New-look soccer season kicks-off this evening

The new North East Football League soccer season will kick-off this week with a historic shortened version that will conclude in November to facilitate the introduction of a calendar year campaign from February 2019.

Club delegates at the NEFL annual general meeting in Navan last May sanctioned a change in the playing season to what has been termed ‘summer soccer’ for many years.

That meeting considered a proposal to change the format from the traditional August - April season to one in line with what applies currently in the League of Ireland and in many of the junior leagues around the country.

The motion was put originally forward by Duleek and supported by Navan Town with NEFL Fixtures Secretary Declan Jordan speaking in favour of the change, but Skryne / Tara delegate Dermot Carty spoke against the motion.

This proposal had failed on a number of occasions in the last decade, but this time aound was ratified with 32 (40-8) votes to spare as delegates opted for change.

To facilitate the transition, the inaugural 2018 NEFL across all divisions will be played on a one-round basis and there will be four knock-out competitions.

The Challenge Cup and Kilmessan Shield will cater for first teams while second and third teams will have the Reserve Cup and Gerry Reilly Memorial Cup. 

Premier and Div 1 teams will receive a bye to the second round of the Challenge Cup where Premier teams will be seeded while the Kilmessan Shield will be contested by losing teams from the first two rounds of the Challenge Cup

Only two Meath teams will feature in the Premier League with Trim Celtic likely to mount a serious title challenge under the newly-appointed management duo of Alan Murphy and Sean Prunty.

Duleek had to battle for survival in the Premier last season and are unlikely to make any great impact this time around.

Eight Meath teams feature in Div 1 and that includes former Royal County flagbearers at intermediate level for many years, Parkvilla who have moved from the Leinster Senior League.

Parkvilla is one of five teams from the Navan area in that grade and club officials will be eager to make an impression and earn a place in the Premier.

Parkvilla travel to Torro Utd this Wednesday night for a flavour of what they can expect, but the bonus for enthusiasts in the Navan area is the number of local derby games that will take place.

That aspect has been absent from the NEFL for a good few seasons and perhaps it might be an opportunity for the legislators to consider county sections for teams below Premier and Div 1 for the 2019 season.

Parkvilla and OMP Utd should be the front-runners in the 11-game race for the Div 1 title.

Navan Cosmos return to the fold in Div 2 where the best prospects of a Meath success could be in north Meath with Oldcastle Utd making steady progress on and off the pitch.

Appropriately, founder members of the Meath League, Kilmessan, featured on the honours list for the final traditional season last May and they will be eager to sustain that momentum in Div 3.
Another stalwart of the game in the Royal County, Kells Celtic, will make a brave bid to bring some silverware back to the town and they could also feature at the business end in Div 3.

In the fifth tier (Div 4) the ambitious officials at Bohermeen Celtic are involved in much-needed development work and that might impact on the on-field performances so the team most likely to challenge for honours could be Moynalty side Castle Villa. 

PREDICTIONS - WEEK ONE
WEDNESDAY 8th AUGUST 
DIVISION 1
Torro Utd v Parkvilla - This will be a tough opener for Torro Utd as Parkvilla will want to make a winning start and should have in the tank to deal with the threat of the hosts at Powderly Park. Verdict - Parkvilla.

Athboy Celtic v OMP Utd - This tussle will attract a good crowd and while hosts Athboy will provide stern opposition, OMP Utd are expected to start on the front foot with a good win. Verdict - OMP Utd.

Enfield Celtic v Trim Town - Enfield will pose too many questions for the Trim men. Verdict - Enfield Celtic.

DIVISION 3
Park Celtic Summerhill v Kilmessan - The founder members of the Meath League almost 40 years ago will get off to a winning start when they travel to Summerhill. Verdict - Kilmessan.

Robinstown v Kells Celtic - Two of the flagbearers in the days before the Meath League, Robinstown campaigned for many years in the Amateur League while Kells Celtic won a number of trophies in the Leinster Junior League. Less travelling involved for both now and this could end level. Verdict - draw,

FRIDAY 10th AUGUST 
DIVISION 4
Castle Villa v Abbey Celtic - The Moynalty side could take a point from Drogheda side Abbey Celtic. Verdict - draw.

SATURDAY 11th AUGUST
DIVISION 3 
Kells Celtic v Park Celtic Summerhill - Home for Kells is still at the MDL and they can get a win on the board in this one. Verdict - Kells Celtic.

SUNDAY 12th AUGUST
PREMIER

Trim Celtic v Boyne Harps - This will be a game worth watching and Trim Celtic will make a winning start. Verdict - Trim Celtic.

Duleek v Ardee Celtic - Duleek need to pick up points at home and will get three in this one. Verdict - Duleek.
 

DIVISION 1 

Enfield Celtic v Albion Rovers - A good opportunity for Enfield to pick up three points. Verdict - Enfield Celtic.

Hazel Lane v Parkvilla - Second away game in five days for the Navan men and another win on the cards. Verdict - Parkvilla.

Kentstown Rovers v OMP Utd - A good tussle in prospect and an away win on the cards. Verdict - OMP Utd.
Trim Town v Kingscourt - Home advantage should be enough for Trim Town to get off the mark. Verdict - Trim Town.

DIVISION 2

Kells/Blackwater v Redeemer Celtic: It’s time for Kells / Blackwater to start making an impact, a win here will suffice for the moment. Verdict - Kells / Blackwater.

Navan Cosmos v Rathmullen: The former kingpins of the NEFL return to action after a break in membership, but the points will go to the Louth men. Verdict - Rathmullen.

Oldcastle Utd v Woodview: A difficult opener for Oldcastle, but one they have to win. Verdict - Oldcastle Utd.

DIVISION 3
Robinstown v Glenmuir: Robinstown need to make home form count and they can make it difficult for the Dundalk side, but not difficult enough. Verdict - Glenmuir.

DIVISION 4

BMC Utd v Bohermeen Celtic: Bohermeen will enjoy the trip to north Meath, but once the game starts that will be the end of that. Verdict - BMC Utd.

Millmount Celtic v Fordrew Rovers: This looks like a home win. Verdict - Millmount Celtic.

Slane Wanderers v Lourdes Celtic: A team that should be playing at a higher level, but appear to labour through each season, this one won’t get any better for Slane. Verdict - Lourdes Celtic.

Thatch v Electro Celtic: The Nobber men are unlikely to make an impact on the road. Verdict - Thatch.