Imokilly junior football semi finals on the horizon this weekend

THE two semi finals of the Michael O'Connor Motor Factors junior 'A' grade championship dominate the football landscape in East Cork this weekend with all four teams gunning for a place in the showpiece final in a few weeks time.

Fr O'Neill's and Lisgoold meet in Cloyne on Saturday, with Carraig na bhFear and Aghada heading for Cobh on Sunday (both games 6pm). 

All four clubs played important hurling championship games last weekend in their respective grades, whilst for Aghada this weekend is also particularly important as they line out against Kilshannig in the country premier intermediate football championship on Saturday.

Fr O'Neill's have been impressive thus far in junior football.

They got their business done early with three straight wins to top their group, advance directly to the last four and concentrate on the small ball with a number of the team also playing vital roles with the senior hurlers. 

An eye catching 2-10 to 0-6 win over Carraig na bhFear in the opener was early proof of their capabilities. 

They subsequently followed up with a 2-13 0-12 victory over Carrigtwohill and concluded their group campaign by accounting for Erin's Own on 1-14 to 0-4 scoreline in Castlemartyr. 

O'Neill's lost the county B grade football last year and are chasing a first title in eight years.

In the opposite corner are a Lisgoold side whose football star continues to rise - but maybe not as dramatically as their hurling in recent years. 

A solid group of dual players will feel there is no reason why they can't progress to record a maiden 'A' grade football title on the back of the hurlers' groundbreaking success a few years ago. 

This season, Lisgoold followed up a decent JFL1 league campaign by posting two championship wins in group 2 to finish runners up behind Aghada. All three of their group games were close affairs. 

An opening day 2-8 to 0-11 win over Glenbower Rovers was followed by a 1-14 to 2-10 reversal to Aghada, before Lisgoold secured a quarter final with a 0-13 to 2-6 success over Cloyne. 

Another tight quarter final encounter was to follow against Midleton, which eventually concluded with Lisgoold recording a 1-10 to 1-8 triumph.

Since Aghada's table topping feats in group 2, the Rostellan side have lost a number of players to premier intermediate ranks, which may be a key factor in their outing against what looks like a settled looking Carraig na bhFear team.

Aghada's competent group campaign produced a 1-16 to 1-14 victory over Cloyne on the opening night and 2-12 to 2-10 win over Glenbower as well as that aforementioned tight encounter with Lisgoold. 

They have plenty of quality young footballers overall in the club with many of the new generation having already sampled action in the county premier intermediate arena over the past two seasons. 

The upcoming semi final will be an acid test of their resources.

Opponents Carraig na bhFear recovered from defeat by Fr O'Neill's to post back to back wins over Erin's Own (3-14 to 1-6) and Carrigtwohiill (2-9 to 1-10) which set up a quarter final clash against Bride Rovers. 

Here it finished 3-12 to 1-10 in their favour which meant their ambitions of completing a league and championship double remained on track. 

It's now 48 years since the club won their only top flight football championship title and a big effort is being put in this year to end that barren spell. 

With the club's hurlers also having won the division 1 hurling league a few months back, overall there is real pep in the step of both panels, with many of the players doubly engaged.

So two interesting semi finals await patrons in the eastern barony as the junior championships head to a climax over the next few weeks in a division where competition is also intense at this stage of the season..