Armagh Harps vs Crossmaglen
After two loses on the trot, Crossmaglen made it third time lucky with a win last weekend.
It wasn’t just a win, it was a trouncing over table-toppers Dromintee, with 12 points the margin by the final whistle.
The Harps also enjoyed a win last weekend as they were six points better than the reigning Senior Champions.
Maghery is not an easy place to go to in search of points, but the city side with have the comforts of home advantage on Sunday.
They welcome Cross to Abbey Park for a game that both sides will feel they need to win in a ridiculously tight Division 1A.
Six teams sit on six points while Granemore have seven and sit in second place in the table, with Dromintee currently ahead on 11 points.
For the first time in a long time the Harps have no county panellists amongst their ranks, which can only be a help in this shortened season.
Joe McElroy stepped away from county duty at the beginning of the year while Charlie Vernon retired at the end of 2019.
Ryan ‘Minnie’ McShane was involved in Kieran McGeeney side in recent years, but likewise now has his full attention on the Harps cause.
Simon McCoy is in the states at the minute, but Benny O’Kane can recall on some of his old faithful for the upcoming games.
The likes of Declan McKenna and Karol Loughran remain the main men in the blue and white and will be leading the charge this season.
In the opposite corner is Crossmaglen who will hope to give Aaron Kernan some game time on Sunday as he returns to full fitness.
2020 All-Star midfielder Stephen Morris captains the side in Kernan’s absence and he remains one of the best central players around.
Tony Kernan has been pulling the strings from centre-half-forward while Cian McConville is the biggest threat to the oppositions goal.
Youngster Caolan Finnegan rattled the net against Dromintee, in just his third appearance at senior level.
Alan Farrelly is back manning the square for Stephen Kernan’s men, a big presence in that area that was crucially missing in last year’s county final.
Crossmaglen and Harps have the exact same record after seven outings, with three wins each and four losses.
It’s all to play for this weekend and a win will definitely help ease relegation fears while a defeat pushes the loser closer to the drop.
