PREVIEW: Quarter Final places on the line in the Go-Ahead Ireland ...
By Conor Martin
Club football takes centre stage once again this weekend as the Go-Ahead Ireland Dublin Senior 1 Football Championship group stages conclude.
Match tickets for the games are available here.
In Group 1 all of the action begins at 5:30pm on Saturday. Fingallians and Cuala take on each other at O’Toole Park, where Fingallians will be playing for some pride after losing their first two games; they can no longer qualify for the knockout stage and will compete in a relegation playoff in two weeks time.
Cuala, on the other hand, have already guaranteed top spot in the group and will be looking to make it three wins from three this weekend. They have plenty of firepower in their ranks, such as Niall O’Callaghan, Peter Duffy and Con O'Callaghan, as they aim to finish Group 1 with a 100% record.
Over at Parnell Park, Clontarf and St Judes feature in the group’s big game (Saturday, 5.30pm- live on DubsTV). Clontarf can qualify with a draw thanks to their big points difference advantage, but a St Judes win will see them qualify instead.
Charlie Meehan, Fionn Delaney and Kieran McKeon were all impressive from Clontarf last time out as the trio rattled the net against Fingallians while Daragh Rooney notched up six scores over the black spot in St Judes defeat to Cuala.
In Group 2, Na Fianna are guaranteed top spot and a place in the quarter finals and are another club that can ensure a 100% record in the group stages, as they face Lucan Sarsfields at O'Toole Park. Last time out, the performances of Ciaran Reddin and Conor McHugh saw Na Fianna home against Castleknock.
Lucan Sarsfields have picked up two defeats from their first two games, so cannot qualify for the knockout stages and will compete in a relegation playoff in two weeks time.
A draw would be enough for Raheny to qualify in place of Castleknock when the two meet at Parnell Park on Sunday afternoon (2.15pm- live on TG4), as Raheny have a better score difference. However, a Castleknock victory would see them through instead.
Northsiders Raheny go into the game full of confidence after their win against Lucan Sarsfields, whilst Castleknock have the prowess of Conor Chawke in their ranks, who bagged a brace in their last game against Glasnevin’s Na Fianna and will be a threat once again on Sunday.
In Group 3, the game of the round sees southside rivals Ballyboden St Endas and Ballinteer St Johns face off for a place in the last eight.
Ballyboden know they need a win to make it into the quarter-finals following one win and one loss to their name so far. Ballinteer can go through with just a draw as they have a slightly better points advantage.
Ballyboden beat St Sylvesters in their last Group 3 game, while Eoghan Fitzpatrick’s performance stood out for Ballinteer in round two but couldn’t prevent them from losing to Ballymun Kickhams.
Ballymun will be looking for a third win in Group 3 having already secured top spot and a win against St Sylvesters at Parnell Park (Saturday, 3.15pm- live on DubsTV) will secure a 100% record in the group. In contrast, Sylvesters will look to spring a surprise and end the group stage on a high, ahead of their relegation playoff in two weeks time.
It's all to play for in Group 4, with nothing decided heading into Round 3 as all four teams could still qualify for the last 8.
Kilmacud Crokes and Thomas Davis meet at O’Toole Park. A point is good enough for defending champions Crokes to qualify, but a loss could see their Championship title in jeopardy, depending on final scorelines.
Paul Mannion, Paddy O’Connor and Dara Mullin are just three of a strong Kilmacud panel that have looked like a side who don’t want to let go of their Dublin crown just yet.
Thomas Davis have strength in attack too and they will be right up for the challenge this weekend. Eoin Kirby, Eamon Conroy, a Chris Sallier brace and a Davy Keogh goal saw them put five past Skerries Harps in their second game.
St Vincents will be looking to keep their Championship ambitions alive when they take on Skerries Harps this Sunday at Parnell Park (4.15pm- live on DubsTV). Cian Dunne and Albert Martin were useful in the defeat against Kilmacud Crokes, but they need to be better collectively as a team on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Skerries Harps will have an outside chance of qualifying but must win to stand a chance and hope Thomas Davis lose to Kilmacud Crokes. The shooting ability of Killian McGinnis can help them do what they need to do while they hope for the best in Group 4’s other games.
