The Championship is the ultimate in ‘any team can beat any team’, they say.
A hive of chaos where you can quickly find yourself a bit red-faced when you look at your accumulator and notice that nothing has gone to plan.
Well, in this league, there is no plan. There is no script nor playbook. Things just happen, and what will be, ultimately, will be.
This season’s been a case in point, and with just a couple of matchdays remaining, there are still FIVE teams in with a mathematical shout of clinching top spot.
Granted, at this stage, it’ll more likely than not be Portadown who lift the title, four points clear of the chasing pack and knowing that victory over Dundela will all but wrap up their immediate return to Premiership football with the last outing to spare.
But just two points split second-placed current play-off occupiers Bangor – whose comeback victory over the Duns has teed up Niall Currie’s Ports to savour the joys of finishing at the summit – from Annagh United in fifth, with Institute sandwiched in there and also in the mix for the right to contest against the top-flight’s 11th-placed side, likely Ballymena United.
The weekend’s action saw Portadown prevail 3-1 over Harland and Wolff Welders, with goals from Eamon Fyfe, Ryan Mayse and Paul McElroy seeing them ashore, while the simultaneous Seasiders fightback in east Belfast when Ben Cushnie, Lewis Francis and Ben Arthurs finishes turned the tide after Jordan Jenkins’ ninth-minute opener was as equally welcome at Shamrock Park as it was for the Clandeboye outfit.
No blues for Annagh, either, with Ciaran McGurgan relying on James Convie and Stephen Murray to get the job done in the north west as a 2-0 win over ‘Stute represented their third straight post-split away triumph.
So, in numbers terms? Portadown lead on 70 points, Bangor are in second on 66 and ahead of Dundela on goal difference, Institute are one back on 65 while Annagh are up to 64.
It’s tasty at the top and there’s every possibility of the title race going right to the last day should Portadown falter, and with a near-doubling of crowds recorded across this league compared to the campaign before, the entertainment has made the Championship an Irish League connoisseur’s dream.
And it’s absolutely to the NI Football League’s benefit that it is this way, especially given that there is the quality to match the thrills and spills.
For one, this is a league where teams are fruitfully rewarded for getting the ball along the ground and playing it. Watchable styles of play matched by the enterprise and willingness to gamble are the recipe for success at this level; if you play on the front foot, you’ll find holes in the other defence and create chances, which has often led to high-scoring and end-to-end encounters.
Moreover, for two, the calibre of talent has arguably never been higher.
In Portadown’s squad for example, you can find Kenny Kane, Ross Redman, Dougie Wilson and Gary Thompson – they were squad members of last season’s two Irish Cup Finalists.
The four-time Irish League champions also reached the BetMcLean Cup Final and knocked out three Premiership sides – Crusaders, Loughgall and mid-Ulster rivals Glenavon – along the way, also defeating Dungannon Swifts 5-2 at Shamrock Park to win the Mid-Ulster Cup.
Institute have 13-times-capped former Northern Ireland international Danny Lafferty in their fold, while BJ Banda and Mikhail Kennedy previously sealed switches to Larne and Crusaders following their scoring exploits at this level prior to their January arrivals at the Brandywell.
Manager Kevin Deery has drafted them into a highly talented, ball-playing young core that can be the foundation for their success for years to come, while first-time Dundela supremo Stephen Gourley has experienced Premiership performers like Andy Hall, David McMaster and Jaimie McGovern sprinkled into his arsenal.
As for Bangor, the term’s promoted side after winning 2023’s Premier Intermediate League, the eye-catching recruit of full-back Conor McDermott on loan from Coleraine bolstered Lee Feeney’s panel that has adapted seamlessly from intermediate football – the majority of the squad in the season before has been retained, spearheaded by the 25 goals across all competitions from Ben Arthurs.
Meanwhile, two-time play-off representatives Annagh stormed into the conversation having been in such scintillating form since the turn of 2024.
Of their last 13 games, they’ve won 10 and lost just once and seemed to have the number on their local rivals Portadown, with the 4-2 triumph at Shamrock Park courtesy of a Ruairi McDonald brace and pair of goals by Eoin Teggart and Nathan Kerr rubber-stamped their unbeaten record in those derby showdowns.
Dundela are unable to go up, but the other four contenders have more than enough about them to make Ballymena and/or Newry City sweat on their top-flight status in a play-off.
A strong second division is important in any organised football set-up, and the Irish League is no exception, but there’s no doubt the Championship has seen a big growth spurt this year.
Perhaps it’s a consequence of the trickle-down effect that has come with the modern-day evolution of the Irish League.
Besides, with the advent of fully professional models and increased investment in the Premiership, as well as the likes of full-time trio Larne, Linfield and Glentoran scouring markets abroad for fresh talent, there is always likely to be an overflow that, inevitably, means quality operators will continue to refine their skills in the Championship.
And that’s no bad thing; not by any stretch. It’s a sign of the times, and it’s something that the league will benefit from in the long term.
That Loughgall were able to shoot into the top-flight and enjoy a successful season that’s seen them retain a consistent core from last campaign’s Championship-winning side, rise above the 40-point barrier and have an in-demand Northern Ireland Under-21 international leading their line is a showcase of that.
There’s no reason why others can’t follow in the years to come, and it’s not a coincidence nor a stroke of luck.
The second-flight is on the rise, shown emphatically this term – and it should be celebrated.
Featured image from Hammy McClements/Dundela FC Media.
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