Denis Connerton
There's a full programme of games taking place in Division III of the Allianz Football League this Sunday.
Allianz Football League Division III Previews
Sunday, February 7
Longford v Limerick, Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, 2pm
Longford were buoyant in mid January after beating Dublin to reach the O'Byrne Cup final, but their momentum has been checked somewhat since, having lost to Meath in the final and last weekend to Offaly in their Allianz Football League opener. Denis Connerton's side were quite toothless in front of goal in the defeat to the Faithful County, and they will hope to have the talented Brian Kavanagh in their starting side this weekend, the powerful forward having come off the bench last Sunday.
Limerick flirted with relegation in 2015, but John Brudair's side battled their way to a draw in their opener last weekend against Tipperary, starman Ian Ryan kicking his ninth point of the game in stoppage time to force the draw. The classy Ryan is absolutely vital for Limerick's third tier prospects, as is Seánie Buckley, who also impressed in Kilmallock.
Sligo v Westmeath, Markievicz Park, 2pm
The perennially fluctuating nature of the maelstrom of inter-county football is well reflected in Sligo's recent fortunes. Cock of the walk after dumping a hyped Roscommon outfit out of the Connacht Championship last June, a pall was quickly cast over the Yeats County when Mayo humiliated them with 6-25 in the Connacht final. A downbeat off-season saw David Kelly leave Niall Carew's panel and Adrian Marren ruled out through injury, and there was little surprise when they slumped to a disappointing 1-11 to 0-7 opening round defeat to Clare last Sunday.
They need to get the show on the road against Westmeath, who also need to kickstart their campaign following a disappointing loss to Kildare last weekend. Tom Cribbin's side know all about fluctuating fortunes - they were a Division I side as recently as 2014 - and they will want to pick up points as soon as possible to avoid getting sucked into yet another relegation battle.
Colm Collins
Tipperary v Clare, Seán Treacy Park, 2pm
Tipperary lost some big players in the off-season - Colin O'Riordan (to the AFL), Séamus Kennedy and Steven O'Brien (to hurling) - and when combined with the absence of their Clonmel Commercials players, it adds up to a potentially challenging spring for new manager Liam Kearns. To their credit, they performed well away to Limerick last weekend and would have taken maximum points but for Ian Ryan's injury-time leveller. The spirited nature of their display and the class up front of Conor Sweeney and Peter Acheson should give Kearns hope for the many battles ahead.
Clare were the stand-out performers last weekend, Colm Collins' side seeing off Sligo comfortably on a 1-11 to 0-7 scoreline. Collins has done well in his time with the Banner County, guiding them to promotion from Division IV in 2014, and they are more than capable of going on another promotion run with the likes of Gary Brennan, Seán Collins and David Tubridy in their ranks.
Kildare v Offaly, Newbridge, 2pm
Having slipped down two divisions in the space of two seasons, the pressure is on the Lilywhites to return to the second tier under new manager Cian O'Neill this season. They got off to a good start last weekend, beating Westmeath (who have also been relegated two years in a row) 2-9 to 0-11 in Cusack Park. Superb goals from Daniel Flynn and Cian O’Donoghue backboned Kildare's important win, which has set them up nicely for a promotion bid.
Offaly, rejuvenated under Pat Flanagan, will also have their sights set on a promotion bid. They achieved a measure of revenge over Longford last weekend, who defeated them in last year's Leinster Championship, and victory over Kildare would be a huge boost for a proud football county that has been on its knees for some time. With Graham Guilfoyle, Bernard Allen and Niall McNamee all showing strong early season form, it's not out of the question.
