ACL Div 1: Relegation battle

With just three rounds remaining, and Cargin virtually home and hosed as league champions once again, all the interest surrounds the battle to avoid relegation. There are multiple permutations with as many as six clubs in the fray, but realistically St Paul’s (10), Portglenone (11) and St Brigid’s and Ahoghill (both on 12 pts) are the most vulnerable. Things will be somewhat clearer after this Wednesday’s round of matches, which sees St Paul’s host Ahoghill in a crunch four pointer. Defeat for the Shaws Road side could well seal their fate given their last two matches are away to Cargin and Creggan combined with their negative score aggregate. The narrow league margins show just how important our home win was on Sunday night. That is particularly so, as we now face three difficult away ties starting with a trip to Toome – where the league leaders Cargin are virtually impregnable – followed by Ahoghill and St John’s. A close eye will be kept on the result from the Moneyglass home tie with struggling Portglenone, who can leapfrog out of the bottom two should results go their way that night. The Bannsiders would then have two home matches against Creggan and St Gall’s. A home win for Moneyglass on Wednesday would best suit Naomh Brid. It’s all to play for and the odds are that the relegation battle will go right to the final round.