Big weekend of soccer ahead

A big weekend awaits across the Carlow League this weekend with a lot on the line. 

First up, on Saturday night, St. Pat’s have the chance to secure their first league title since 2002 as they host Parkville knowing that three points will be enough to see them crowned champions in their 50th year. Three years ago, St. Pat’s narrowly avoided relegation, the club was in crisis with many of their best players playing with the B team. That summer, they appointed former Crettyard manager, Patrick Brennan as their manager. Brennan had won league titles with Crettyard but after several years of coming second to New Oak, he stepped aside and took on a new challenge. 

In his first season, he assembled a young squad and they fell just short of the league title, finishing nine points behind New Oak in second place. They did manage to break New Oak’s 60 match unbeaten streak though, beating them in a dead rubber after they won the title. Last season, an injury crisis saw them once again fall short, nine points behind eventual winners Crettyard, this time finishing in third place. 

They lost a few players over the summer leaving them in a little trouble. However, Brennan recruited well with the likes of Raveli Kilonda lighting up the league, with many tipping him to be Player of the Season, replacing the whole back four with Joe Gordon and Eoin Carolan joining alongside Shane Buggy who alongside Josh Moore gave up the red, green and gold of Carlow to come and play with Pat’s. 

The missing piece of the jigsaw? A striker in the form of Callum Warfield who is on track to secure the Golden Boot this season. In the year that they celebrate their 50th Anniversary, a fairytale story awaits the Graiguecullen side.

It could be a big weekend for the parish of Graiguecullen as they can secure not just one but two league titles. St. Fiacc’s have the chance to win the Tully’s Travel Division One and gain promotion to the Premier. Fiacc’s had been around since 2002 and a few years ago, their adult section folded with not enough members to fulfil games. Three years ago, Fiacc’s journey began again. They beat Burrin to claim the Whites Pharmacy Division title under the guidance of Pete Dorgan. 

They alongside Burrin earned promotion to the Tullys Travel Division One for last season. After a gruelling season and a deciding match between the pair, Burrin got revenge, beating Fiacc’s to claim the league title and gain promotion to the Premier, leaving Fiacc’s with another season in Division One. This season has seen Fiacc’s dominate, losing just one game, a 3-2 loss against Dolmen back in November. A draw against that same side on Sunday will see them return to the heights of the Premier. A young team at heart with an average age of 23, Fiacc’s have shown what they’re capable of this season as they beat three Premier sides along the way to the KCLR Carlow Shield final where they took New Oak to extra-time.

Elsewhere, New Oak travel to Jobstown in the LFA Junior Cup as they compete in their fourth successive Quarter-Final as they seek a place in the semi-finals for the third time in four years. However, it won’t be easy, and New Oak will know that away draws in the latter stages of the competition have done for them in recent years. However, the prospect of a first LFA Junior Cup in the club’s and the Carlow League’s history will be a huge motivator; they know they’ve been so close over the last few years, with each of the sides that beat them going on to get to the final with 2/3 winning it, and with two semi-finals and one quarter-final over the last few years, Gavin Dowling’s side will know that they have been unlucky but that they are capable and will be hungry to finally break that seal. 

Speaking on the Carlow Soccer Podcast earlier this week, captain David O’Shea said that if they turn up and perform like they can, they should get over the line.

There’s also relegation from the Premier Division on the line in a huge Bagenalstown derby between Bagenalstown and Kilree Celtic. Kilree are currently bottom of the table, three points behind Bagenalstown and must win if they have any hope of keeping their Premier Division status alive and have a sixth season in the Premier. If they were to win, the pressure would be on Burrin Celtic who picked up a big win over Kilree a couple of weeks ago in The Valley, as they travel to the reigning league champions, Crettyard, where they will need at least a draw to keep their league survival hopes alive in their first season in the Premier. 

Speaking to the Carlow Soccer Podcast this week, Bagenalstown manager, Murt O’Mara said that his side have been disappointed with their season, that they set out a points target at the start of the season but they have yet to reach it, with injuries and departures to play county killing them. Kilree manager, Micko Salter admitted that his side are up against it and that the pressure is on them. However, he admitted that if they were to go down, that he feels like it wouldn’t be the end of the world, as long as they set strong foundations to allow them to come straight back up.

Elsewhere, there is Carlow interest in the Oscar Traynor final on Sunday between Wexford and Limerick, with Robbie Kane from Bagenalstown playing for Wexford as he plays his football down in North End now. Former CK United manager, Mark Ross is coaching on the Wexford team.