By Shaun Casey

WITH four games remaining in the league, Bryansford are firmly in the promotion shake-up and hoping to finish the season on a high after what coach Ciaran Brannigan describes as a “mixed” campaign.

Brannigan, a former Bryansford forward, linked up with manager Mark Copeland this year, having previously coached his home club under Stephen Poacher a few years ago.

They edged past An Riocht in a nine-goal thriller on Monday night, winning 5-14 to 4-15, and now travel to face Clann na Banna on Friday evening, with their opponents battling at the opposite end of the table.

“They comfortably beat us the first day out in Newcastle,” Brannigan said of their previous meeting with Clann na Banna. “They had more legs than us that night and they kicked scores at the right time.

“They also scored plenty against Saul on Monday (2-20), so we know what we’re up against. They’re fighting for their lives at the opposite end of the table, so they’ll be bouncing into the game. It’s no different for ourselves – we got a good win on Monday night.

“When you look through the fixtures, you have Longstone at the bottom and then a lot of teams on ten and 12 points. There are so many teams separated by just a point or two that nobody is sitting comfortably. Division Two is extremely tight.”

Bryansford are currently joint top of the table alongside Rostrevor on 19 points, although Brannigan reflected on some of the opportunities they have let slip over the course of the season.

“We had some big away victories. We beat Saul away, the Kingdom (An Riocht) away and Saval away at the start,” he continued.

“There were games where we suffered heavy defeats as well against Clann na Banna and Annaclone, when they were comfortably better than us, and we still have both of them to play.

“Overall, it’s been a mixed bag in terms of where we could have been compared to where we actually are, sitting joint top.”

Promotion remains firmly in Bryansford’s sights, and Brannigan insists they will keep pushing until the end.

“Bryansford is a club that wants to be among the best in Down. They want to be back in Division One.

“In previous years, different management teams have set out to do the same thing because Bryansford has the talent. It’s about trying to get everyone on the field at the same time, and that has been a struggle for us again this year.

“With four games to go, promotion isn’t in our hands, but it’s within our reach. If we take care of business one step at a time, we can get ourselves into Division One.”