Crucial weekend in FAI Junior Cup

Five Limerick District League sides will be in action in the FAI Junior Cup fourth round this weekend. Four Limerick sides will be away with just one side handed a home draw. Ballynanty will not be in action this weekend, despite remaining in the competition, as  Muirhevna Mor and Drogheda Town have to play their third round tie first. 

Newport are the only Limerick side with home advantage this weekend as they welcome Carbury FC of Sligo. Newport have a great set-up at Derryleigh Park following renovations to the pitches and clubhouse which is befitting of such a big game for the club. Newport are currently chasing promotion from Limerick’s third tier and will be relishing the opportunity of reaching the next round. Carbury are in superb form heading into the game with 15 consecutive victories following an 8-2 win over Merville United. The game will take place at 2pm on Sunday. 

On Saturday, two Limerick sides will plenty of experience at this stage of the competition are on their travels as Aisling Annacotty travel to Cork to face Blarney while Regional travel to Kerry to face Killarney Celtic with 3pm and 7pm starts respectively. Blarney are currently sixth in their own division which is identical to Mike Aherne’e Annacotty side. 

Killarney Celtic will be an exceptionally tough test for Regional, although the Dooradoyle club are in great form in the league despite still sitting outside the top three places. The recent influx of former Limerick FC players has enhanced the squad significantly. Killarney had a 6-1 league win last weekend as well as a recent 4-1 win over Killorglin in the Munster Junior Cup. Killarney reached the last four in 2016 after beating Janesboro 2-1. 

Pike Rovers face St. Kevins Boys on Sunday (2pm) in Dublin. Mick Sheil’s men will be aware of how tough a challenge they face against the famous football nursery. However, the Limerick side will still go into the game as favourites. The Hoops will need key players like goalkeeper Gary Neville and central midfielder Steven McGann to be on top form to earn the victory in the capital 

Geraldines will have the longest trip as they face Glengad of Donegal on Sunday at the earlier time of 12pm. The Dines will be looking for another cup victory after knocking out a fancied Janesboro in the Munster Junior Cup last weekend. Donie Curtin and Karl Turner scored the vital goals in a 2-1 win. Geraldines reached the quarter final under Paul O’Donnell in 2014 but haven’t threatened to reach those heights since until now. 

Locally, in the PJ Matthews Premier League, Janesboro host Ballynanty at Pearse Stadium (11am) in a crucial game in the title race. Janesboro will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing exit in the Munster Junior Cup last weekend, a competition they reached the final of last season. All concentration will be on the league for Aidan Ryan and Shane O’Hanlon as the club are now out of both national competitions. Retaining the league for a third successive season would be a big achievement. On the other hand, Ballynanty will be looking to put pressure on Pike and their opponents with a victory following last weekend’s frustrating 2-2 home draw with Fairview. However, if Janesboro win, it looks increasingly like aa two horse race for the league crown. 

In the premier division’s other fixtures, Prospect face Kilmallock in a crucial game at the bottom of the table. The winner can put daylight between themselves and the bottom two while sending their opponents deeper into the mire. Prospect were beaten by relegation rivals Nenagh last week and can ill afford a repeat on Sunday. Fairview Rangers host Carew Park following an impressive display against Ballynanty. With the likes of AJ O’Connor, Ross Mann, Adam Frahill and Jamie Enright in the ranks, Jason Purcell has the nucleus of a strong outfit.