Final Shot at Silverware this Saturday

Post date: Nov 12, 2013 10:06:26 PM

Almost unnoticed the Junior team has quietly made it's way to the Junior B Shield final. At the start of the season based on our performances in the Junior B league last year (we were in Junior C championship), it was felt that a few wins in the group stages of the championship and even a good run in the Shield would consolidate our position at the higher level in which we had won three consecutive relegation finals before finally going down to C in 2011.

While we suffered badly in the Group with two trimmings against Castlegar and Leitrim Kilnadeema, we had two good performances against Gort and more particularly against a fancied Tynagh Abbey Duniry side before a stirring comeback win over Beagh. Unfortunately, two group games against Killimor and Mountbellew Moylough.

It was Mountbellew Moylough who were the opposition in the quarter final draw and they came to Moycullen hoping to repeat their League win in Baile Doite in 2012. However it was the home side who came out on top, comprehensively in the end. In the semifinal, it was another of our 2012 League opponents, Ballinderreen, who had also beaten us then but far more comprehensively that Mountbellew Moylough and they had done so on several occasions in the relegation dogfights of earlier years. There the win last Saturday was particularly sweet for the older guys, who had experienced a few depressing days against the same opposition in the last 5/6 years.

As with most competitions, the more you progress in a competition the stiffer the opposition get. We have no recent form guide against Kilconieron at Junior level although we have endured disappointment at their twice already this year, at Minor a couple of weeks ago and at the Ratoath 11s competition. In each case Kilconieron were lost out at the next stage. In this year's Championship, Kilconieron recorded two wins, a three point win over Clarinbridge and significantly a single point victory over Ballinderreen. The indications are that we are in for a tight match and with any luck it will prove third time lucky for Mágh Cuilinn.