Over-35 quarter-final places still up for grabs
WITH ONLY one round of league games remaining in the Richie Dwyer Memorial Over-35 soccer competition, the line-ups for the quarter-finals still remain to be resolved.
In Group A, Corach Ramblers lead the way and, barring a defeat away to Campile in their last game, they will be assured of a home draw in the last eight.
Taghmon United in second place are not yet fully assured of a home draw either, as a victory for Campile would mean they also need to win, while a Campile draw would mean they can’t afford to lose as they would be pushed into third palce and would be away in the quarter-final.
Interestingly, Taghmon are away to Ross Celtic who can qualify themselves for the playoffs but, should they be beaten, then the Duncannon versus St. Leonards game could be hugely significant as the winners of that one could very well sneak into the final play-off place.
A draw for Ross Celtic may be enough to see them through should the Duncannon versus Leonards game also end in a draw, but should Celtic draw and Leonards win, then Leonards would take the final place.
Should Duncannon win and Celtic draw, then it could very well come down to goal difference to see who takes the final play-off place.
Group A is finely balanced and next Friday will tell all.
What we do know is that Corach, Taghmon and Campile are through, although the finishing order is yet to be decided, and the fourth qualifying place will go to Ross Celtic, St. Leonards or Duncannon.
Therefore, all three games in Group A on Friday could have a huge say in who goes through to the knockout stages.
In Group B, the impressive Shamrock Rovers are group winners and are assured of the home draw in the play-offs.
Forth Celtic in second place are all but assured of the runner-up position and will also have the home draw.
Fastnet Rovers will finish third barring some strange results in the final round of games, and Rosslare Rangers will also qualify in fourth position.
The quarter-finals will see the top two teams in each group get a home draw.
The draw will see A team 1 v. B team 4, A team 2 v. B team 3, A team 3 v. B team 2, and A team 4 v. B team 1.
As previously mentioned, teams one and two will have home advantage and extra-time and penalties will apply.
Before all the drama of the final round of fixtures, the quarter-final of the shield will take place on Tuesday, July 10.
Results - Group A: St. Leonards 2, Ross Celtic 0; Campile United 1, Taghmon United 1; Corach Ramblers 4, Duncannon 3.
Group B: Shamrock Rovers 2, Fastnet Rovers 0; Forth Celtic 1, Kilmore United 0; Rosslare Rangers 7, All Blacks 1.
Fixtures - shield quarter-finals (Tuesday): Fastnet Rovers v. Corach Ramblers; St. Leonards v. All Blacks; Forth Celtic v. Ross Celtic; Rosslare Rangers v. Kilmore United.
Friday, July 13 - Group A: Duncannon v. St. Leonards; Ross Celtic v. Taghmon United; Campile United v. Corach Ramblers; Group B: Kilmore United v. Rosslare Rangers; Fastnet Rovers v. Forth Celtic; All Blacks v. Shamrock Rovers.