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Banty has just left Wexford too..

Fitzy is not good enough to take our seniors, good move from the county board setting up a panel to try and lure some new talent in at the top level. Buchy is doing some good work at underage and there is some good investment there too, we need to mirror that at the top level.

So Fitzy is the only name in on the dead line the man never took a penny and raised a lot of money last year on his own and our county board appoint a 3 man panel and that slabber Delargy to beg people to take the job and pay them stay classy lads

So just keep going the way have been last few years because the guy is a great fella? no disrespect but i don't really care how much he gets paid or what he raises, as a supporter thats not what interests me, what interests me is results on the pitch and unfortunately i dont think Fitzys have been good enough. Lets show a bit of ambition and push the boat out, harsh as it may sound, thats what we need to do.

Don't be surprised if Glenavy give St Johns a close game or even go a step further. Aldergrove created a bucket load of goal chances and they were missing some key players. Glenavy are on the crest of a wave after their league victory.

StGalls, Creggan or LD could all make the final - I dont think there is much between them. All three have a few quality forwards in niblock, pollock, smalls,ruari mccann, murrays but weaker defences. Saying that i think St Galls have the stronger defence so will come through.

Cargin and StJohns should progress unscathed and expect a very close game come the semi final.

StJohns have improved dramatically this year and I think they will become the team to beat in the next few years.

Andy McClean, Sean Burke, Colin Brady, Micky Pollock, Kevin Niblock, Terry O'Neill - not to mention the players on from the bench. Still more than enough experience there. I agree though, if LD play defensively they are asking for trouble but I think they will fancy their chances in an attacking shootout. A few red cards been shown in these games in the past few years, it'll make for an interesting spectacle.

Now now MR2, don't be putting words in my mouth. It was never mentioned that LD aren't a team or that St Galls thought this game was "a given". It will be a tight game and I believe St Galls experience and togetherness will get them over the line.

I wouldn't imagine anyone from Naomh Gall thinking that Lamhs aren't a 'team', they played well on Saturday, albeit St Pauls were not great but Lamhs could have beat Naomh Gall a few times and I doubt management would be looking at this game and thinking its a given

In fairness you did say St Galls are in transition and a lot of lads making their first championship starts then said that they have experience? Lamhs would have a more settled team based on that assumption.... If Lamhs come out and play football and go at us then it will be nip and tuck, if they sit back and play defensively then we should win.....

Now now MR2, don't be putting words in my mouth. It was never mentioned that LD aren't a team or that St Galls thought this game was "a given". It will be a tight game and I believe St Galls experience and togetherness will get them over the line.

I wouldn't imagine anyone from Naomh Gall thinking that Lamhs aren't a 'team', they played well on Saturday, albeit St Pauls were not great but Lamhs could have beat Naomh Gall a few times and I doubt management would be looking at this game and thinking its a given

How many championship debutants had St Galls out? Echoing what everyone has said already, it is Cargin's to lose but only because they seem to be the only side not in some sort of transition. LD are definitely a good side, and are very capable of beating St Galls, but St Galls are more of a team for me and that'll be enough to see them through.

Yes ITG, as they say...close but no cigar!

We threw the kitchen sink at it and were three up with five minutes left,  but Galls used all their hard won craft over the years to grind it out. We missed three great goal chances and the annoying thing for us is we know we were truly thereabouts. Good luck to St Galls though. A team I have grown to admire greatly over the years, flying the flag for Antrim when no one else  was.

Our average age profile is still young so maybe we won't be so far away ourselves in a year or two, but at the moment Cargin look a stretch ahead of the rest.

Unlucky , we had to dig deep into our reserves to get over the line today I hear, couldn't make it myself but by all accounts both teams played well.

A tough game like that will stand by us... hopefully we'll move on and improve

By all accounts Cargin may wel get 3 in a row but I was impressed with Lamhs, but they'd need to keep the work rate up and have all their players fit

weekend football championship predictions

pearses to beat mitchells by 10 - more
lisburn to beat st malachys by 1 - Tight but Mals to edge it
sarsfields to beat ardoyne by 10 - Another tight game Sars edging it
cargin to beat rossa by 10 - Depending what team Rossa put out.. 7> Cargin win
st agnes to beat ballycastle by 1 - Aggies by 5
st endas to beat davitts by 10 - Endas handy
moneyglass to beat rasharkin by 5 - Could swing either way, Moneyglass to edge it
st johns to beat aldergrove by 5 - St Johns by 10>
st brigids to beat randalstown by 1 - St B's to ease in to next round.

So let me get this straight, according to Pete McGrath, he was approached by a third party from Antrim when he wasn't available (Antrim probably knowing full well they couldn't get him but trying to look proactive) and since he has become available there hasn't been a Dickie bird? As for Fitzy, he's a good Antrim man, but that shouldn't get you the job. He is an average manager, compounded by the fact he has lost his best asset - Adams.