Down and out in Dunloy
Dunloy have little to cheer about after their exit from
the All-Ireland Club Championship in Mullingar. Spirits
won't be helped by the fact the club are also banned
from the competiton next year following their
supporters' misbehaviour at the Ulster final. With 20
minutes to go the Antrim side were in the lead by a
point and had two more men after Galway's Sarfield's
lost Donal Keane and Michael Ward in the second half.
In the final 20 minutes the 13 Galway men rose to the
challenge and Dunloy, under severe pressure from the
resulting onslaught, never got back into the game.
In the St Patrick's Day final Sarfields will meet Birr
of Offaly, who disposed of the challenge of Clarecastle
after extra time on Saturday.
National League
The National League programme is nearing its end with
the Dubs managing a win in Dungnnon against Tyrone
while Kerry managed a five point win over Monaghan in
Section C. Both counties meet at Parnell Park in the
last round, which might be the deciding game to see who
will be playing in Division Three next season. Wins for
Offaly in this section sees them safely in Division one
next season and a place in the quarter-finals. Donegal
look safe at the top of Section B, while Cork, Kildare
and Down all won, and will battle it out for the top
spots in Section D in the last round. Three counties
could all qualify from Section A, with Connacht
champions Mayo leading the pack, followed by Galway and
Laois.
`Cheer up Walter Smith...'
After Celtic's 1-0 win at Easter Road and the 2-2 drawn
game at Ibrox between Rangers and Hearts, the chase for
the title lies firmly in Celtic's hands, with only nine
games remaining. Marc Reiper's 25th minute strike was
enough to collect all three points from the Hibees and
put the Celts two points clear at the top of the table.
At Ibrox the Rangers' challenge for ten successive
titles is looking more precarious by the week. It was
the German Albertz who saved the Gers' blushes with his
late goal. He also saved them the week previously at
Hibernian.
Staying in Scotland, Lawrence Donnegan, writing in the
Irish Times, was at Clydebank's away fixture at Forfar
last Saturday in the depths of the Scottish second
division to gauge opinion on recent moves to relocate
the financially strapped club to Dublin. ``These people
[the owners] have not bought a football club called
Clydebank, they have bought membership of the Scottish
League, and they couldn't less about the team. What
they've done is asset stripping,'' one fan said. Another
was more direct: ``Haw Hall [the player/manager] ya
specie bastard. Ah hope yer plane to Dublin crashes.''
It might be better for all concerned if it doesn't get
off the ground.
BY CIARAN HEAPHEY
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