Last chance saloon for ten football teams

Date Published: {J}

Dara Bradley

WITH the first round shadow boxing with the safety net of the back-door out of the way, nine beaten teams from the opening round of matches a fortnight ago enter ‘last chance saloon’ territory this Sunday when the 2010 Claregalway Hotel senior football championship reaches the knock-out stages.

The perennial unknown quantity, NUIG, enter the race for the Frank Fox Cup this weekend and, while the students generally improve the longer they remain in the championship, they have drawn ‘the short straw’ against Killererin and could well struggle with a depleted team to jump the first hurdle.

Caltra, who just couldn’t hold out against a resurgent second-half Barna comeback in round one, will be pleased to have drawn a ‘bye’ straight into the last 16, which will give talisman Michael Meehan and other key players time to recover and improve Tommy Newell’s charge’s hopes of getting their title tilt back on track.

For several other teams out this Sunday, at a triple header in Tuam and double header at Pearse Stadium, salvaging pride and setting the record straight after lacklustre and demoralising defeats in round one will be the priority.

St Michael’s, who were lucky not to have been beaten by more than five points against Moycullen, are a proud city club and will surely put up a better showing against Micheál Breathnachs, a team who inexplicably – particularly for a side who beat the eventual champions Corofin at the first stage of the championship last year – capitulated against Milltown two weeks ago.

St Brendan’s is another team who will feel they aren’t as bad as their 1-12 to 0-4 clipping at the hands of neighbours Kilkerrin/Clonberne suggests and they will be hoping to get back on the wagon against Annaghdown, who failed to beat a 14-man Tuam.

Cortoon Shamrocks collapsed completely against Corofin and were beaten out the gap 2-9 to 0-3, a shocking result for the 2008 finalists and they will be anxious to bounce back against Claregalway, who despite bolstering their squad this year with high profile transfers, failed to sparkle against Salthill/Knocknacarra.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.