10MATCH DAN IS HAPPY TO PITCH FOR A PLACE AT TOP TABLE

Jublilee Park win sees Slane play first game of 2018 as new boys keep them in the mix

MONEYSLANE will be more than happy if they finish the season as “the best of the rest”.

The Intermediate A title race has, for so long, been shaping up to be a dog-fight between Dollingstown, Crewe and Banbridge Rangers.

The Jubilee Park outfit are currently tucked in just behind that trio – a point behind the Gers.

And with Hanover among a number of others harbouring ambitions of crashing that party, there’s so much football still to be played in Mid-ulster’s top flight.

A 4-1 win over Camlough Rovers on Saturday kept Slane upwardly mobile and saw them open a fourpoint gap on Windmill Stars in fifth.

Saturday’s win at Jubilee Park was the first time Thornton’s side have been able to kick a ball in anger this year.

You have to go back to the middle of December for their previous outing – a thumping win also against the South Armagh men.

The hosts were able to hand debuts to new boys Steven Glasgow and Karol Jarosinski at the weekend.

For boss Dan Thornton, whose side (above) haven’t lost since the end of November, it was a further sign of the progress they’ve been making again this season.

“Saturday was the first game of football for us since the last time we played Camlough,” he said. “We were very rusty and the first half was as poor as we’ve been all season.

“But we changed things a bit at half-time and came into the game a lot more in the second half and I thought we deserved our win.

“Camlough have been very unlucky in games and they put it up to you. Fiona has them well set up and they make things difficult.

“It’s been a frustrating period with matches being called off and Saturday was touch and go as well. But full credit to the groundsmen, there was snow on the pitch on Friday but they worked so hard and got the pitch playable.”

This weekend they’re looking to play back-to-back matches when they travel to Fivemiletown United.

The sides have met twice already this season – with a win apiece.

And Thornton is well aware that his players will need to be at their best once again when they get to Cooneen Road. He added: “We will go there with a couple more players hopefully back from injury.

“We’ve added four players over the past five or six weeks and they’ve all given us a lift.

“Steven had a brilliant debut on Saturday and Karol scored with his first touch so you can’t do any better than that!

“Stuarty Adams and Ryan Graham have both also settled