EUROVISION - perhaps Cork Church of Ireland have it, even though they go into this weekend's all-Ireland league play-offs as outsiders. The likelihood is that Lisnagarvey will complete the grand slam at Belfield and return to the European Champions' competition next year while Pembroke Wanderers, runners-up on the home front, will eagerly enter the Cup Winners' Cup.
No doubt, Pembroke will give a more settled performance against Lisnagarvey tomorrow than they did in the Irish Senior Cup final last Saturday. The Ulster champions will still carry the greater firing power but Pembroke may make moves to curb Daniel Clarke as well as Jimmy Kirkwood, possibly by bringing Duncan McKeen or Colin Kelly into the fray, while another defiant performance can be expected from goal-keeper Nigel Henderson.
Furthermore, Lisnagarvey are not sure that they can prevent Pembroke from hitting back in the same manner as last weekend, particularly from short corners built up from mid-field pressure. Indeed, it would not be totally surprising if there were a similar scoreline (4-3) or more logically, say, a 2-2 draw in an all-action repeat of the cup decider.
Moving on, Lisnagarvey might feel a little weary on Sunday - with the exception of their more youthful figures like Brian Waring and Mark Tumilty - when they take on C of I. The Cork side will be fresh and uninhibited. They have scored freely in the Munster campaign and might well have been involved in the closing stages of the Irish Cup. But, having eliminated Avoca, they went under to Belvedere when their international midfielder Alastair Dunne was missing through injury.
Now, fielding virtually the same team which gave Lisnagarvey a vigorous run in the cup semi-final at Blaris last season and which also threatened to foil Instonians in the interprovincial play-offs a year ago, C of I must be respected. A lack of match practice against top-class opposition may be a handicap but it would be typical of the spirit of Ger Burns and his cohorts if they, too, could poach a draw on Sunday and thus leave the issue open when they tackle Pembroke in the final game on Monday.
