Bective’s Con Smith and Dunderry’s Niall O Laoire will hope to move away from IFC relegation worries when they take on Oldcastle and St Michael’s respectively. Photo: David Mullen/www.cyberimages.net

Nerves on edge as relegation scrap hots up

Jimmy Geoghegan

Published: Fri 8 Sep 2023, 10:40 AM

IFC RELEGATION

PREVIEWS

This is one competition teams want to avoid like the plague - the relegation play-off - but eight teams find themselves trying to avoid getting sucked further into the mire. The list includes a few teams that would have hoped to go far.

Drumbaragh against Longwood is one of the fixtures down for decision on Thursday evening at Carnaross. The Drums go into this encounter as favourites to win if only because they at least won one of their group games defeating Oldcastle 1-11 to 0-12. Also encouraging for them is the fact they put it up to O'Mahonys scoring scoring 3-7 although the Navan side bagged 2-18. Longwood lost all their Group C matches and look destined to lose out here.

Blackhall Gaels take on Nobber in Paddy O'Brien Park, also on Thursday. Both sides have really struggled with Blackhall Gaels losing all their games so far while Nobber did at least win one, although that was only a one-point victory over struggling Longwood, 2-11 to 1-13. The north Meath side can win here and move away from the mire.

Two teams who will be going all out to escape a relegation scrap on Friday night will be Dunderry and St Michael's. They are due to meet in Moynalty's superb home ground. Dunderry are perhaps suffering from the fact that a large amount of their players are playing in the SHC. After losing all their group games in the IFC, Dunderry's morale must be on the ground and that's not the kind of situation you want to be in going into a game against St Michael's.

The Saints at least got a win in Group B defeating Blackhall Gaels (0-10 to 0-8) and they did provide a real test for Duleek/Bellewstown only losing 1-10 to 0-15. That all suggests they should defeat Dunderry with a bit to spare. On Sunday at Drumbaragh, Bective and Oldcastle are pencilled in for a right old royal scrap. Bective fell apart in their last group game against Meath Hill but they will surely regroup for this encounter. They will have to as Oldcastle are sure to present a formidable challenge. Despite injury problems Bective should do enough to get across the line.

Nerves will be jangling as the trapdoor threatens, at least in theory, for all teams involved.