The Playr-Fit Championship never disappoints – and twists in the title race weren’t the only piece on the agenda this weekend.
At the summit, Dundela succumbed to a heavy defeat that invited those among the chasing pack to close the gap; an opportunity taken gleefully by all three of their closest challengers.
A simultaneous 4-0 victory for Bangor on Friday night means that just two points split the top two in the division, while a further couple separate the overachieving Seasiders from third-placed Portadown and Institute in fourth, who both clinched key wins on Saturday.
Those results also had a major bearing on the race for a top-six place, with that triumph for Lee Feeney’s men – inspired by a Scott McArthur brace either side of half-time and finishes from Bens Cushnie and Arthurs at the start and end of the second half – coming at the expense of Ballyclare Comrades, who cling onto sixth despite the threat of being overtaken.
Comrades boss Stephen Small was likely breathing a sigh of relief when the following day’s full-time scores came in; Ballinamallard United would have leapfrogged his side and jumped into the top half with victory over the Ports, but the east Antrim men were spared that outcome after Callum Moorehead’s opener was cancelled out by Jamie Browne and Dougie Wilson goals in a 2-1 win for the visitors at Ferney Park.
Newington, who enjoyed a 4-0 rout of Niall Currie’s Portadown at Shamrock Park in the week, also could’ve got to within a point of Ballyclare, however Michael Harris and Mikhail Kennedy hit the target for Institute and kept the Drumahoe outfit’s title charge ticking over while keeping a fired-up opponent at bay.
Small wasn’t done a favour by Dundela, though, and the east Belfast side’s bogey team are equally one of the league’s form sides.
If Annagh United’s campaign has been something of a slow burner, they’re picking up momentum now – and a formidable record against the Duns was bolstered on Friday with a fine 4-0 triumph.
The goal-filled 6-2 reversal Ciaran McGurgan’s men suffered at Wilgar Park in the previous meeting is the only blot on an otherwise perfect record against this opposition since the Portadown club’s return to the second-tier in 2021.
Friday night’s runaway triumph, led by goals from Kris Calvert, Callum Ferris, James Convie and Darragh Stewart at the BMG Arena, was their ninth win in 10 over the current division leaders, scoring an absurd 33 times in that span.
It’s also the Tandragee Road institution’s fifth game unbeaten, bagging 11 points in the process, and ensures they sit just a point behind Ballyclare with a match in hand.
Representing the Championship in the promotion play-off in the last two seasons, it would seem Annagh, who count quality in the form of Craig Taylor, Ruairi McDonald and Stephen Murray in their ranks, still have unfinished business and are saving their best for last in what has been a tumultuous term.
They’ve spent much of 2023/24 in the bottom half of the standings, key men Ryan Swan and Ryan Moffatt both sustained horrific injuries that have kept them out long-term, while sitting floodwater amid stormy conditions back in November almost saw them depart their home venue before they salvaged the situation in quick time.
Right now, though, and only nine points from third with nine games to play, McGurgan can have no grounds for complaint as his troops march onwards.
With Dundela unable to go up, third-place could be a play-off if they fail to win the league… Annagh couldn’t do it again, could they?
Featured image from Annagh United FC Media.
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