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Newbridge joint-manager Gary Hetherington says his players ought to relish and enjoy the unique atmosphere of the Box-It Athletic Grounds when they face newly-crowned Armagh champions Madden in Sunday’s Ulster Club SFC quarter-final. The Armagh City venue has long been regarded as one of the finest stadiums in the province and the Raparees will enjoy home advantage for this weekend’s last eight clash. Based a little over five miles outside of Ireland’s ecclesiastical capital, Madden will bring a large support to Sunday's tie as they return to the site of their historic first county title victory over Cullyhanna last month. Hetherington himself will also be facing a familiar face on the sidelines with Madden jointly-managed by his former Tyrone minor teammate Mark Harte. “I expect them (Madden) to be severely well coached from Adrian (O’Donnell) and Mark (Harte),” said Hetherington. “They'll have quality players all over the pitch, county players and boys that have played county before. Look, we're under no illusions what we're facing, especially in the Athletic Grounds. “It'll be a new experience for a lot of our lads. They always talk about the atmosphere in the Athletic Grounds. When the going gets tough, there's no better place for noise and excitement. “Again, we'll look forward to it and relish it and prepare the boys as best we can for it.” With only eight days between their six-point preliminary round win over Dunloy and their next assignment against Madden, Newbridge haven’t long to prepare for their quarter-final. Hetherington, who manages Sean O’Leary’s alongside former Antrim star Kevin Brady, feels the short turnaround could be a blessing in disguise. “Yeah, it's a short turnover but as I said to the boys, we've been there before,” added Hetherington. “It was a short turnover between the semi-final of Derry and the final of Derry. We only had a week and, luckily, the lads knuckled down and we'll get back to work and do a bit. “A short turnaround might suit us - you've less time to think, just go and play.” Newbridge found themselves two points in arrears at half-time against the Antrim champions in Owenbeg last Saturday evening, but a goal from Callum McGrogan late in the second half helped settle the contest. Despite playing against the wind in the first half, the Derry champions created a host of goal chances, but were thwarted by some excellent defending from Dunloy. “That's been the story of our year in the Championship this year,” stated Hetherington. “We've constantly said that we're not scoring enough goals, we're creating them but we're not taking them. “But sometimes the more you talk about things, the worse it gets so we might ignore it for next week.” Click here to sign up to our sport newsletter, bringing you the latest sports news, headlines and top stories
