PREDICTIONS: Last Mayo Junior Championship knockout spots up for grabs

The final hurdle in the race for Mayo Junior Championship quarter-final qualification is upon us.

By the time the curtain falls on the five-team Group 1 on Sunday afternoon, we’ll know who will be just three games away from holding Pete McDonnell in their hands at the end of the season.

ARDAGH V BONNICONLON

Saturday, September 20 at 5 pm

These two have turned in fine performances over the last few weeks and will now fight it out for top spot and a home quarter-final. 

This is primed to be a fascinating battle. On one side, you have Ardagh, who have shown their pedigree this campaign. They have plenty of nifty ballers who would cause any team a world of bother, and Lee Traynor’s attacking heroics are a symbol of the danger they pose.

That’s not where their star power ends. Tom Varkonda and Brendan Carr can create consternation from deep, and that’s without even touching on James Carr.

In the other corner, you have the enigma that is Bonniconlon. Last season, they edged past Ardagh in the quarter-final, only to lose out after a replay in the final. 

Conor Igoe played out of his skin recently against Killala, and could prove vital if they’re to repeat the trick on the road to Ardagh.

Meanwhile, Ciaran Gaughan knows where the posts are, and will need to be shadowed.

Who wins this one is hard to call. Will Ardagh put out a statement of intent by usurping last year’s finalists? Or will Bonni’ take the next emphatic step on the road to redemption?

The margin is minimal, but I reckon fortune will just favour Saturday evening’s visitors.

VERDICT: Bonniconlon

BALLYCASTLE V BALLYCROY

Sunday, September 21 at 12 midday

This has all the signs of being a North Mayo classic from the first minute, as both sides set out in pursuit of keeping their hopes and dreams alive.

Both teams have beaten Killala and lost to the top two, Bonniconlon and Ardagh, making this a straight shoot-out for the quarter-finals.

Hosts Ballycastle have shown their pedigree in fits and starts this year and will be hoping to find their best form on Sunday.

The same could be said for the visitors to Tom Langan Park.

These two are very evenly matched, and it’d give you a migraine trying to separate them.

On one hand, you have Ballycroy. They have threats at the top, with Michael McManamon, Rory Conway, and Luke McManamon lethal on their day, while Michael Conway’s ability to find the posts from range is a key weapon in their arsenal.

There’s a sense that if they can get all their injuries sorted, they can be a thorn in the side of most clubs at this level.

For Ballycastle’s battalion, though, they have plenty of men who will need an eye kept on. Fergal Forde and Dermot Kelly are cool customers, and will need watched.

This one will go down to the wire, and it could very well be one of those games where if it goes on five minutes longer, a different victor would emerge.

However, I’ll side with the visitors here, who could stand three games from history.

VERDICT: Ballycroy