McEniff faces anxious wait

Long-serving Ulster football manager Brian McEniff is hoping luck will be on his side tomorrow when county championship finals take place in Derry, Down and Tyrone.

McEniff, who is trying to assemble a squad for next weekend's M Donnelly Interprovincial semi-final against Leinster, will have his fingers crossed that he avoids another injury jinx and his players come through unscathed.

In preparing for the Breffni Park clash against holders Leinster, the Donegal man is already without injured players such as Benny Coulter, Paddy Bradley, Enda Muldoon, Kevin McGuckin, Enda McGinley, Paul Finlay and Steven McDonnell.

The Donegal county semi-finals also take place tomorrow with Christy Toye, Rory Kavanagh and Damien Diver involved, and the Cavan final between Cavan Gaels and Mullahoran will see Anthony Forde in action.

McEniff, who took charge of Ulster for the first time in 1983, has seemingly struggled to field his best players in recent Railway Cups, due to injuries and club commitments.

He said: "It would be great to get a win over Leinster. They will be able to call upon players from teams like Dublin, Laois and Meath so they certainly won't be easily beaten.

"We have already had a couple of training sessions but our preparations have not all been plain sailing."