By Jonathan Brown
NADAFL Bobby Dalzell Cup semi-final
Castlewellan Forest v Killough
Friday, 7.30pm, Robert Adams
Park, Crossgar
Castlewellan Forest and Killough meet in this year’s first Bobby Dalzell Cup semi-final on Friday night. It pits the team sitting top of the Newcastle League Premier Division against Forest, who are occupying fourth spot following Saturday’s win against Strangford.
Forest co-manager Jack Murnin says he’s expecting an entertaining game but a tough challenge from Killough. “They’ll be tough opposition,” he said. “It’s generally always a good end-to-end game whenever we play each other, so it’ll just be about who comes out on top on the night.”
Both sides played each other in a league game recently, with Killough eventually winning the game 3-2, thanks to a goal from Ruari Sharvin and a brace from Connor Kelly. Both managers took lessons from that encounter that they can take into Friday night’s game in Crossgar.
Murnin, who was appointed manager of Forest alongside Joe O’Neill in the summer, said: “That game showed us that there’s chances there to be taken, but Killough are no slouches, they have fight about them and they won’t go down easy.”
Killough co-manager Stephen Holland says that game proved Forest will be no walkovers. “It’ll be tough – it was a very, very tight game, they really put it up to us, and it’s a cup semi-final, anything can happen, so we’re not taking them lightly. “Their striker, Sean Fitzsimmons, is a good player and they’re solid at the back. You know what you’re going to get from them – they’re going to be physical, there’s going to be aerial battles, you just have to grind it out against a team like that,” Holland explained.
In the full story he explains why they don’t feel any pressure.
To read the digital edition, download the Mourne Observer app – for apple click here – for android click here
