Derry minor star Niall Keenan is gearing up for an exciting two weeks.

The 17-year-old defender will receive his A-Level results on Thursday before lining out in Croke Park with the Oak Leafers in Sunday week's ESB All-Ireland MFC semi-final against holders Kerry.

The Ulster champions had a close call in their quarter-final clash with Longford last Saturday week but Niall says he and his team mates are confident of causing an upset against the Kingdom at HQ.

"It has been a tough year balancing school work and revision for exams alongside a strict football training regime of two to three sessions per week. My advice to others who will be facing the same in coming months is to plan ahead; the key to succeeding is time management and sticking to a schedule to alleviate stress," said Niall.

"Playing at minor level is a huge commitment but being part of a close knit team with many other colleagues who are also studying for A-Levels or GCSEs was reassuring and it was a comfort to know that you weren't going through exams alone.

"Knowing what you had to do each evening after school meant that there was no time for procrastinating, but at weekends it was important to find time for training, studying and also making time to catch up with friends."

He added: "The buzz and atmosphere at the quarter final against Longford was incredible so I am really looking forward to the semi-final which will be my first opportunity to step out onto the pitch at Croke Park.

"It's a major occasion for all of the minor players but the Derry minor team is feeling confident, we're ready to take on Kerry and fans can follow the action via #ThisIsMajor.

"It's a huge honour to represent Derry at inter-county level and over the next two weeks I will be focusing on not only taking the next step in my academic career but also keeping my head in the game."

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