There is a full round of football action this weekend in Down.
Glen were 1-21 to 0-19 extra-time winners over Ballyholland on Thursday night in the Senior Shampionship.
Clann na Banna (2-16 to 2-15) edged out Saval and Rostrevor were 2-28 to 0-9 winners over Ballymartin in the Intermediate Championship on Thursday night.
Here are the details of the other games at the time of going to print.
Check the Down website for any changes before travelling.
DOWN SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND ONE
LOUGHINISLAND V DOWNPATRICK
Friday, Teconnaught, 7.15pm
JUST three points, and two places, separated these two sides during the league so this game should go right down to the wire. Loughinisland may just shade it, but it’ll be close.
Verdict: Loughinisland
CASTLEWELLAN V BURREN
Friday, Mayobridge, 7.15pm
Burren have reached the last two county finals but haven’t got their hands on the Frank O’Hare Cup since 2018. They remain one of the big hitters in the county however, and Castlewellan may not pose much opposition.
Verdict: Burren
SAUL V CARRYDUFF
Saturday, Downpatrick, 3pm
CARRYDUFF are one of the teams on everyone’s lips as a side that could potentially end the Kilcoo stranglehold. Finnian Moriarty’s side will have bigger tests down the road and will open their account with a win.
Verdict: Carryduff
CLONDUFF V LIATRIOM
Saturday, Castlewellan, 5.30pm
SATURDAY evening pins a Division One side against a Division Three team and given Clonduff’s superior experience and the fact they’ve been playing at a higher level all year, they should come through unscathed.
Verdict: Clonduff
MAYOBRIDGE V DRUMGATH
Sunday, Clonduff, 3.30pm
DRUMGATH will be playing Division Three football this season and while Mayobridge may not be the force of old, it’ll take a lot to see an upset coming here.
Verdict: Mayobridge
WARRENPOINT V BREDAGH
Sunday, Kilcoo, 6pm
THIS has the potential to be the game of the weekend and is impossible to call. Bredagh head into the contest having won Division Two while Warrenpoint survived the drop from the top tier.
Verdict: Bredagh
KILCOO V BRYANSFORD
Monday, Liatroim, 7.30pm
KILCOO really are the unbeaten team in the Mourne County it seems and Bryansford have drawn the short straw, facing the Magpies in the opening round. Kilcoo will be keen to get their championship campaign up and running with a win.
Verdict: Kilcoo
DOWN INTERMDIATE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND ONE
ATTICALL V ST PAUL’S
Friday, St John’s, 7.15pm
ST PAUL’S finished bottom of their section in Division Four while Atticall ended the league campaign in the middle of the Division Three table so they should have the upper hand here.
Verdict: Atticall
AN RIOCHT V TECONNAUGHT
Saturday, Dundrum, 2pm
TECONNAUGHT topped the table in Division Four but they’re coming up against an An Riocht side that have been operating in Division Two so this may be a step too far for them.
Verdict: An Riocht
LONGSTONE V DARRAGH CROSS
Saturday, Bryansford, 4pm
LONGSTONE just missed out on the drop to Division Three, while Darragh Cross just missed out on promotion from the third tier so these sides could be at a fairly even level which should lead to a tight contest.
Verdict: Longstone
ST JOHN BOSCO V NEWRY SHAMROCKS
Sunday, Ballyholland, 2pm
THERE wasn’t a whole lot between these two teams in the league, just four points in the end, and that should mean the two are fairly equally matched. This Newry derby could go right down to the wire and be decided by the smallest of margins.
Verdict: St John Bosco
DROMARA V ST JOHN’S
Monday, Drumaness, 7.15pm
ST JOHN’S won just two games all year and suffered relegation from Division Two, but still played in a higher grade than Dromara, who spent the season in Division Three, and that could stand them in good stead.
Verdict: St John’s
TULLYLISH V ANNACLONE
Monday, Glenn, 7.15pm
ANNACLONE finished at the top of the Division Three league table while Tullylish finished at the very bottom and that is surely a decent indication of how this game will go.
Verdict: Annaclone
DOWN JUNIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND ONE
GROUP 1
DUNDRUM V GLASDRUMMAN
Friday, Dundrum, 7.15pm
GLASDRUMMAN beat Dundrum by the minimum of margins in the league, at Dundrum, at the start of June and they’ll hope to achieve a similar result this weekend.
Verdict: Glasdrumman
AGHADERG V EAST BELFAST
Friday, Aghaderg, 7.15pm
WHEN the split in the league arrived, East Belfast were operating in the top tier while Aghaderg were struggling in the bottom so East Belfast will hold no fear of their away day trip this weekend.
Verdict: East Belfast
GROUP 2
ARDGLASS V ST MICHAEL’S
Friday, Ardglass, 7.15pm
ST MICHAEL’S failed to pick up a single point in the entire league campaign and while Ardglass didn’t trouble the promotion stakes, they should have too much for Friday’s opponents.
Verdict: Ardglass
DRUMANESS V KILCLIEF
Friday, Drumaness, 7.15pm
THESE teams finished with identical records in Division Four with seven wins and four draws from their 11 outings. In such an even affair, home advantage could just swing it in the favour of Drumaness.
Verdict: Drumaness
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