Derby affair sure to go down to the wire
Editorial Department • Published 16 Aug 2012 13:00
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If league form this season was anything to go by going into this game, then Lisnaskea would go in as hot favourites. However, this is a derby game where the form book is likely to be thrown out of the window at Brewster Park, in a game that could go either way.
Lisnaskea come into this quarter-final having seen off Devenish in the last round, and will fancy themselves here in what has been a good season so far for the Emmetts. Overall this season, they have looked like a strong outfit, and are likely to be a tough nut to crack in this year's championship.
However, they have endured a very hit and miss time of late in the league, with the latest setback being a defeat to Teemore. They could be forgiven for having one eye on Friday night's game, but will want to make sure there is no repeat of that Teemore performance in Enniskillen this weekend.
They come into this one without the suspended Mark Little, who is often a pivotal figure for them, and he is likely to be a big loss. Little was sent off against Newtown when the sides met earlier this month. Lisnaskea came out on top in that one, but that is likely to have no bearing on the final outcome here with all to play for. They have plenty of players elsewhere who have shone this season though, and will be hoping for similar here.
Newtown, in stark contrast to their neighbours, have had a very poor season by their standards so far, and find themselves lingering at the bottom on Division one. They were slightly fortunate to beat a resilient Irvinestown side in the last round of the championship as well.
However, they will need no motivation at all going into this derby match, and are sure to make it a very tight contest. They have had their fair share of injuries and suspensions this season, but they know they simply haven't been good enough this campaign, and will want to put that right against Lisnaskea.
They come into the game without their vice-captain Paul Johnston, who suffered a bad knee injury against Belcoo, and are also likely to be without Chris Reilly and James Connolly. Like Lisnaskea though, they have plenty of match winners of their own, so this match is sure to be tasty affair.
Lisnaskea manager Mark Henry is expecting a tough encounter. He said, "It's a local derby, so it's going to be very difficult. We started the season well, but in the last month or so we haven't had that same fluency, and we're very aware it's going to be a tough game."
Newtown manager Micky Fox is hoping that his side can book their place in the semis. He said, "We've had plenty of injuries of late, and we're going into this one with a few key men missing, but we'll go out there and give it a lash, and see where that takes us come the end of the game."
This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 16 Aug 12
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