The WDFL adventure is underway
49 days. Approximately 1,176 hours or 784 football matches back-to-back. That’s how long it was between Avonmore closing the curtain on the 2017/18 WDFL season by lifting the Youths Shield and Shamrock Celtic & Carnew kicking-off the 2018/19 campaign last Sunday.
A total of 28 teams from 22 clubs will make up the three senior leagues of the WDFL.
There are six sides in the Andy McEvoy Premier who will face each other three times.
In the Pat O’Toole Division One, there will be 10 teams battling it out and many of those are clubs that have spent time away from the Garden County in recent times and are warmly welcomed back.
Division 3 is the most densely populated as there will be different managers hoping to orchestrate their players to the title.
There are eight teams committed to the U-18 Youths section.
In the Andy McEvoy, all eyes will be on new boys Glencormac United and Arklow United A as the top two from last season’s Division One look to make the step-up. The Ferndale Park men clinched the league title in dramatic fashion while the Glens pipped them to the cup and also made the final of the Wicklow Cup for the first time in their history.
In Division One, the red carpet has been laid out for St. Anthony’s, Wicklow Rovers and Rathnew AFC as they all return to compete in the Garden County once again having been away for different reasons. Arklow United B will also be under pressure as they enter the second tier as Division 3 champions.
As for the third tier, Arklow Town, Coolboy Rangers, Dargle Rovers and Avonmore B also reappear after an absence.
While all 28 teams will be gunning to get the best of each other in both league and cup competitions, they will all unite to cheer on the county representative sides and Co. Wicklow will be entering a side in both the Oscar Traynor Trophy and the FAI Youth Interleague.
We wish managers Trevor O’Brien (Oscar Traynor) and Darragh Keenan and John Belmont (Youths) and their backroom staff every success this season.
As always, the 2018/19 season will produce highs and lows. It will produce winners and losers. It will produce memorable moments and unsavoury ones. It will produce stunning goals and woeful blunders. It will be the reason you’re happy to stay in on a Saturday night and the reason you’ll want to go out on a Sunday. There’ll be postponements, abandonments, penalty shoot-outs and controversial decisions with some troubling weather thrown in for the fixtures secretary enjoyment.
All aboard for the 2018/19 rollercoaster. CLIFTON Conyard knows that his side’s scalp is highly sought after and he relishes it.
The Ashford Rovers boss has been instrumental in the Ballinalea Park outfit’s trophy cabinet multiplying in recent years and he has no intentions of slowing down as his side prepare to begin battle on many, many fronts this term.
They were the stand-out side in the top flight after a disastrous start but the Andy McEvoy Premier champions fell short in the knock-out competitions, something Conyard is hoping to improve on in 2018/19. Despite not lifting a cup, proving to the best side over a league campaign is always extremely pleasing for any manager.
“It was a great season for us. We won the league after losing our first game 6-1 at home then to go unbeaten in league for the remainder of the season was unreal. To go to St. Peter’s on a Friday night and not only win but to win 8-2, to go to Tallaght and win 2-1, to go to Carnew