You’d almost need an accountancy or maths qualification to get your head around the permutations of the promotion chase in Division 4 this weekend. Top side Sligo travel to Carrick on Shannon for the only clash where both sides have matters in their own hands.
Laois and Wicklow will also be chasing a final place and promotion with their trips to London and Waterford but will both be hoping for help in Carrick on Shannon. Wexford host Carlow in the final game in the closest thing to a dead rubber in the division although there is a route to the final for Wexford in the event that Leitrim, Laois and Wicklow all lose and Wexford overcome a 9 goal scoring difference deficit.
Leitrim v Sligo, 1pm Sunday, Avant Money Pairc Sean MacDiarmada
These sides are the only teams who truly have their destiny in their own hands. Sligo know a positive result will ensure they qualify for the League Final while Andy Moran’s Leitrim side are aware that a victory for the home side would leapfrog them into the top two spots in the table.
Both sides are well acquainted with each other having met in the league numerous times in recent seasons as well as last year’s penalty shoot out in the Tailteann Cup at the same venue. This is a potential sliding doors moment for two young recent players who are tipping their toe into the intercounty manager role with Andy Moran and Tony McEntee both looking to inspire their charges to the levels they reached themselves with their native counties.
With a potential clash at the Semi Final stage in Connacht to come in a few weeks, barring an upset in London or New York, both managers will be eager to set a marker and progress their own plans within their adopted teams.
Sligo will go into the clash as marginal favourites but all expectations can go out the window when these two sides meet.
London v Laois, 1pm Sunday, McGovern Park, Ruislip, London
Laois make the trip to bottom side London knowing a win is required, but painfully may not be enough to secure promotion. Their best way of securing a final place is by winning and hoping for a Leitrim win in their clash with Sligo.
Their positive goal difference advantage would be enough to see them across the line in that eventuality. A Sligo victory would set them on a potential tie with Wicklow and with the Garden County enjoying the head to head tie breaker Billy Sheehan will be eager to avoid that scenario.
Laois, who missed out to Leitrim in injury time last weekend, have impressed going forward with a number of players chipping in for scores especially Paul Kingston and Eoin Lowry. Lowry’s worrying departure late in the game last week on a stretcher wasn’t a nice sight for anyone associated with Laois but the visitors should have enough to secure the win on their trip to London.
Waterford v Wicklow, 1pm, Fraher Field
Oisin McConville’s Wicklow have impressed many with their battling performances to get back into the promotion hunt with four consecutive wins putting them in the frame this weekend.
That late Ben Brosnan pointed free which secured the draw for Wexford last weekend could be the pivotal score in the entire division this season as it opened the door for this fourway challenge for the two league final and promotion places in the bottom tier.
Wicklow will be expected to breeze past Waterford on Sunday but Fraher Field has a tendency to be a tough place to go and win even against an out of sorts Waterford setup.
On top of the victory Wicklow will need every available score as they chase a large deficit on the points difference against their promotion rivals. They will be praying for a Sligo result which coupled with a victory would see them sneak into the second place in the table and give the former Armagh stalwart a fantastic boost in his first season in Aughrim.
Wexford v Carlow, 1pm Sunday, Chadwicks Wexford Park
On the last weekend Wexford are left holding a miniscule chance of promotion but will need all three other results to go their way and a massive scoreline which makes this effectively a dead rubber on Sunday.
Both sides will realistically have their focus on their upcoming Leinster championship campaigns as they lick their wounds after a bruising league run in recent weeks.
Wexford will be favourites to overcome the visitors challenge on Sunday but it will depend on who both sides include in their teams, they may elect to try players in the heat of competition to see how they fare ahead of a summer championship campaign.
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