LINFIELD boss David Jeffrey swept accusations of kidology aside and offered his “congratulations” to Cliftonville, prior to tomorrow’s potential championship decider against Glentoran.
Jeffrey’s side travel to Coleraine, knowing a win could take the title chase to the final match, should Cliftonville lose to the Irish Cup finalists.
Yet Jeffrey has conceded.
“At training we talk about claiming the runners-up spot. We never thought we’d be in this situation this season and we regard it as a very successful one.
“All season we have waited on Cliftonville’s bottle going, for them to lose and draw and lose and draw and they have proved everyone wrong.
“I accepted that we lost any chance of winning the title after drawing with Crusaders while Cliftonville beat Omagh.''
“Once again they were put to the test and again they bounced back from defeat.
“Can anyone really imagine a full house at Solitude, watching Cliftonville play against an understrength Glens side, blow the championship after all they have been through this season?''
TYRONE will have to complete their National Hurling League campaign without top scorer Eamon Devlin.
The outstanding attacker has left for a spell in America, and will be a huge loss for this Sunday’s Division 2B clash with Louth at Omagh.
“It’s a big blow to lose our best scoring forward” said manager Brendan Harkin.
“He has been very consistent and we have always been able to rely on him to get scores, not just this season, but over a number of seasons. “He has been exceptional in the current league campaign, especially in the Kildare game, with his scores helped us to a great victory.” Tyrone: M Ward, M Hegarty, C McKenny, D Molloy, D McCallion, E Hughes, K Cunningham, V Owens, M McErlean, T Colton, P Devlin, M Kelly, P Kerr, T McCann, B McIntosh.
Local rider Robert Patton gave his supporters plenty to shout about at Loughanmore on Wednesday by riding two well fancied winners for his father Willie writes Frank Bracken.
Jim’s Choice won the Open and Mourne Minor was declared the winner of the fifth race when Beccas Rose was disqualified. A
Killymoon professional Gary Chambers, a last minute entrant, has booked himself a spot in the Grand Final of the £75,000 Glenmuir Club Professionals’ Championship in June writes Tony McGee.Chambers only discovered on Wednesday that he hadn’t entered yesterday’s Irish Region qualifier at Co Louth but was accepted into the competition at that late stage and made full use of his good luck.
He shot a two-under-par 71 to slot into second spot and get among the seven Irish qualifiers.
THE boxing hopes of the Bogside will rest on the young shoulders of Ger McGilloway of the Oak Leaf club in tomorrow’s finals of the Irish Boys Championships at the National Stadium in Dublin.
Young McGilloway, a tall and calculated operator, reached the finals with a narrow 10-7 win over Anthony Crampton of the St Broughan’s club.
Against John Shaw of Dungarvan he will be meeting a similar type of boxer, they are both around the same height but Shaw shows a slightly higher degree of aggression.
Robert Adams of the Saints Club also reached tomorrow’s finals but he had a terrific battle with Frank O’Malley of Swinford before doing so.
Adams was in fact behind in the early stages but rallied well in the final round to take the contest 15-14. Adams will take on the strong South Meath boxer Frank Campbell in the finals.
