Kildangan, Ballykelly and Castlemitchell who has helped this team along the way. Bringing together players from three clubs and developing them into a team capable of reaching a county final is something everyone involved can be proud of.
A Championship would be a fitting reward for the work these lads and their coaches have put in, and we’d love to see a huge Abbey Rangers support in St Conleth’s on Saturday to cheer them on. 🏆 Abbey Rangers v Monasterevin 📍 Cedral St Conleth’s Park 📅 Saturday 26th September 🕒 3.00pm
