Trim expected to make the grade on this occasion

Trim GAA supporters will return to Pairc Tailteann on Saturday with some degree of confidence that the club's footballers will bring the IFC Mattie McDonnell Cup back to the town at around 7pm.

This could be the start of a great week for the club as the supporters who are lucky enough to get a ticket for the following week will also be heading to Navan for a hurling double-header of MHC and SHC finals.

However, this weekend the focus will be firmly on the footballers as they attempt to make amends for the disappointment of defeat by Nobber in the 2019 IFC decider.

The demands of senior football have proved difficult for the Nobber men, but they still have a chance to preserve their status and will tackle Dunshaughlin in the SFC relegation final in the curtainraiser at headquarters with the possibility that Brian Farrell could make a return to action.

The showpiece on Saturday is the the IFC decider with Trim set to tackle Ballinabrackey in a final that is certain to produce plenty of good football.

Ballinabrackey probably had the tougher of the two semi-finals as they negotiated St Michael's with a bit more comfort that the 3-13 to 1-13 scoreline suggests.

In the qualifying phase they were unbeaten although they were held to a draw by Duleek/Bellewstown.

They had big wins against Syddan and Oldcastle and a 1-14 to 0-9 quarter-final win against the 2019 JFC champions Clann na nGael.

They are solid at the back with goalkeeper Dean Pluck steady between the posts, but Nicky Judge and Derk Flynn will have to be alert to deal with the threat of a fast-moving Trim attack.

If they concede frees then Aaron Lynch will flourish, he scored nine points in Trim's semi-final win against Kilmainham. But it's not a one-man show and Trim can also look to Alan Douglas, Ciaran Joyce, Mark Molloy and Eoin O'Connor for scores.

Trim will probably have to field without James Toher, who limped out of the semi-final after 26 minutes.

Midfield dominance will be crucial and in that sector Robert Bourke contributes enormously to the Trim cause and he can also pick off the points.

The Trim defence won't have it as easy as they did in the semi-final and how they cope with the threat of Damien and David Carroll, Danny Quinn, Barry Thompson, Sean Kavanagh and Chris O'Connor could determine the outcome.

Trim looked like they would end their exile last year, but it didn't work out for them and that reversal could be a significant factor in their armour this time around.

"We were so disappointed last year, we couldn't really take anything out of it apart from a determination not to let something like that happen again if we were to get back to the final, now we have that chance," Trim manager Brendan Murphy told the Meath Chronicle.

"There will be a big difference between our team this year and last year, it's not finalised yet, but there could be seven or eight different players starting this time compared to the 15 that started 12 months ago.

"There is a great buzz around the club, with the footballers winning the Premier FC final and the hurlers are also enjoying a good run with that late win on Saturday against Kildalkey.

“The lockdown (due to Covid-19) probably helped us as a dual club, there is a big demand on players and the inter-county break also helped us, players had a chance to rest and recover and the colleges also was sidelined.

“Trim and Ballinabrackey are the two best teams in the IFC this year.

"There's never much between us, a kick of a ball, they beat us in 2018 and we beat them last year.

“It will be a tight game, they have some very good young players, but we are playing well, everyone is in good form and we are all looking forward to the game," he added.

The Trim manager's suggestion that it will be a tight game hints that it could go either way.

The team that makes the fewest mistakes will take the silverware and with the memories of last year’s defeat to spur them on, Trim get the nod to make a return to senior football for 2021 and end a nine-year exile.