Likely semi-finalists to emerge in fifth round of Offaly SFC “B”

ONCE again, the Tullamore Court Hotel Senior “B” Football Championship has emerged as one of the best across both codes in Offaly.

While Clara are clear favourites, they have to prove themselves and carry their group form into the knockout stages. There are a few teams who will relish taking them on in a semi-final or final in O'Connor Park and there are a few with genuine title aspirations.

Clara are top of the table with six points from three games, Cappincur have six from four, Ballinagar have four from three, Tubber and Daingean have three points from three games, Gracefield have two from four and Ballycumber are the only side definitely gone with no points from four games.

Some teams have three games left and there is a lot of football to be played yet before the four semi-finalists emerge but Clara and Cappincur are in pole position to claim two of those. Ballinagar, Tubber and Daingean are all in contention for the other two and while Gracefield can get to six points, they are in bother and need a lot of things to fall right for them.

Round 5 games are:

Clara v Cappincur: Saturday, September 13 in Ballycommon 3.30pm

The winner of this meeting between the best two sides in the championship to date will definitely be in the semi-finals and it will be interesting to see how Cappincur perform. Bill Carroll is back but injuries have been a big problem for them. John Colgan and PJ Daly have suffered season ending injuries and that is a shame for Cappincur as they would be very strong with them on board.

It will be a test for Clara. They have been playing well and look to be heading towards senior football but everything gets much more competitive and tight from here on. Cappincur beat them in the semi-final last year and will relish having another cut at them – Clara beat Cappincur in the Division 2 Football League final earlier this year.

Verdict – Clara.

Ballycumber v Tubber: Sunday, September 14 in Clara 12 noon

A must win game for Tubber who are very much in the hunt for a semi-final place. Ballycumber have found the going tough and got a bad beating from Ballinagar in their last outing. They just don't have the players at the moment and their focus now is on a big game in the relegation play off and not going back to intermediate – though a step back might not necessarily be a bad thing for them. A defeat here would be a pure disaster for Tubber and they will be on high alert for it.

Verdict – Tubber.

Daingean v Ballinagar: Sunday, September 14 in Daingean 12 noon

In many ways, the pick of this weekend's fixtures is the meeting of Daingean and Ballinagar. Ballinagar have definite prospects of going to senior but have found that there is a big step up from intermediate to senior B, taking a while to settle. They drew with Cappincur and Tubber in games that they should have won but blew Ballycumber out of the water the last day.

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Daingean are contenders but haven't found their best form yet. They were poor in their loss to Clara but a win over Gracefield and draw with Cappincur has them on track. Shane Tierney has been managing an injury, coming on as a sub, and his influence is pivotal to Daingean. It is a 50-50 game. Daingean have more experience at this level but Ballinagar are the big grey area in this championship. They may have to wait a year and are not assured of qualification this year but even Clara will be conscious of the threat they pose to their ambitions. This game will tell so much more about Ballinagar and they really need to prove their mettle by beating a contender. Daingean will be fully expecting to win but no result will surprise and the impression that Ballinagar could be turning the corner, adapting to the higher grade, is a strong one.

Verdict – Ballinagar.