Reserve Football Shield semi-final
Dunloy v Glenavy
(Wednesday) Dunsilly 6-45 pm
With a busy SFC programme already in place we have the added fixture of the first of the Reserve Football Shield semi-finals scheduled for Dunsilly at 6-45 pm. It throws together an interesting pairing in Cuchullain’s Dunloy and St. Joseph’s Glenavy and games in this grade are notoriously hard to call.
Dunloy played their football in Group 2 and had four wins from four starts and are always strong contenders in this competition and indeed won it last year. Form from the Division 2 Reserve League would have suggested that All Saints and last year’s beaten finalists, Tir na nOg would be the teams to emerge from Group 1 but St. James Aldergrove and St. Joseph’s Glenavy turned that notion on its head.
All Saints suffered a number of defeats to finish outside the play-off places, despite winning the league but Tir na nOg looked to have secured their place when they travelled to Crumlin and beat St. James’ by a point in a real thriller.
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The Aldergrove side had already secured a play-off spot however and the Whitehill side just had to win at St. Paul’s in their final game to join them in the semi-finals. The Shaw’s Road side put paid to their dreams however with a resounding win so it was Glenavy who join neighbours Aldergrove in the semis.
As in all reserve competitions much will depend on the players that the respective sides are able to call on but with no Intermediate Championship until the 10th September both side should field at somewhere near full strength.
Tonight’s opponents will have a nucleus of experienced players who no longer play at senior level and there might not be too much between them in the end but, based on what I saw of Dunloy last year, I give them a tentative nod to emerge as narrow winners.
N.B. All tonight’s SFC games have been moved forward from 7-00pm to 6-45pm. A sensible decision considering the fading light at this time of the year.