Football

All Saints' hoping to stop the rot against St Teresa's in Antrim

Sean McVeigh will be crucial to All Saints' hopes if they are to spring a surprise on St Teresa's on Sunday Picture by Colm O'Reilly
Sean McVeigh will be crucial to All Saints' hopes if they are to spring a surprise on St Teresa's on Sunday Picture by Colm O'Reilly Sean McVeigh will be crucial to All Saints' hopes if they are to spring a surprise on St Teresa's on Sunday Picture by Colm O'Reilly

WHEN All Saints' hammered St Teresa’s in mid-May, they might have thought things were looking up, but that was the beginning of their troubles.

Things haven’t been going particularly well for Felix McQuillan’s side in their first senior campaign in more than two decades. They are already relegated back to intermediate for next year and have lost more than a third of the side who won them promotion, for various reasons.

In the likes of Sean McVeigh, Paddy McAleer and promising young stalwart Eoin Campbell, they have enough to trouble any team on their day, but they will travel to Ahoghill on Sunday afternoon as underdogs. St Teresa’s will not need reminded of the defeat they suffered at the Ballymena side’s hands earlier in the year and the Glen Road side will start as favourites to progress to a meeting with St John’s.

Last season’s intermediate champions Glenavy make their step up to senior championship against Portglenone in the second game of that Ahoghill double-header, from which the half-time draw proceeds will be donated to help former Roger Casement’s player Kevin Carey’s battle against a brain tumour.

Glenavy claimed the intermediate title for the first time in 19 years last year and have achieved their first objective of retaining their top-flight status for another year. They will look to Niall McCann and Michael McCourt up front, but Portglenone will fancy Niall McKeever to dominate the middle and help them progress to the last-eight, where the winners will take on St Gall’s.

The final game of the weekend will see Belfast rivals O’Donovan Rossa and St Brigid’s face-off at the home of the winners’ next opponents, Lámh Dhearg. There will, no doubt, be plenty of scouting Hannahstown eyes dotted around as Paul Close takes his 17 dual players back into action hoping their heavy schedule of games doesn’t count against Rossa.

Conor McClelland (broken nose), Chris McGuinness (hamstring) and Eoghan O’Neill (honeymoon) are missing for Rossa. The sides drew in the league, but St Brigid’s are embroiled in a relegation battle that will take most of their focus, leaving the path clear for Rossa to go through.