Conn Kilpatrick ruled the skies and banged in two goals as Edendork won a crucial relegation battle to ensure their survival in the cut-throat arena of Tyrone Division One football.
A 2-12 to 2-9 win over Clonoe pushed the O’Rahilly’s into the relegation play-off, where they could come up against derby rivals Coalisland, who they are also due to meet in the first round of the championship.
Sunday’s final round of games sees crucial ties for a number of clubs. Errigal Ciaran and Dungannon look set to seal their places in the semi-finals, with the other two pots to be contested by Galbally, Carrickmore and Killyclogher, with Dromore still not out of contention.
At the other end of the table, Eglish, who picked up their first win in midweek at the 13th attempt, defeating Omagh, have a slim chance of avoiding relegation.
- Errigal Ciaran set to be without Tyrone back for championship openerOpens in new window
- Dromore search for consistency ahead of Tyrone Championship suffers setback in stalemate with Errigal CiaranOpens in new window
- Clonoe manager Kevin Madden admits intensity of Tyrone league has been “an eye-opener”Opens in new window
They have a game in hand, and must beat Killyclogher tonight (Fri) to set up a decisive clash with Coalisland on Sunday, the loser of which would be relegated without even a reprieve through the play-offs.
But for Edendork, the sighs of relief were palpable at Pairc Arthur Mallon, where midfielder Kilpatrick laid on an outstanding display of high fielding, attacking power and clinical finishing, hitting 2-2, with his Tyrone team-mate Darren McCurry chipping in with eight points.
“We knew what Clonoe were going to bring, they have been knocking on the door a long time, but at the end of the day, we needed the two points as much as they did, and we knew that if we got them, we would set ourselves up top stay up in the league, and now we can look forward to the championship,” said Kilpatrick.
He feels that the St Malachy’s would not have been drawn into the relegation struggle had it not been for a rash of injuries to key players which depleted an already small squad.
“It’s no secret that we’ve had it difficult this year with big players being out through injury, but it’s like any team, you have boys there to step up and come in and take their place and fight for the jersey.
“Thankfully there’s boys that don’t make the headlines, like Rian Nelis and Decy Cullen and Conor Cullen, who are winning break balls and breaking lines and getting on the end of scores that we need.
“We can’t rely on Darren up front to score everything for us, it’s about getting that one or two extra per cent from everybody else that gets us over the line.”
Now manager Conleith Gilligan and his team, with the pressure valve released, can focus on the championship and a first-round clash with Ardboe in just over two weeks time.
Last year Edendork lost a quarter-final by a single point to eventual champions Trillick, a game they feel they should have won.
“That loss against Trillick last year hurt. We were fully confident going in, as we are in every game, that we have the players in the squad to take on anybody in Division One.
“I think that anybody that comes up against us knows that we have a bit of quality up front and in the back line, with Niall Morgan playing back there, so we’ll look forward to the championship.”
First-round opponents Ardboe, following a strong finish to the league, will be difficult opponents in the O’Neill Cup opener, but Edendork feel they have unfinished business from 2023 to attend to.
“We played them in the league, and we probably stole a draw that day, if we’re being honest, so we know what we’re going to get on that day, so we have to go back to training and brush up on a few tactics.
“It’s good to look forward to the championship now and get a rest for a couple of days.”
