All still to play for in final group stage games

THE picture in the Fermanagh SFC and IFC will become a lot clearer after this weekend as the round robin phase of the competition comes to a close.

By Sunday evening we will know which sides are straight through to the semi-finals and the make up of the quarter finals as well as who will contest the dreaded relegation play offs.

In the SFC, top place in Group A will be decided in Garrison when Derrygonnelly take on Erne Gaels.

Currently, the Harps hold top spot by a point from Erne Gaels but a win for the Belleek men would see them leapfrog Derrygonnelly into top spot and secure their place in the semi-final of the competition.

Anything other than an Erne Gaels win will see Derrygonnelly claim top spot.

Defeat for Erne Gaels on Saturday would then open the door for Belnaleck to possibly claim second spot and with that a home tie in the quarter final against third place in Group B. Belnaleck currently are on one point but if they win against Teemore and Erne Gaels are beaten it would leave the two sides level on three points.

As the sides played out a draw in their game, the head to head would not decide who finishes second and it would come down to highest total score for to decide which team claims second spot.

Pointless Teemore though will know that if they can beat Belnaleck then they would avoid the relegation play off and qualify in third place for the quarter finals, sending Belnaleck into the relegation game in the process.

In Group B, matters are clearer. Kinawley and Enniskillen will face off in Tempo to decide who finishes first and second in the group while in the other game in the group Ederney and Roslea will battle it out for that third place and a spot in the quarter finals while the loser will go into the relegation play off against the bottom team in Group A.

In the IFC, Devenish have already clinched their spot in the knockout stages but they will be aiming to finish in top spot when they take on Belcoo.

A win or draw for the Garrison outfit would be enough to seal first place. Belcoo need to win if they are to have any chance of finishing top and going straight into the semi-final.

If Belcoo win and Derrylin lose, Belcoo will top the group courtesy of head-to-head against Devenish with both sides finishing on four points.

But if both Derrylin and Belcoo win there will be three teams on four points and the places will be decided on the score difference in the games between the three teams.

In terms of finishing bottom, if Maguiresbridge and Devenish win, three teams will be on two points and the bottom side will be decided by head-to-head score difference.

A Derrylin win and Belcoo loss would see the O’connell’s finish in second place.

In Group B, Tempo have booked a semi-final spot while Lisnaskea will finish bottom and go into the relegation play-off.

Tempo’s earlier victories over Irvinestown and St. Pat’s giving them the advantage over these two teams.

Therefore, Irvinestown and St. Pat’s will battle it out to see who will finish second and secure a home quarter-final.

Whoever wins this game and Tempo losing will not be enough to move the Maguires from top spot due to their better head-to-head.

So while in Group A there are a number of various scenarios that can play out in the final round of fixtures, Group B has a more settled outlook with second and third place only up for grabs.