By Kieran Lynch

BALLYMARTIN are right in the mix for promotion from Division Three, as they have qualified for the promotion playoffs alongside Newry Shamrocks, Drumgath and Tullylish.

With Ballymartin not fancied to win the Intermediated Championship this year, manager Ciaran Brannigan conceded that the club put ‘all of their eggs in one basket,’ but league success won’t come easily either, with both Newry Shamrocks and Drumgath in outstanding form this year.

“We had a huge emphasis this year on getting everybody together and making a big push for the Division Three title, and the first objective was to get into the top four and secure a spot on the play-offs,” said Brannigan.

“We were extremely keen on doing well in the league this year. I got the boys together last December, and we talked about it, and we put all of our eggs in that basket. We’re realistic about the championship; you have Rostrevor down in Intermediate and you have five Division Two teams in there too, and then you have the likes of Newry Shamrocks and Drumgath who have been strong in Division Three.

“It would be a massive ask for any Division Three team to go on and win the Intermediate Championship, never mind for the team that is sitting third or fourth.”

Ballymartin have already played the opening playoff match against Drumgath, and despite the match being a close contest, the Rathfriland side’s ability to find the back of the net saw them run out 3-8 to 0-10 winners.

Tomorrow night (Friday) Ballymartin face another crucial encounter as they take on the Shamrocks, and defeat may leave them with too much ground to make up, to reach a league final.

“We have serious, serious potential there, but it’s just a matter of it all clicking together,” said Brannigan, regarding closing the gap on the top two. We can’t just have four or five boys playing well this week, and four or five boys playing well the next week. It has to be 15 men all performing to their capabilities. When it clicks, we’re just as good as the top two teams in the division, there’s no doubt in my mind about that.

“We definitely have the ability, but we just haven’t clicked as a full squad just yet.”

If Ballymartin are to get promoted this year, they will be reliant on finding the right blend between youth and experience, with stalwarts James Doran, Peter Fitzpatrick and Cathal Doyle turning in impressive form this season, whilst they have been boosted by addition of young stars Ryan Higgins, Paul and Rory Quinn, and Kealin Kearney.

With Ballymartin looking to progress and develop, Brannigan explained just how important obtaining promotion would be.

“There’s no doubt (that it would help). You’d be playing a higher standard every week,” he said.

“I’d never be downgrading anybody in Division Three, but there were definitely two or three games this year that were over after 10 minutes, and that makes for a long evening for both teams.

“But you wouldn’t get that in Division Two. Getting up to Division Two and playing that standard of opposition would definitely be a hell of an ask, but I think that it would bring out the best in us.”