Kennedy’s Intermediate Championship
Round 2
Bunninadden vs St John’s
In what is
arguably the game of the weekend in the Kennedys Intermediate Championship,
Saturday’s clash of Bunninadden and St John’s in Group One (Markievicz Park,
5.45pm) will tell a lot about two of the would-be contenders for the
intermediate crown.
Both sides
will have aims to go all the way, and this game should give a much clearer
picture of how Group One may pan out.
St John’s,
even without Eoin Flanagan and Charlie Harrison, still possess a squad capable
of winning an intermediate title, but their credentials will be given a stern
test here by Bunninadden who opened their campaign with a draw against Shamrock
Gaels last weekend.
Bunninadden
let an eight-point lead slip against the Gaels, but a draw still leaves them in
a good position to progress.
St John’s
had a comfortable opener against St Patrick’s with a 3-18 to 1-6 win, but will
know this will be a far tougher test.
Don’t rule
out another draw.
Geevagh vs Owenmore Gaels
The clash of
Geevagh and Owenmore Gaels in Ballymote this Saturday evening (7.30pm) would,
to many, look a foregone conclusion.
Geevagh are
regarded as one of the favourites for intermediate honours – and rightly so –
and Owenmore Gaels are only back to intermediate level following two years in
the Junior ‘A’ ranks.
That said,
the Collooney-based side have made good strides and retained their Division Two
status earlier this year.
However,
their draw with Ballymote last week in a cracking game will feel like a loss,
after they conceded a last-ditch goal.
The
concession of four goals in that game would indicate some defensive frailties
that Geevagh could be well placed to exploit.
Jodie
O’Reilly had a superb hour against Castleconnor last weekend, while Kenneth
Sweeney and Daithi O’Reilly were also influential.
Pat Hughes
was an absentee last weekend, but you would still expect Geevagh to come
through in this tie to secure a quarter-final berth.
Ballymote vs Castleconnor
The meeting
of Ballymote and Castleconnor at Cloonacool Community Park on Saturday at
7.30pm is an interesting game to look forward to.
Ballymote
have struggled so far this year – they haven’t won a single game in any
competition – but their battling draw against Owenmore Gaels last weekend would
indicate that the tide is beginning to turn.
They led in
that game for long periods, and with Mark Irwin and Conor Meehan impressive,
they could cause Castleconnor problems.
The west
Sligo men lost to Geevagh in a game they could have won, and the pressure is on
here to get a result.
Despite
Ballymote’s rejuvenation, Castleconnor should get over the line with the
experience of Kevin Langan and Eamonn Cawley still a major factor.
St.Molaise Gaels vs St.Farnan’s
St.Molaise
Gaels are one of the favourites to return to Senior Championship football for
2017 and looked very impressive last weekend when they outclassed St. Mary’s
second team.
The team
itself looks to be in great condition and youngsters Alan McLoughlin and Cathal
Herron seem to be enjoying their football at the moment under Jimmy Langan.
In Contrast
Farnan’s had a poor start to this year’s league campaign but have changed
management teams since that and have brought together some fine young
footballers along with the experience of captain Matthew Lang who recently
lifted the Benson Cup.
This could
well be the game of the weekend in the Kennedy’s Intermediate Championship but
you would think that the North Sligo side should have enough for victory in
this one.
Shamrock Gaels v St.Patrick’s
Shamrock
Gaels go into the match on the back of last week’s draw where returning John
Paul Henry ensured both Gaels and Bunninadden had a share of the spoils. A contrasting
result for the men from the west as St.Pats were well beaten by St.John’s last
weekend.
St.Pats will
be expected to have a response in them and will hope key forward Padraic Clarke
can bring his A game with him this weekend.
Meanwhile
Gaels will be confident that they can deliver the win and hope they can get
enough scores to come away with the result.
Enniscrone /Kilglass v St.Mary’s
The meeting
of Enniscrone/Kilglass is the final game of the weekend in the Intermediate
Championship and it’s an important fixture for both sides on Sunday afternoon.
The men from
the west will be disappointed that they didn’t come away with a result against
neighbours St.Farnan’s while Mary’s second team were outclassed by St. Molaise
Gaels .
Enniscrone
will be expected to win this one against a Mary’s side low in confidence
following last week’s defeat and a win for Enniscrone is most likely but Mary’s
will be more competitive this time around.