Niall McGonagle's team were beaten finalists in this same competition last year going down at the final hurdle 3-1 to the University of Limerick at Terryland Park in Galway.

The Port Road lads qualified for this stage of this year's competition by virtue of finishing runners up on goal difference to Jordanstown University in the Northern section of the CUFL Premier League thus missing out on home advantage which went to Jordanstown as group winners.

For Wednesday's game Letterkenny will be without regular stopper Paddy Harkin of Clonmany Shamrocks whom is due to go for surgery on his cruciate ligament injured during training pre the Christmas break. Kyle Tinney of Deele Harps will deputise between the sticks.

Also missing will be Fanad United man Shaun McElwaine whom has left college to take up employment with Fanad Fisheries.

Apart from those McGonagle will have everyone to choose from and will be keeping his fingers crossed that those involved in club action this weekend will come through unscathed.

This years team has been boosted by the arrival of some outstanding 1st year students in Letterkenny Rovers duo Josh Mailey and Garbhan Grant as well as Mark Harkin who played for Bonagee United last year and they will be ably assisted by seasoned campaigners Paddy Bonner, Finn Harps, Gareth Harkin, Coleraine FC, Paul Doohan, Glenea United), and Declan McGarvey of Finn Harps while Inishowen midfielder Matthew Henry who plays for Carrowmena FC is the find of the season in the middle of the park. The LYIT will look to Gerard McLaughlin of Buncrana Hearts and Oisin McMenamin of Finn Harps to carry the goal threat.

Also included in the squad are Barry Mooney, Swilly Rovers, Shane Gibbons, Bonagee Utd, Eric Roberts, Fanad Utd, Connor McCullough, Letterkenny Rovers and Ryan Mangan Galway Utd.

Letterkenny warmed up for this weeks game with a 3-1 friendly win over Bonagee United last Wednesday night with the goals coming from Connor McCullough and two opportunist strikes from Oisin McMenamin.

DIT have several players with League of Ireland experience in Conor McMahon, a centre-back with Monaghan United, midfielder Steven Roche plays his club football with UCD while right-full Dean Zambra is with Bray Wanderers.

Another interesting footnote is the fact that DIT have in their squad Keadue's Sean Bonner a member of last years Donegal Youth League squad and brother of the LYIT's Paddy Bonner so as well as a place in the semi-final major bragging rights are up for grabs in the Bonner household, an added incentive for any sibling!