Antrim Football Thread

[Hoof Hearted]

Looking at fixtures now they've been published, the div 1 relegation play off only showings Aldergrove and Tir na Nog. Is that right?

Know Ahoghill are already down, but Ballymena somehow exempt because they got to league final?

Wouldn't put it past the county to do that....

Would they not play the losers ?
3 way play off it would seem obvious

Hardly fair if one team gets 2 bites at the cherry to stay up while a team gets one. 3 way play off would mean they could fix it if they knew a result benefited both of them in the last match of the play off. But they can't force Ahoghill to play so whole thing is thrown out of kilter

Correct , 3 teams makes it fairly awkward , each team plays each other once like a league format whoever finishes worst off goes down maybe a fix ?

Would make sense but the website just has the 2 teams on it at the minute
Not just the fixture  but a table with both teams only which would give you the impression Ballymena not involved.

[Hectic]

All Saints are in the relegation playoff.

Competition regulations state that if 3 teams involved it's a mini league with each team getting 1 home fixture. Also nothing about being exempt if finish anywhere in Div 1.

Website maybe not designed for a group playoff but will probably see them appear in the next round of fixtures where they will play either Aldergrove or Randalstown.

Quickest path would be having them play the loser of the first game as an All Saints victory would remove the need for a third game.

[Delgany 2nds]

It's a three way play off according to terms of SFC relegation rules. One Home & One away. Fixtures only in place to 14th Sept.

[Hoof Hearted]

Will be interesting to see how intense it is. Maybe one or all are thinking the same as Ahoghill, drop down and rebuild win another intermediate
Drumsurn are doing it in derry, opting to drop down and saving Ballinderry screen and swatragh the bother
Taking a lot of flak for it too on the derry discussion
Bit like here, some for some against.

[BigGreenField]

Will be interesting to see how intense it is. Maybe one or all are thinking the same as Ahoghill, drop down and rebuild win another intermediate
Drumsurn are doing it in derry, opting to drop down and saving Ballinderry screen and swatragh the bother
Taking a lot of flak for it too on the derry discussion
Bit like here, some for some against.

Decent amount of respect for Ahoghill as a solid dual club fighting against low playing numbers, and serious stuff off the field as well at times, hence a begrudging acceptance they are doing the right thing for the club.

Can't see any of the other 3 wanting to go down, while 2 of them are undoubtedly not Div 1/SFC standard they probabky rightly view staying up as the means to getting bwtter and consolidating their progress.

[Cnoc Bán]

Will be interesting to see how intense it is. Maybe one or all are thinking the same as Ahoghill, drop down and rebuild win another intermediate
Drumsurn are doing it in derry, opting to drop down and saving Ballinderry screen and swatragh the bother
Taking a lot of flak for it too on the derry discussion
Bit like here, some for some against.

Will be interesting to see how intense it is. Maybe one or all are thinking the same as Ahoghill, drop down and rebuild win another intermediate
Drumsurn are doing it in derry, opting to drop down and saving Ballinderry screen and swatragh the bother
Taking a lot of flak for it too on the derry discussion
Bit like here, some for some against.

Decent amount of respect for Ahoghill as a solid dual club fighting against low playing numbers, and serious stuff off the field as well at times, hence a begrudging acceptance they are doing the right thing for the club.

Can't see any of the other 3 wanting to go down, while 2 of them are undoubtedly not Div 1/SFC standard they probabky rightly view staying up as the means to getting bwtter and consolidating their progress.

Decent amount of respect for Ahoghill as a solid dual club fighting against low playing numbers, and serious stuff off the field as well at times, hence a begrudging acceptance they are doing the right thing for the club.

Can't see any of the other 3 wanting to go down, while 2 of them are undoubtedly not Div 1/SFC standard they probabky rightly view staying up as the means to getting bwtter and consolidating their progress.

Maybe a bit harsh on Ballymena and Aldergrove but I see what you mean 

[NorthAntrimSaff]

Ballymena had 22 league points
Aldergrove 14
Randalstown 6

[Cnoc Bán]

Ballymena had 22 league points
Aldergrove 14
Randalstown 6

Think the joke was lost on you......


Although to be fair, the previous season TNN finished top 4 in the league, same as Ballymena did this year.

And both won the intermediate in the last few years before promotion to Div 1.

So Ballymena just seem to be following the same path, except they were gifted their place in Div 1 rather than earning it.

[NorthAntrimSaff]

The second game will have to be Bmena v Aldergrove due to TNN involvement in IHC

[Cnoc Bán]

3 way league,everyone plays each other once,bottom 2 play again to decide who goes down,does away with any messing like say AS and TNN fixing a result on last game to put Aldergrove down,bottom 2 playing again rules that out

After the curve ball that was done to get As up into div 1, there's no way the powers that be will organise things that they run the risk of going down.

So that scenario will suit them rightly.

They'll not care which of TNN or Aldergrove go down, as long as it's one of them.

And it should be Aldergrove.

[NorthAntrimSaff]

Lot of hate towards AS going up into division 1. They've performed well in the league. Top four twice. Beat Cargin this year.
Honoured the competition. Fielded basically a reserve team last year v St Brigids in a semi final ( same bt brigids team who conceded this year's semi final)

We let Dunloy play Senior champ from division two and now parachute them into the league and not a word said?

[imtommygunn]

Yeah I don't get that either. It's not like they're out of their depth sure they were in playoffs. An unforgiving group in the championship sent them to playoffs. There's worse teams not in playoffs who just had a kinder draw. Arguably worse teams in the quarter finals.

[Take the Mark]

This weeks tenuous selections -

Junior

Pearses to beat Ardoyne
Eire Og to beat O'D's

IFC

Sarsfields to beat Lisburn just about
Moneyglass over Rasharkin, double figures
Glenavy to beat Comgalls
Davitts/Gort Draw

SFC

Cargin by 5 over Aghagallon
St Brigids beat Dunloy comfortably
Creggan over Rossa by at least 7
Portglenone the same over St Galls


SFC looks very hard to see any sort of upset in this round.

[Hectic]

Don't see any mention of a relegation final after group games.  Bottom goes down.

That's the way the competitions are set up and how a team did in the league is irrelevant.

Lot here saying all year that the league is irrelevant anyway.

And looking at how some teams have performed in Championship compared to league it's hard to argue that the league is the measure.

Aldergrove finished top half but got beaten in Championship by 2 teams finishing bottom 5.

All Saints got to league final but got slaughtered by Lamh Dhearg who finished 7 points behind them in the league and closer to the bottom 4 than the top 4.

And if we end up with further changes to league structures all 3 involved in relegation playoffs could end up relegated anyway.

[Take the Mark]

No mention of it in my post because it is indeed irrelevant. If the 3 of them could go down and take another 4 with them it would make the leagues better in my opinion. Once the think tank came up with the 16 team division 1 it was clear as day it was a terrible idea and the little merit the league had at that stage went completely out the window.