Antrim footballer Kevin Niblock says it’s an honour to be included in Ulster’s Railway Cup squad.
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Manager Joe Kernan named the forward in his panel for the semi-final against Munster at the Athletic Grounds on Sunday and Niblock is relishing the prospect of playing with some of the best footballers in the North:
“The Railway Cup has maybe got a bit of abuse but if you’re getting called up it’s nice to be recognised to be in, say, the top 50 players in Ulster,” he told The Irish News.
“I think the players are big supporters of it and it’s something you can look back on to say that you represented your province at least once.
“It’s an honour to be picked for Ulster and just looking at the team sheet and the boys who are there, it will be great to train and work with them up close.
“I suppose as a forward looking at the panel, the likes of Penrose and Cavanagh from Tyrone are top players. And Mark Poland has been playing the last three or four years for Down. I played a lot of club football against him in the ‘Sevens’ and I always wondered why he didn’t make the breakthrough.
“He’s really shown that he is a top-class player, so players like him who play in a similar position to me will be a good experience. There is also the likes of Coulter.”
Ulster Football Squad: Kieran McKeever (Armagh), Kevin Niblock (Antrim), Tommy McElroy (Fermanagh), Brendan McVeigh, Paul McComiskey, Mark Poland, Benny Coulter (all Down), Darren Hughes (capt), Kieran Hughes, Conor McManus (all Monaghan), David Gibney, Gearoid McKiernan (both Cavan), Pascal McConnell, Joe McMahon, Sean Cavanagh, Martin Penrose, Peter Harte, Cathal McCarron, Justin McMahon, Connor McAliskey (all Tyrone), Michael Murphy, Neil McGee, Eamon McGee, Mark McHugh (all Donegal), Chrissy McKaigue, Dermot McBride (both Derry).
Munster Football Squad: Noel O’Leary (Captain), Paudie Kissane, Paul Kerrigan, Aidan Walsh, Colm O’Neill, Donncha O’Connor, Eoin Cadogan (all Cork), Tony Grey, Maurice O’Gorman, Paul Whyte, Gary Hurney (all Waterford), Ger Collins, John O’Riordan, Thomas Lee, Seamus O’Carroll (all Limerick), Alan Clohessy, Gary Brennan, Rory Donnelly (all Clare), Brendan Kealy, Marc Ó Sé, Aidan O’Mahony (all Kerry), Paul Fitzgerald and Paddy Codd (both Tipperary)
