Belfry Senior Football Championship
Round 2
St.Mary’s vs Tubbercurry
Saturday 7.30pm Markievicz Park
On Saturday
evening 2014 champions Tubbercurry take on current holders St. Mary’s in what
is the standout fixture of the weekend in Sligo. Both teams will be confident
following very strong showings in round 1 of the Belfry Senior Championship
2016 but current holders Mary’s managed by Glenn Young this year will be confident
young guns Kyle Cawley and Nathan Rooney can cause enough trouble for the
Tubbercurry defence.
Tubber will
be hoping to win the midfield battle with Stephen Gilmartin around that sector
and they will also hope that David Kelly is in top form as they won’t want to
lose to the current holders in the group stages.
It’s going
to be a close game and the teams could cancel each other out and could end up
in draw .
Coolera Standhill vs Drumcliffe
Rosses Point
Sunday 2pm, Markievicz Park
Also in
Group 1 is the meeting of two north Sligo sides hoping to make the knockout
stages and with three teams coming out of group 1 both sides will be hopeful of
coming out on the right side of the result on Sunday.
Both sides
were well beaten in round 1 and will be hoping to get back to winning ways on
Sunday as a defeat for either side would almost ensure a relegation battle for their
side for the remainder of the Belfry Senior Championship 2016.
Paul Logan
should return for Drumcliffe Rosses Point and with that said he is a massive
plus for Drumclife coming into this week’s game. The match itself is very close
to call after last weekend.
Eastern Harps vs Tourlestrane
Sunday 6pm, Kilcoyne Park Tubbercurry
The battle
of South vs East takes place in Tubbercurry on Sunday evening as Eastern Harps
will be hoping to make it two wins from two when they take on red hot
favourites for this year’s Owen B Hunt Cup Tourlestrane.
Tourlestrane
were impressive against Coolaney/Mullinbreena in the last round of the league
and they will be hoping to continue that against Harps this weekend.
Talking of
Harps they were comfortable winners last weekend against Calry/St.Joseph’s as
Ross Donavan dominated the match throughout and Martin Doherty in attack was
also in fine form for the Harps men.
Harps won’t
be worried playing Tourlestrane and neither will the Tourlestrane management
team of Eamonn O’Hara and Gerry McGowan be worried about playing Harps as both
sides will be hoping to get the better of one and other.
Tourlestrane
will be without Brian Egan who is the states at the moment while Harps will
have a fully fit team to pick from, with that all said Tourlestrane should have
enough to get over the line.
Coolaney/Mullinabreena vs Easkey
Sunday 2pm, Connolly Park Collooney
It is a
novel pairing in Group Two of the Belfry Senior Championship, as Easkey make
their return to the top flight after an absence of five years against
Coolaney/Mullinabreena on Sunday at 2pm in Collooney.
Their last
campaign ended in relegation in 2011, one year after their 2010 Intermediate
triumph, and they will be hoping to avoid a similar sequence of events this
time around.
Their
opening round task is a difficult one, however, against a Coolaney/Mullinabreena
side high on confidence following their win over Curry last weekend.
The south
Sligo men will be expected to win here with some ease given their league form
and after that defeat of Curry, a win over Easkey would guarantee their
progression to the last eight.
All
indications would point to a relatively comfortable win for
Coolaney/Mullinabreena who have ambitions of going to at least the semi-final
stage, but Easkey could provide sticky opposition.
Much will
hinge on the influence of senior players such as Noel McGuire and Eugene
Mullen, while younger stars Mikey Gordon and Joe McHugh might not get the space
they were afforded in the intermediate grade.
Daniel Davey
has returned to the Coolaney/Mullinabreena set-up following a stint playing in
Dublin, and he along with the likes of Raymond Connolly and Stephen Connolly
should help Anthony Brennan’s side to a second win.