Cockhill Celtic can put a couple of fingers around the 4 Lanterns Ulster Senior League trophy on Sunday if they can defeat title rivals Letterkenny Rovers.
The top two meet at the Charlie O’Donnell Sports Grounds (2pm) in a game of reckoning with four matches remaining, including this weekend’s.
A win for Cockhill, who go into the fixture six points clear, would bring them to within a point of mathematically clinching a fifth title in-a-row; for Letterkenny, they are in must-win territory.
“I always felt that Letterkenny would be there or thereabouts. They have crept up on us. I think it’ll go to the wire,” was the verdict of a cautious Gavin Cullen, the Cockhill player-manager, this week.
“We’d be one step closer, but we’ve been talking about this for months: ‘You’re nearly there’. We’re not there and there is a lot of football left in the four games. It’s far from done and dusted and we never thought it was.
“Finn Harps Reserves should have beaten us last Sunday and every team we play are really up for the game. Every game is tough. We have a hard run-in, so we’re taking nothing for granted.”
Cockhill are set to be without Conor Keddy for the remainder of the season, with the midfielder set to head to Australia, while Cullen is already without Malachy McDermott, Johnny Havlin, Mark Moran and Daniel Doherty.
Winger Ronan Doherty limped out of Monday’s 3-1 loss to Finn Harps in the EA Sports Cup with a hamstring injury and is regarded as a doubt for the weekend, although Ryan Varma will be back in the panel.
Cullen said: “I have always talked about the depth of the squad – but I didn’t think I’d have to dig this deep!”
Cockhill might have wobbled on a couple of occasions since the Christmas break, but their work in the earlier part of the season – when Letterkenny stuttered – has put them in a position of real strength.
A Cockhill win would leave Rovers in the unlikely position of hoping for a play-off – for that to happen, though, they’d need to win all of their last three and Cockhill to lose all three of theirs.
Rovers, though, could really make for a grandstand finale with a win at the home of their rivals.
Cockhill have had the upper hand thus far, but there hasn’t been more than a goal between them. After a 2-2 draw in their first game, Cockhill won 3-2 in Letterkenny in the League while the Inishowen men also won the FAI Intermediate Cup First Round tie 1-0.
Cullen said: “This is a big game. It was great to be involved against Harps on Monday, but Sunday is what it’s about.
“It’ll be a different kind of test and we know that Letterkenny are a fantastic side.
“We have had the upper hand so far, but they have all been kick-of-a-ball games against them and Sunday will be no different. It’s probably must-win for Letterkenny, but we’d be happy to get anything.”
RESULTS
4 Lanterns Ulster Senior League
Sunday
Derry City Reserves 5 Fanad United 1
Swilly Rovers 1 Finn Harps Reserves 3
FIXTURES
4 Lanterns Ulster Senior League
Sunday, April 9, 2pm
Cockhill Celtic v Letterkenny Rovers
Derry City Reserves v Bonagee United
Finn Harps Reserves v Swilly Rovers
| USL | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
| Cockhill Celtic | 14 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 40 | 13 | 27 | 34 | * |
| Letterkenny Rovers | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 31 | 19 | 12 | 28 | |
| Derry City Reserves | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 30 | 22 | 8 | 22 | |
| Fanad United | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 22 | 21 | 1 | 21 | |
| Bonagee United | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 27 | -15 | 17 | * |
| Swilly Rovers | 13 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 17 | 33 | -16 | 9 | |
| Finn Harps Reserves | 14 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 14 | 31 | -17 | 8 | |
| * Cockhill Celtic awarded a 3-0 win after Derry City Reserves team deemed ineligible on Jan 22 | |||||||||
TOP GOALSCORERS (League goals only)
Cathal Farren (Derry City Reserves) 9
Darren McElwaine (Letterkenny Rovers) 9
Mark Moran (Cockhill Celtic) 6
Jimmy Bradley (Cockhill Celtic) 5
Laurence Toland (Swilly Rovers) 5
KNOCKALLA CUP SEMI-FINALS
Due to the Inishowen Leagues involvement in the Oscar Traynor competition on the 9th April, the following Knockalla Caravans Cup semi-finals will now take place on 23rd April 2107: Greencastle FC v Letterkenny Rovers; Glengad United v Cockhill Celtic.
The USL league game between Cockhill Celtic and Letterkenny Rovers, due to be played on 23rd April has now been brought forward to 9th April.
REMINDER TO CLUB PROS
Ulster Senior League club PROs are reminded about the match day protocol for submission of reports. Detailed reports are to be emailed to the League PRO BEFORE 6pm on match days.
Failure to comply will result in the home club being fined.
Some clubs have become extremely lax on this matter and clubs are asked to ensure that arrangements are in place to ensure reports are filed on time.
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