Antrim Football League Previews: Sunday, March 22nd
All divisions are in action for the next phase of the football leagues this Sunday. Last week saw a full list of Division One fixtures completed despite poor weather, and teams will be hoping for better conditions this weekend.
Division One
- All Saint’s Ballymena v St Mary’s Aghagallon Aghagallon travel with momentum after securing a six-point away victory over Randalstown last week in tough conditions, sealed by a late point from Jonny Hannon. Expect Aghagallon to bring that same intensity this weekend.
- Erin’s Own Cargin v Tir na Nog Cargin suffered a tough opening loss to Kickham’s Creggan last week while missing key players to county duty. Despite an early goal from Creggan’s Ben McLernon, Cargin led at the half but ultimately fell short. Cargin returns home to face Tir na Nog this week and will start as favorites, even with players still away on county duty.
- Cuchullian’s Dunloy v Con Magee’s Glenravel Reigning county champions Dunloy lost their opener to St Brigid’s 4-09 to 1-10 while missing regulars like Degalan Smith. Glenravel are also looking to bounce back after a narrow one-point defeat to Hannahstown last week. Both teams will be hungry for their first points of the season.
- St Brigid’s v O’Donovan Rossa St Brigid’s look formidable after beating the reigning champions on the road last week and will be favourites here. Rossa are also coming off a win, having edged out Moneyglass 2-12 to 0-09 thanks to a late score from Ruairi McDonagh. This promises to be a competitive clash.
- Lamh Dhearg v Roger Casement’s Casement’s opened their season with a strong victory over St John’s and will travel to Hannahstown full of confidence. Lamh Dhearg also secured an opening win and are notoriously tough to beat at home. While Lamh Dhearg will look to hold down their home turf, Casement’s are more than capable of pulling off an away win.
- St Paul’s v St John’s St John’s will be looking to regain their footing after losing their opener to Portglenone. They travel to face a St Paul’s side that beat Sarsfields last week. With home advantage on their side, St Paul’s gets the slight nod in what should be a tight contest.
- St Galls v Patrick Sarsfields Sarsfields face a tough away test at Milltown after narrowly losing to St Paul’s last week. St Gall’s ended last season with strong momentum and look to have carried it into 2026. A home win for St Gall’s is the most likely outcome.
- St Ergnat’s Moneyglass v Kickham’s Creggan Creggan secured a gritty win against Cargin last week and brings plenty of experience into this matchup. They face a newly promoted Moneyglass side eager to cement their spot in the top flight. Creggan’s experience makes them the favourites.
Division Two
- St Teresas v St Patrick’s St Teresa’s are one of a number of sides aiming for promotion to the top flight. They host a St Patrick’s side that has climbed all the way up from Division Four. St Teresa’s are slight favourites to win this at home.
- Davitts v St Mary’s Ahoghill Ahoghill, another team recently relegated from Division One, have been struggling with player numbers but maintains strong team character. They face a well-established Division Two side in Davitts. Ahoghill’s top-flight experience should give them the edge to win this on the road.
- St James Aldergrove v St Enda’s Both of these teams are former Division One residents eager to move back up. Aldergrove enter as the favourites primarily due to home advantage, but St Enda’s are perfectly capable of making this a very close game.
- St Agnes v St Joseph’s Glenavy Newly promoted St Agnes welcomes Glenavy, a team aiming to return to Division One. Glenavy are widely expected to secure victory as they start their push for promotion but the ‘Aggies’ should not be ruled out.
- Gort na Mona v St Comgall’s St Comgall’s continues their impressive climb from the basement divisions, but they face a tough test here. Gort na Mona have experience in higher grades and are firm favorites to get a win on the board.
Division Three
- Kickham’s Ardoyne v Laochra Loch Lao Ardoyne narrowly missed out on promotion last year and will be highly motivated. Laochra have been gaining confidence, but Ardoyne’s experience should tip the balance in their favor.
- Cardinal O’ Donnell’s v St Mary’s Rasharkin O’Donnell’s were highly competitive last season, but they face a Rasharkin side that came very close to promotion. Rasharkin gets the slight nod as the favorites in this opener.
- Eire Og v Padraig Pearses This looks to be a very evenly matched game as Pearses travel across the city to face Eire Og. Pearses are slight favorites to take the points.
- St Malachy’s v St Brigid Gaels, Cloughmills St Malachy’s are a highly experienced team in this division with clear promotion goals. They face the division’s newest addition, as the Biddies field a football team for the first time. While the new club is an unknown quantity and could cause an upset, St Malachy’s should have the edge.
