Killavilla remain the team to beat as North Tipp Leagues get under way

North Tipperary and District League preview and Shield Finals Review

Premier Division

After the completion of the pre-season Shield competitions, the North Tipperary & District Leagues get underway this week.

Defending champions Killavilla United have picked up from where they left off last season by winning the Premier Division Shield in convincing fashion last weekend.

The Roscrea side have become the standard bearers for football in North Tipperary and are looking to retain their status as Premier Division champions. The ever calm Michael Lynch retains the helm as manager for Killavilla who will be reliant on goals from the dynamic duo of Josh Wynne and Ruairi Murphy to keep back to back title aspirations alive.

This year’s Premier Division welcomes new entrants in the form of NT&DL stalwarts Holycross and Sallypark Odhrans with both having previous experience in the top flight and this will be essential in their efforts to challenge the top tier teams this season following their promotion.

Sallypark have enjoyed a rejuvenation over the past few seasons which have been laden with silverware. The Latteragh side have in the past few seasons dipped into the transfer market and secured some experienced talent from Nenagh in the form of, amongst others, Craig Connolly and Paul Walsh which has stood them well and will undoubtedly draw concern from defenders across the division.

Holycross have moved quickly through the divisions, and it was always their plan to return to the Premier Division to showcase both their talents and facilities. The experienced management team of David English and John Paul Buckley will relish the challenge of top flight football for the Glenbane side but will have it all to do on the first day of the season when they travel to reigning Premier Division champions Killavilla United for the first league game of the season.

Ardcroney have enjoyed a successful return to the top flight last season and were competitive throughout and will undoubtedly be looking to consolidate their berth in the ever competitive top flight.

The management team of Glen Austin and Eddie Coonan have the task of managing one of the youngest squads this season which bodes well for the future of the team. Taylor Duffy has proven to be a goalkeeper to watch across the league with some great performances last season, and he will be required to maintain the same high levels this season of Ardcroney want to challenge for silverware.

Arra Rovers having tasted top honours in recent seasons are looking to challenge at the top end of the season and club manager Dermot O’Halloran certainly knows how to deliver and manage a blend of youth and experience in his teams. The ever pacey Eoin Moloney will look to continue his fine form in recent seasons and has become a standout player for the Portroe side.

Rearcross are building towards a credible charge for silverware this season with managers Anthony Ryan and Eamon Devitt looking to get the best from strike James Deegan and a reinvigorated Michael O’Gorman who returns from injury. This Rearcross side will be disappointed with the lack of silverware in recent years and if they get off to a wining start, they will push Killavilla for honours come May.

Ballymackey will rue some missed opportunities last season to avoid finishing second from bottom in the league standings. Managers Damien Bentley and George Haverty certainly demanded more from their side last season, and this could be the catalyst for a promising season this year. Ballymackey have the luxury of blending some experienced players like Brendan Hayes and Adam Hall with talented young players that are progressing through the clubs underage structure such as Colm Maher and James Kenneally.

Templemore is of a late a hive for all things soccer and BT Harps are certainly cashing in on this revival. Manager and league veteran Henry Newman won’t put much mass in the recent defeat to Killavilla in the shield final and has the experience to realise the Premier Division is not won in September. Harps will be expectant and looking to progress this season and will have to rely on Szymon Popeila and Rhys Loughnane to be clinical in front of goal to challenge their Roscrea rivals.

Last but by no means is least Borroway Rovers. Paul Gould’s side have flirted with league and cup success in recent seasons and will be hungry to bridge that gap. The loss of Jake Moore this season for the Loughtagalla side is a blow and welcome relief to most defences and goalkeepers, however you simply cannot rule Borroway Rovers out of any title charge this season.

First Division

This year’s First Division is condensed to seven teams. This means that all points will be at a premium and in keeping with previous seasons, the eventual winners will not be able to suffer any more than a single defeat, such is the competitive nature of this division.

Grange United have demonstrated that they may have the ability to compete in this demanding division by having a clean sweep of silverware in the second division last season.

The management team of Thomas Fitzpatrick and Mark Ryan will be looking to build on last season which was their first in the NT&DL. The addition of Tommy Brophy to the squad mid-way through last season has proven to be very fruitful, with the Thurles man already bagging a hat-trick in his first game versus Portumna Town in the Shield. Portumna Town, under the stewardship of David Madden and David Flaherty, have managed to blend a youthful squad with experienced players such as Liam Moore and James Dunne. This is a side that pushed Killavilla to the limit in the Tipperary Cup last season and can be rightly considered as serious title contenders who have maintained a very impressive home record over the past number of seasons.

Despite two cup final appearances last season, Clodiagh Rangers were relegated from the top flight and are very much experiencing a transitional period for the club who have being reduced to only one team this season.

With new additions to the management team in the shape of Sean Purcell, Michael Browne, and John Ryan, the Drombane side will be looking to consolidate their position in the division as they cope with long term injuries to important players such as Patrick Lowry and John O’Meara. Notwithstanding these issues, Clodiagh will be looking to the younger players that are emerging in the club along with new signing Jack Lillis from Holycross and will be again reliant on the impressive centre half pairing of TJ Butler and James Griffin to steady the ship.

Clodiagh’s first opponents will be Cloughjordan who are also experiencing a transitional period and are also looking to consolidate their position in the middle tier of the NT&DL. This will be a tough opening game for both sides and will test Cloughjordan’s manager Eoin Killackey who has experienced the loss of the experienced Kevin Kennedy from his playing squad but has added him to the management ticket. However, you cannot rule Cloughjordan out of a promotion push if they continue to make their home pitch a fortress where many teams struggle to leave with points.

Borrisoleigh were promoted to the first division last finishing runners-up to Grange United last season. Denis Ryan has created a very competitive squad of young players and will test most teams in the division. A winning start is critical for Borrisoleigh as each team will only have twelve league games this season. Borrisoleigh will be looking to the clubs top scorer last season Dan Ryan again to maintain his fine form in front of goal.

Moneygall will be looking to match their progressive efforts off the pitch this season and finally make that leap back up to the Premier Division. Willie Hayes continues to steer the ship towards success and has already enjoyed winning the First Division Shield last weekend in exciting fashion over Shinrone United. Moneygall have added some Columbian flair to their ranks in the shape of goalkeeper Julian Camilo Bentancourt Pava from Clonmel Celtic and will need him to maintain his excellent performances to date to have any chance of promotion.

The dark horses for this division are Shinrone United who have continued to build a solid foundation under the watchful eyes of the experienced manager Declan Mullally. Derek McLoughlin continues to roll back the years with some impressive performances and Shinrone will need him if they are to push for honours this season. Despite losing the Shield Final on penalties, Shinrone have excellent of experience and youth in their ranks and are tipped for silverware this season.

Shield Finals

Killavilla United defeated BT Harps 4-1 in Templemore on Sunday to win the Premier Division Shield title. Darren Coleman opened the scoring for the visitors on six minutes with BT Harps conceding an own goal on 26 minutes. The home side pulled one back on 37 minutes through Szymon Popiela with the game well contested thereafter until the 71st minute when Ruairí Murphy established Killavilla’s two goal lead with Murphy turning provider for Darren Coleman’s second goal ten minutes later to seal the victory.

In the Division 1 Shield final played in Moneygall on Friday night, penalty kicks were required to separate Moneygall and Shinrone United who finished 2-2 after normal time with Moneygall winning 6-5 after a penalty shoot-out.

A defensive lapse by Shinrone allowed Sean Moroney to pounce and give Moneygall a 1-0 lead at the break. The second half started with Moneygall having the majority of the play and capitalised when a shot from long range was stopped by the Shinrone keeper but the rebound fell to Moroney to net his second.

Shinrone struggled to get any sort of fluency in their play and were crying out for something special to ignite their fight back. Up stepped Diggy Cordial who fired a screamer from 25 yards which hit the underside of the crossbar and found the back of the net - a brilliant strike.

This gave Shinrone a huge lift and now there was a change in the tide, Shinrone now attacking in waves causing the Moneygall defences all sorts of problems. The equaliser came when the ball was passed to Riann McLoughlin who turned sharply and found the bottom corner of the net.

It ended 2-2 in normal time and so on to the penalty shootout and credit both sides as there were some quality finishes which resulted in Moneygall winning 6-5 with goalkeeper Julian Camilo Betancourt Pava who was the hero as he stopped Shinrone's sixth.

In the Division 2 Shield final, Sallypark Odhran’s ‘B’ defeated Birdhill 2-0 with Ruaidhri O’Brien getting the first goal on twelve minutes with Brian McGahey sealing the win on 88.