Andrew Morrison
Omagh’s hopes of doing the double this season are still alive, but first they must face Mossley in the Ulster Senior Cup Final this weekend.
The Tyrone side also currently sit top of Senior One and know, one more point, or any dropped points from second placed Ballymena could give them the title.
However, having lost 5-1 to Portadown during the week, their chances of going unbeaten are over. Ireland international and Omagh player Gemma Buchanan nee Frazer says the defeat was tough to take.
“I think we just didn’t perform to our best and never got out of second gear. These things happen so now we just have to move on to our next game.
It’s hard to take because going unbeaten was one of our aims. Once we got halfway through the season, we began to think it was possible, thankfully we still have the league in our own hands.
With 11 international caps, the 29-year-old last featured for Ireland in January 2019 when her side lost 3-0 to Chile. However, now a key player in Omagh’s promotion prospects, Buchanan hopes to be playing Premiership hockey next season.
Her side have faced this weekend’s opponents three times this season with the most recent meeting coming just last week. On that occasion it was the league leaders who came out on top in a 3-0 win, something Buchanan doesn’t think plays any part going into Sunday’s game.
“It could give them even more fight. In a cup game we can’t go off previous results, we have to take them on the day because otherwise that’s when you get complacent.”
Omagh won the Senior Cup for the first time back in 2018 defeating Raphoe 2-0 in the final. Now Buchanan is hoping to win it for her hometown for a second time, something she believes would be worth all the time and effort.
“It would be great to get our name back on it but to do the double would be brilliant.
As sports people we want to go out and win as much as we can so it would be a real bonus for all the hard work and dedication that you put into your sport.”
Elsewhere this weekend there will also be two fixtures in the Legacy Wealth Management Premier League as Banbridge travel to the Joey Dunlop leisure centre to face Ballymoney and Raphoe host Lurgan.
