There is plenty of Friday night entertainment to look forward to in the Boyle Sports Championship this weekend, with six matches taking place before two more fixtures round off the action on Saturday.
The early stages of the season are beginning to take shape, with Newington setting the pace and several sides already looking to build momentum. Here’s what to look out for this weekend.
Ards vs Queen’s University
Ards will be looking to bounce back after suffering their first defeat of the season against Loughgall last weekend. It was a frustrating afternoon, particularly given that they were facing nine men for the closing stages, but their overall start has still been impressive.
Queen’s responded brilliantly to their defeat at Newington with a 4-1 win over Institute and have already shown they can cause teams problems. They are always a tricky match-up and will travel to Clandeboye Park believing they can get something.
Glenavon vs Rathfriland Rangers
This should be a comfortable night for Glenavon… right?
Michael O’Connor’s side would have been disappointed to draw at Armagh City last weekend, conceding a dramatic late equaliser after taking the lead twice. With promotion ambitions, they will expect a response.
Rathfriland remain without a point and face another extremely difficult test here. They will need to find something quickly, but Glenavon will see this as a big opportunity to get back to winning ways.
H&W Welders vs Dundela
An East Belfast derby adds plenty of extra interest to this one.
The Welders have picked up a couple of encouraging wins recently and will be hoping to use home advantage to continue building momentum. Dundela, meanwhile, are still searching for their first victory of the season.
The Duns have conceded exactly twice in each of their opening four league matches – a statistic they will desperately want to change. Tightening up defensively has to be the priority if they are to turn draws into wins.
Loughgall vs Warrenpoint Town
Loughgall showed plenty of fight to beat Ards last weekend, holding on for all three points despite having two players sent off during a dramatic finish.
The Villagers remain unbeaten and, with a strong and experienced squad, will fancy their chances of extending that run at home. They will be wary of Warrenpoint, though.
‘Point arguably produced the performance of last weekend, sweeping to a 3-0 derby victory away to Newry City. That result will have given them a huge boost and they will travel to Lakeview Park full of confidence.
Moyola Park vs Armagh City
This is one that genuinely could go either way.
Moyola have collected four points from their opening four games and will hope this fixture can be the start of a positive run. There have been encouraging moments, but they now need to find some consistency.
Armagh are still searching for their first win but showed real character to earn a point against Glenavon last weekend. If they can produce another performance of that level, they will believe their first victory is not far away.
Strabane Athletic vs Newington
Strabane are another promoted side who have shown plenty of promise without quite getting the results they would have wanted so far. They have just three points on the board, but there have been signs that they can compete at this level.
Newington, however, have been the standout side in the Championship during the opening weeks. Declan O’Hara’s team are setting the pace and will be determined to keep their impressive run going.
This is another significant test of just how far Strabane have come.
Ballinamallard United vs Annagh United (Saturday)
Ballinamallard’s season has been difficult to predict so far, with two wins and two defeats from their opening four matches. Finding greater consistency will be the priority as they look to establish Ferney Park as a difficult place to visit.
Annagh arrive in good form, having won their last four matches in all competitions, including a Mid-Ulster Cup victory. Confidence will be high, and they will be looking to extend that run.
This could be a good measure of where both sides are at in these early stages of the campaign.
Institute vs Newry City (Saturday)
Both sides need a response after disappointing results last weekend.
Institute’s 4-1 defeat to Queen’s University was a particularly difficult one, and they will be glad to return home as they look to get their season moving in the right direction.
It is a long trip for Newry City, whose 3-0 home defeat to Warrenpoint was a horrible showing. Stuart King will demand much more from his players, and this feels like a game where either side could come away with the points.
