Horeswood set for battle

ONE OF the most unusual aspects of both Intermediate championship finals this coming weekend is that none of the four contestants actually featured in the grade last year.

That’s because both deciders involve the side relegated from Senior in 2017 against the Intermediate ‘A’ titleholders, and in the case of football that will pit Horeswood against Crossabeg-Ballymurn in Saturday’s Amber Springs/Ashdown Park Hotels-sponsored clash in Innovate Wexford Park (2 p.m.).

There’s another close resemblance to the hurling equivalent too, given that the New Ross District men, like Cloughbawn, have fallen on hard times after a long, successful spell as a Senior outfit, whereas Crossabeg-Ballymurn are a club on a notable upward curve.

Indeed, their rise has been one of the stories of this decade on the domestic scene, bearing in mind that they won the lowest grade of football as recently as 2011 at the expense of St. James’.

The Junior ‘A’ crown followed at the first attempt in 2012 versus Clongeen, with Junior honours added two years later after a replay against Rathgarogue-Cushinstown.

In actual fact, this will be an incredible seventh county final appearance in eight campaigns, as they lost the Junior and Intermediate ‘A’ deciders of 2013 and 2015 respectively to St. Joseph’s.

Their only year without a final appearance was in 2016 when Cloughbawn beat them in the Intermediate ‘A’ semi-final, but they bounced back last season to see off Naomh Eanna after extra-time and join the second tier of club football for the first time ever.

Given that level of consistency and rate of progress, perhaps onlookers shouldn’t have been surprised that they beat HWH-Bunclody in Saturday’s semi-final.

However, what really made everyone sit up and take notice was the emphatic margin of the victory against a team which brought Kilanerin to extra-time in last year’s decider.

Indeed, with Horeswood labouring for long periods before a late surge finally caught St. Mary’s (Rosslare), it’s fair to say that Crossabeg-Ballymurn are the form team going into this game.

Their hurling quarter-final exit to St. James’ was a big blow, but in hindsight it has been a blessing in disguise regarding their football hopes as it has given them time to concentrate fully on this code.

They are young, physically strong in key areas, fearless and talented, with the Devereux brothers, the

Foleys, Sam Kelly and Seamus Carroll all boasting impressive football pedigrees.

Horeswood also bring youthful exuberance to the table in the form of new addition Jamie Myler plus his county Under-20 colleague Seán Nolan, but they have a big reliance on the older guard too as captain P.J. Banville has been joined for their knockout engagements by London football boss Ciarán Deely and Darren O’Reilly, who has coached Kilrossanty to the Waterford Senior final.

Remarkably, he was in action, along with fellow stalwart Leigh O’Brien, all of 24 years ago when Horeswood lost this particular final to St. Martin’s.

It would take another four years before they made it to the Senior ranks at the expense of St. James’ in 1998, and what followed was a golden period for the club as top flight glory followed in 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2011.

They lost their status to Sarsfields last year, but their bid for a quick return has also been boosted by the return of both Johnny Keating and Declan Murphy from injury.

Another key man in their ranks is speed merchant David Larkin, one of the most under-rated footballers in the county.

Will their vast experience be enough to see off the youthful exuberance of a Crossabeg-Ballymurn side that they pipped by 2-11 to 0-16 in their group game in Tagoat in April?

It should be, but not by much, and don’t rule out another surprise result in this one as the Wexford District contenders are clearly on a roll.