MATTHEW HURLEY power ranks the eight teams left fighting it out for Beamish Cup glory
1. Clonakilty Soccer Club (second in the Premier Division): Honestly, the top two could have been swapped around countless times but what pips the number one spot for the defending league and cup champions is their unbeaten record in the West Cork League this season. In all competitions in this campaign, Clon have only lost two games, both at Munster level. In their most recent game, they scored TEN goals against Beara United. With Chris Collins’ form right now (22 goals and 16 assists in 17 games), Clon not only has the experience of winning big tournaments but players that can show their class consistently. They have the joint most goals scored (34) and least goals conceded (6) in the league, showing that they have the right balance. It all seems to be going well right now and you have to feel they have a good chance of reaching the Beamish Cup final, given Drinagh are on the other side of the draw.
2. Drinagh Rangers (first in the Premier Division): Rangers are currently top of the Premier and they won their first round Beamish Cup game with ease (4-1 against Aultagh Celtic) so why aren’t they top here? Harsh as it may seem, they haven’t enjoyed the best of times against Clonakilty Soccer Club in recent meetings – there was the Beamish Cup final loss last season, plus a few recent Premier draws as well. Drinagh have also lost three games in West Cork this season, against Clon in the Cronin Cup, Togher Celtic in the Premier Cup and Drinagh B in the league. Having said that, they are still rightly one of the favourites to win it and will be hungry to win their first Beamish Cup since 2018. Both Barry O’Driscolls, Tom and Robbie McQueen and Eoin Hurley will be key for their cup charge.
3. Spartak Mossgrove (fifth in the Championship): Spartak were one of the top performers in the first round, seeing off Skibbereen Celtic 8-0. They face another Championship side in Ardfield, and are on a run of six consecutive wins. Daniel Twomey scored five in their win over Celtic and he will be key again this weekend. After five losses in their first eight games, Spartak are finally finding their purple patch and they look like a confident group right now. They are currently eight points off the top in the Championship so promotion is an outside bet, so the cup could be an opportunity for them to shine; they were Beamish Cup semi-finalists last season, too. Spartak did beat Championship high-fliers Lyre Rovers recently (1-0) so giving a higher ranked team a shock is something they can do.
4. Bunratty United (seventh in the Premier Division): Their Premier Division status and their pedigree in the Beamish Cup has Bunratty as the best of the rest. They reached the final of this competition in 2023, narrowly losing 2-1 to Dunmanway Town, and won it twice in a row in 2010 and 2011. Bunratty just got over the line against Lyre Rovers in the last round (2-1) and they face off against Baltimore this weekend, a team neck and neck with Lyre for the Championship title. Given that United have already beaten a second tier powerhouse, they will be hopeful that their experience will see them through but they will most likely face Clonakilty Soccer Club in the semi-final; that’s a tough ask if they are to reach their second final in three years.
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5. Baltimore (first in the Championship): Bunratty are being tipped to overcome Baltimore but this quarter-final could go either way. Dan MacEoin is in great form for Baltimore with 16 goals and seven assists in 12 games this season. Barry Collins (ten goals and four assists) is also a danger. They are the top scorers in the Championship with 51 goals and have only conceded more goals than Lyre. They are coming against a Bunratty side that have the fourth best defence in the Premier division so finding the back of the net will be a tricky assignment this time around. They did beat another Premier side in Drinagh Rangers B in round one so a win here is possible. Tough one to call but Bunratty’s rearguard are capable of stopping Baltimore’s dangermen.
6. Togher Celtic (fifth in the Premier Division): Togher are facing the holders and in-form Clonakilty but they are not rock bottom of this list for a few reasons: one, they are a solid Premier Division side, and two, they are capable of a big result. In the first round, Togher beat Castletown Celtic 6-1. That was the same Castletown team that took Clon all the way to penalties in the Parkway Hotel/Maybury Coaches cup in a 3-3 draw (and that also reached the Beamish Cup semi-finals in the previous two seasons). Sporting math doesn’t always add up but those two results will give Togher belief that they can overcome a giant. In that victory over Castletown, Paudie Crowley scored a hat-trick while Cathal Daly got a goal and an assist. Both of them, as well as the supporting cast, have to be on it if they have any chance of a shock.
7. Ardfield (tenth in the Championship): Probably the story of the cup so far, Ardfield are after beating two Premier Division sides in cup specialists Dunmanway Town (4-3) and Beara United (5-3). They have fellow Championship outfit Spartak Mossgrove in this weekend’s quarter-final. Certainly a more favourable draw on paper, however we have seen situations where a team beats two Premier sides before falling to a side at their level. Barnsley beat both Liverpool and Chelsea in their 2008 FA Cup run but then lost to Cardiff City! Ardfield boss John Lawless and his side will know they have to put in another huge effort in a game where they are underdogs once again. Having said that, they did beat Spartak 4-1 earlier this season so there is confidence there to overcome the Newcestown outfit. Regardless of what happens though, this has been a great run for Ardfield.
8. Skibbereen (seventh in the Championship): They may be higher in the second tier than Ardfield but Skibbereen have an almighty task ahead of them. Drinagh Rangers will be hungry for their first Beamish Cup triumph in seven years and they are one of the best teams in the region. Added to that, Skibb’s first-round win came against bottom-of-the-Championship Aultagh Celtic B (3-1) and that was their only win in their last seven games. That run includes six defeats and they have conceded eight, six and four (twice) in that run. To face up to Drinagh, you need a tight defence to withstand pressure. Judging by the last few games, they have a lot to work on to overcome Rampant Rangers. If Skibb were to win this weekend, it would be the shock of the round, possibly the whole season.
