A highly charged Playr-Fit Championship title race that is too close for comfort took a fresh twist in midweek when Dundela defeated Bangor at Wilgar Park – and the weekend fixture list could be make-or-break as far as promotion challenges and top-half ambitions are concerned.
That’s because the top six all face each other in a mouthwatering set of affairs half a dozen matchdays out from the split at the end of March.
It promises to be deciding and is headlined by the meeting of the pacesetters at the Brandywell as second-placed Institute host the league-leading Duns, who extended their advantage at the summit to four points with a game in hand thanks to a Jordan Jenkins-inspired 3-2 triumph on Tuesday night.
Bangor, who offered a reply to the Glentoran loanee’s hat-trick in the form of a brace by Ben Arthurs either side of half-time, will return to east Belfast to take on fifth-placed Harland and Wolff Welders, who lead Ballyclare Comrades on goal difference ahead of the Dixon Park side’s visit to Portadown on Friday night.
The race to consolidate a top-half placing will see pains and gains across Matchday 28, particularly as Annagh United (seventh), Ballinamallard United (eighth) and Newington (ninth) are all within reach.
Indeed, Annagh, who have contested the last two promotion play-offs, are on 40 points and within three of Ballyclare and the Welders at the time of writing.
Relegation-threatened Dergview are their adversaries, while the two teams directly below Ciaran McGurgan’s squad will face off at Inver Park determined to boost their chances of dining at the top table come the final five outings.
Excitement is at the heart of what makes the Championship such a darling of the football purist in Northern Ireland.
Anything can and ostensibly will happen, but even by the standards of entertainment routinely provided by the second-tier, this week has a real crunch feel to it.
And what may occur over the weekend, what rewards teams can prise is likely to be worth its weight in gold.
The battle between in the north west between the top two naturally stands out.
Victorious in January in a rearranged midweek bout at the Hen Run, Kevin Deery and his ‘Stute panel know it is must-not-lose given that all-important game in hand that Stephen Gourley’s Duns have. It is an ace in their pack and Institute, powered up top by sharp-shooters BJ Banda and Mikhail Kennedy, must maintain a poker face to cut the green-shirted outfit’s lead at the top to just a point.
Portadown may already have leapfrogged them, as victory over the Comrades would propel Niall Currie’s BetMcLean Cup Finalists provisionally into second spot and only a couple of points from Dundela before Saturday’s action.
Third-placed Bangor are level with the Ports points-wise (48) and will also have a keen eye on goings-on at Shamrock Park not only for what it may mean at the top, but also knowing Ballyclare (43), level with Paul Kee’s Welders, could close the margin behind and apply just that little bit more heat in the race.
It really is box-office stuff and unmissable purely for what it can mean for the bigger picture.
Featured image from Hammy McClements/Dundela FC Media.
- It’s unfair to put blame at feet of Linfield and Cliftonville for Irish Cup Final crowd disorder
A penny for the thoughts of Linfield and Cliftonville this week. This year’s Irish Cup Final was a spectacular in every sense. Nearly 15,000 packed inside Windsor Park for the biggest-attended domestic fixture in Northern Ireland this century and an occasion to savour that, for the most part, featured backing from both sides that supported… Read more: It’s unfair to put blame at feet of Linfield and Cliftonville for Irish Cup Final crowd disorder - Irish League chiefs must improve provisions in place to attract younger fans and families
Let’s get a basic fact of life out of the way first – no one likes a price hike. No one likes a price hike in the same way that no one likes paying taxes, bills, debts, insurance and other such necessary expenses which, in themselves, are rising amid a general rise in the cost… Read more: Irish League chiefs must improve provisions in place to attract younger fans and families - How the Irish FA’s new ‘Conference Layer’ for intermediate football can be big hit or own goal
Changes to the intermediate football sphere in Northern Ireland have long been touted and, going by the Irish FA’s latest update on the topic, closer than ever to coming to fruition. From the 2026-27 campaign, a new ‘Conference Layer’ will be in effect as part of a radical shake-up of the intermediate levels of the… Read more: How the Irish FA’s new ‘Conference Layer’ for intermediate football can be big hit or own goal - Steven McCullough’s crucial goal in relegation play-off seals him as a Ballymena United great
There’s been a change in priorities for Ballymena United during recent years – albeit not necessarily the type supporters would’ve perhaps wanted. In 2019, the Braidmen were the second best team in the Irish League. Runners-up behind Linfield that year, and just seven points adrift of top spot, the peak years of David Jeffrey’s tenure… Read more: Steven McCullough’s crucial goal in relegation play-off seals him as a Ballymena United great - Ending Cliftonville’s Irish Cup drought proves Jim can fix it… now he must target league glory
Finally, it’s Cliftonville’s year in the Irish Cup. An agonising waiting game ends at last and a drought that lasted 45 painful years is over in one burst of champagne rain. Since 1979, the Reds have contrived to fail in various ways in their pursuit of that elusive ninth Irish Cup – until a man… Read more: Ending Cliftonville’s Irish Cup drought proves Jim can fix it… now he must target league glory
Football Chatters 
Leave a comment