Down Senior Football Championship quarter-final: Bryansford v Glenn (Sunday, Mayobridge, 5pm)
TWO clubs determined to rekindle bygone glory days clash for a semi-final spot in what should be an intriguing tussle at Mayobridge.
Glenn won three senior titles in five years between 1959 and 1963 but the John Michel’s club have been to only one final (1981) since. Meanwhile, Bryansford had golden eras in the 1940s and ‘70s but have won just one more county crown in 47 years and flirted with relegation from senior level repeatedly in recent seasons.
Managed Jim Magorrian, a member of 2003 championship-winning side, Bryansford are back at the quarter-final stage for the first time since 2020 and that run four years’ ago began with victory over a Glenn side that was back in senior football after winning the intermediate title in 2019.
This year’s campaign began with victory over Saul and it was followed up by an extra-time success against Shane Mulholland’s Ballyholland.
“I told the lads: ‘We were a good championship team back in the ‘70s but we’re not a good championship team now, so it’s up to us to roll up the sleeves and try and change that’,” explained the Bryansford manager.
“Thankfully the boys have done that by winning two tight games that could have gone either way. We’re glad to get back-to-back wins on the board.”
Meanwhile, Division Three champions Glenn lost by five points against Carryduff in their opener but have since shown their pedigree by beating Division One outfits Castlewellan and Clonduff. They were quarter-finalists in 2021, beating Bryansford on the way, and semi-finalists last year and Magorrian is well aware of the quality in the side.
“They’re not a Division Three team,” he said.
“They’re blessed with plenty of good footballers, county footballers like John O’Hare (goalkeeper) and ex-county footballers like Niall McParland and Shay Miller. They have plenty of experience and over the last four or five years they’ve had very good coaches in with them. They are well set-up, they know how to play their system and they’re very good at it.
“It was no surprise last year and again this year that they are hammering on at the championship. They were missing a couple of players against Clonduff and Jack McCartan was suspended so they’ll be stronger for us on Sunday and they’ve already beaten two Division One teams already. They’ll definitely fancy their chances.”
The bookies have Glenn – who accounted for Mayobridge to reach the semis last year - as favourites to progress on Sunday. But Bryansford showed their character by seeing off Ballyholland in extra-time in round two and, although Magorrian says his side go into this game as “clear underdogs”, the Newcastle outfit will do all they can to cause an upset.
“I’ve been telling the boys that this is just another game for us,” said Magorrian who has used 27 players in the two championship games so far.
“I don’t want them worrying about what the game is or, if we win, where it could take us. We’ll prepare as best we can and we’ll work hard and if we win the game, great, if not we’ll just have to learn from it.
“The bookies have them favourites but I think it’s literally a toss of a coin, there’s not really much in it. It’ll be interesting.”
Down Senior Football Championship quarter-final: Burren v Bredagh (Sunday, Liatroim, 3pm)
LAST year’s beaten finalists Burren had little trouble seeing off Liatroim (by 18 points) in round one and beat Mayobridge with six points to spare in round two.
After a torrid Division One campaign in which they finished second-from-bottom, Bredagh also started the championship on a positive note and beat Longstone by nine points. However, the Belfast side lost to city neighbours Carryduff by the same margin before bouncing back impressively to beat Loughinisland after extra-time last time out.