Tomorrow afternoon sees Éire Óg Oxford play one of the biggest matches in their 55-year history as they face Watford-based Glen Rovers in the final of the Hertfordshire GAA Championship at Horspath (3.30pm), writes Matthew Bruce.

It’s first time the club have reached the final since 1991 and marks the culmination of what has already been a successful season for Éire Óg, with the club having claimed the league title for the second year running less than a fortnight ago.

“This is the biggest game the club has been involved in for 23 years – and the biggest game any of us have played in,” said chairman and goalkeeper Ryan Davies.

“We’ve spent years trying to recruit more players and getting people who actually know the game involved with the club and this is the product of all that work.”

Davies and a loyal band of volunteers have worked hard to transform the fortunes of a club which had struggled since they won the Championship in 1991.

But after enjoying a tremendous resurgence the club is now in rude health after securing back-to-back league titles in the Hertfordshire GAA.

“We won the league last year and that was our first trophy in 19 years,” Davies added.

“The last four or five years have seen a steady increase in the number of new people getting involved in the club and that has brought success.

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“Every year more people come along and get involved. The club has had a new lease of life.”

But despite the influx of fresh blood, club secretary Frank Dillon feels that under the auspices of John Gaughan the club have never been a tighter unit than they are now.

Dillan said: “We have a very dedicated manager in John Gaughan and he has been a key figure in the club for the last few years.

“Some have come over from Ireland and some are from here. We have doctors playing for the team as well as builders, but John has done a really good job of bringing them all together as a unit.”

He added: “We played Glen Rovers earlier in the season and narrowly lost, but with our work ethic and the spirit, I think we have a very good chance of winning it.”

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