Ask Eamonn Coleman what he feels has been the most satisfying and important difference in this year's Derry team and the straight answer is Bellaghy. Four of the club's players have carved their way into Coleman's starting 15 this summer, and rarely have they made a more notable presence.

The success of Bellaghy in Derry is not a recent phenomenon, and as county champions for the past three years it's more than customary for a couple of their players to steal onto the county panel. The arrival of this particular quartet, however, has been swift.

Fergal Doherty was first to fall under the spotlight as he quickly established himself alongside Anthony Tohill at midfield. Still only 19, his rise to fame has become one of the surprises of the championship, yet his consistency has already been well acknowledged.

The arrival of corner back Gareth Doherty has been more gradual. He was better known as a forward with Bellaghy but after spending a year in America the 26-year-old has re-emerged as one of Derry's key defenders.

Both Gavin Diamond and Ciarβn McNally landed on to the team after the championship had already started. Diamond's reputation was already established as Bellaghy came through the club championship as Ulster winners, before falling to Crossmolina in the All-Ireland semi-final.

Along the way, Diamond scored 0-16, placing him to the fore of the leading scorers of the whole championship. The corner forward first appeared as a substitute in Derry's opening championship game against Antrim, and since then has contributed 13 points in total.

McNally was called up as Derry faced a succession of injury problems before their second meeting with Antrim in the qualifier series, and he too was quick to nail his starting place at wing back. As captain of Bellaghy when they won the Ulster title, his level-headed approach has added a further dimension to the Derry defence.

According to county spokesperson Gerry Donnelly, the significance of their arrival onto the team cannot be understated. "You just have to look at the impact that they have had on the team's performance," he says.

"It's no coincidence that since those four Bellaghy players have started, the Derry results have got better. It started initially with two players, and then a third and then a fourth. You could almost see the step up in performance as each of them came into the team."

Donnelly also reckons that the strong spirit between the Bellaghy players has helped gel the redesigned Derry team together: "It's like they feed off each other. You always get that with players from the same club but these four seem to play particularly well in tandem with each other."

Coleman hasn't been slow in handing out praise for the quartet either. For a manager not known to throw around compliments like confetti, it puts further emphasis on their pivotal role in the Derry team.

"The thing about Eamonn is that he has a great relationship with all his players," adds Donnelly. "He will talk highly about players as long as they have earned it, and that is definitely the case with these players.

"The biggest surprise has definitely been the rise of Fergal Doherty, but he faces a huge task on Sunday as he takes on probably the best midfield in the country. Then you have the opposite case with Gareth Doherty, who is sort of an overnight sensation at 26."