Echelon Park Aughrim set for deadly double header of football finals on Sunday

With the finalists of both competitions finally sorted out during the week, the Liam Cullen and Wicklow People cups are down for decision when Carnew Emmets face neighbours Shillelagh-Coolboy and the men from Ballinacor take on Aughrim.

First up at 11am is the meeting of Division 3 league champions Ballinacor and fellow promotion winners Aughrim, with the prize of the Wicklow People Cup up for grabs, Mick Hagan having unearthed the long-lost trophy for this competition.

Ballinacor came through a clash with Blessington in Glenmalure on Tuesday evening by 0-17 to 0-11 to secure their place in the final.

At the same time, Aughrim were being pushed all the way by Rathnew in the community grounds, finally emerging victorious by 5-10 to 2-12 having held a handsome lead at the half-time break.

With Paidi Byrne’s Ballinacor heading towards a competitive D’Arcy Sand Intermediate football championship campaign and Kevin Morris gearing his charges towards a tolt at the Fitzgerald Kitchens Junior ‘A’ football championship adventure, both men will be hoping their sides can claim silverware to send them towards championship battle in as healthy a place as possible.

Both defences will be pushed hard in this game on Sunday, Ballinacor coming into this game with 15 goals and 116 points from 10 league games, with a tally of eight wins, one draw and one loss from those fixtures.

Aughrim, boosted by the form of their young players after their return from county duty, bagged 11 goals and 112 points from seven wins, two defeats and one draw, 11-60 in the last four games, 16-70 in five games if you include the game against Rathnew on Tuesday.

The second game of the double header pits two near-neighbours in a head-on collision that could be a game for the ages.

Newtown’s concession of a walk-over to Shillelagh-Coolboy left the south Wicklow side awaiting the winners of Carnew Emmets and Annacurra, played on Tuesday evening last, in the Liam Cullen Cup final.

Both finalists secured promotion from Division 2 after two very positive league campaigns, and both will cause major problems in Division 1A in 2025.

With Wexford’s inter-county campaign coming to an end a few weeks ago, that leaves Ben Brosnan free for selection by Anthony Grey, and what a boost he has been for the Carnew men.

They defeated Annacurra by two points last Tuesday night without the services of Cillian Gilligan, Sean Murphy and John Doyle Jnr among others and scored 3-12 on the evening, Brosnan with seven points (five frees) and goals from the in-form Eoin Kavanagh and Adrian Myers.

Carnew Emmets will be keen to overturn the league defeat they suffered in early May to the same opposition, losing out by 3-18 to 3-13 in the Fairgreen.

Andy O’Brien’s Shillelagh-Coolboy have plenty of talent within their ranks with Conor Byrne, Killian O’Keeffe, Ruairi O’Brien, Ciaran Lambert and Brandon Rossiter some of the younger players who join stalwarts such as Daire Foley, Aaron and Wayne Kinsella, Dan Nolan, Jonathan Smyth and Brendan Behan to make a formidable side who will ask serious questions in the Junior ‘A’ football championship.

This double header has the makings of a superb day of football at Echelon Park Aughrim, as four proud clubs go in search of silverware ahead of the white heat of championship football that gets underway in July.