It’s do or die on Saturday for both Middletown and Clonmore as they lock horns this weekend in the Junior Championship final replay. They couldn’t be separated in the Junior final last Sunday, and are forced to do it all again.
This time, there are no second chances. Whether it’s in normal time, extra time or via a penalty shootout, one of these clubs will be heading home with the Sean Quinn Cup come Saturday night.
Middletown probably feel as though they threw it away last weekend. They were two-points to the good going down the stretch but just couldn’t hold on. Clonmore, Jodi Nixon specifically, claimed the last two scores to force a draw.
Hitting the heights
Neither side really hit the heights that they have in previous games. Middletown showed their potential against An Port Mor in the semi-final while Clonmore have been flying for most of the campaign.
Caolan Donaghy was outstanding for Clonmore however. The captain will want to lead the team from the front once again. His match up at centerfield will be interesting as Charlie Lennon, Charlie McArdle and possibly Paul Gaffney all have big performances in them.
Cahal Cunninham had an off day in front of the posts but as he has demonstrated throughout the championship, he is a lethal finisher. Middletown likewise will hope Fionnan O’Braonain and Sean Og McGuinness can build a bigger tally.
Ruairi McCann pushed up on Sean Quigley in an attempt to limit his influence. McCann would have been happy with his display, although Quigley probably should have found the net early on.
If Quigley can rattle off a ninth goal of the campaign on Saturday evening, it’ll go a long way to help his side across the line. McCann will likely shadow his every move again and the outcome of that one particular match up could prove decisive.
Replays are usually won by the team that learns the most from the first day out. Who has taken last week’s game on board and came up with something new for the final? That’s where the game could be won and lost.