The Runners and Riders:

Aughlisnafin
Last Season – 10th in Division 4
Last year the Finn entered a senior team in to the All County League for the first time in nearly thirty years. In an exciting venture players from the recently folded Annsborough club joined with those from the Aughlisnafin area However, success on the field was hard to come by when the team went through their Division 4 campaign without a win. Yet this year prospects are looking up. Joe Scullion seems to have his charges in good fitness and with the addition of a few new players the Finn look set to step their performances up a notch.

Key Players – Rory McMullan, Tommy Byrne and Paddy McClean
One to Watch – Rory McMullan – The talented midfielder is the engine room of the Finn team. His displays can instill confidence in his team mates.
Strengths – An unbelievable team spirit and sense of pride in their club can carry them through even the toughest of times.
Weaknesses – The Finn are extremely inexperienced at this level and lack a killer instinct in front of goal
Should Finish – Near the basement but a first competitive win should not be far away.

Ballykinlar
Last Season – 8th in Division 4
Ballykinlar are a club with one of the finest traditions in County Down . Aligned to this is their superb Tadgh Barry Memorial Ground and a host of hard working and innovative committee members who do a lot of work not only in the club but at county level as well. The annual Connolly Cup competition and the now highly coveted Bass Ulster Junior 7’s tournament are also other aspects of the club which show its progressive nature.
However, in the last couple of years the senior footballers have fallen on hard times. After a number of retirements and defections to other clubs, the Kinlar have lost some precious talent. This talent included some players who were part of the ’95 and ’98 Junior Championship winning teams as well as handful of past county minors and talented 3 rd level players.
This has not helped Ballykinlar at all but they can look to 2005 with renewed enthusiasm. Damien Furphy, the former St Johns trainer, has taken over the managerial reigns and with a couple of encouraging pre-season performances under their belt, Ballykinlar with a bit of belief can easily progress up the league ladder.

Key Players – Darren Mason, Ryan Mageean and Ryan Carr
One to Watch – Barry Mageean – A burly, aggressive type player, Mageean is a superb fielder and his grit and determination are great assets for the side.
Strengths – A couple of the older lads in the side have tasted success at Junior level before and this experience can help guide the younger players
Weaknesses – Inconsistency has been a problem over the past couple of seasons and this will have to be ironed out if the Kinlar are to improve
Should Finish - Lower mid-table with a few improved performances along the way

Bredagh
Last Season – 4 th in Division 4
Bredagh can be described as the Division 4 nearly men. For the past couple of seasons they have finished just below the playoff positions. They just seem to lack that extra quality required for promotion especially when they face the stronger sides in the Division.
This year it looks like the South Belfast men may be able to make that jump in to the top three. Some very positive pre-season results aligned to a successful weekend away in Fermanagh are proof that Bredagh are making the right steps in the right direction.
Although they will have to wait five or six years for their talented underage sides to mature in to senior footballers, Bredagh will be confident that they can push for Division 3 this time around.

Key Players – Johnny Cleary, Paddy Heaney, Mark Robinson and Kevin Muldoon.
One to Watch – Johnny Cleary – The nippy corner forward is deadly from set pieces and equally adept from play. He looks set to be Bredagh’s top marksman this season.
Strengths – The Belfast men are hard to beat at Cherryvale and not many teams will fancy the long trek there.
Weaknesses – They can easily defeat the lower placed teams but in the past they have failed to put away the stronger sides.
Should Finish – In or around the promotion zone.

Bright
Last Season – 5 th in Division 4
Just over a month ago it was revealed that Bright had resigned Donal McCartan, Mark Stitt and Neil Stranney. All former players of the club, the three have returned to boost Bright in their quest for Division 3 status. Along with them other talented players such as Daniel Vaughan, Stephen Sloan and Karl Gelston have also returned to Gerard McStay’s fold. Added to this are established campaigners Liam Gibney and Marty Ranaghan and it is very obvious that Bright have all the credentials available for a promotion push.
With optimism high in the Bright camp and a smattering of newly acquired talent, Bright should comfortably see themselves in Division 3 next year. A possible Junior Championship conquest shouldn’t be too far beyond them either.

Key Players - Donal McCartan, Mark Stitt and Neil Stranney.
One to Watch – Marty Ranaghan – The explosive forward player should enjoy a healthy scoring spree filled year with better service coming from the midfield and backline.
Strengths – Bright are used to their extremely tight and cramped pitch which other teams find hard to adapt to. Added to this is a stiff physical presence thoughout the team which makes Killough an extremely difficult place for visiting teams.
Weaknesses – On their travels they may find the bigger, more expansive pitches hard to play in as they will not suit their style.
Should Finish – Top two, near definites for promotion.

Dromara
Last Season – 7 th in Division 4
Nestled in the heart of Mid-Down, Dromara seem to keep themselves to themselves. There is a paucity of information about them in the press so it is very difficult to gauge their progress. However, this in turn can work very much to the club’s advantage as other teams can never find too much out about this secluded rural club.
One snippet that is crystal clear is the appointment of Adrian ‘Rusty’ McAulfield as manager. The former Banbridge supremo has taken over the reigns from Liam Hardy and there is one thing that you can expect from Rusty’s teams. That is a cutting edge type of football. Whether Dromara can adapt to this style remains to be seen but this year they should be more organised.
A return to the Division 2 halcyon days of the mid 90’s may be a few years off yet but Dromara can look forward to 2005 with renewed hope and enthusiasm.

Key Players – Kieran Kelly, Mark Drake and Davy McKay
One to Watch – Kieran Kelly – The big midfielder has a lot of responsibility around the middle of the park and on his day he can be highly influential.
Strengths – They are a team of experienced heads who know the Division inside out.
Weaknesses – The past few years they have been stuck in a rut and they don’t seem to do well on their travels.
Should Finish – Around the mid-table comfort zone.

Dundrum
Last Season – 8 th in Division 3 (Relegated)
After two years spent in Division 3 Dundrum felt that at last they could possibly push for a Division 2 berth in 2004. However, this failed to materialise and relegation became the stark reality. In fact, the closest the team came to promotion was in 2003 when they missed the playoffs by just two points.
This year clubman John McShane has taken over as manager and he has inherited a side with youth very much at its core. This youth will be complimented with the know how of veterans Martin Coughlan and Paddy Doran along with big game players such as Kieran Walsh and Jonathan McMullan.
2005 will be a year where Dundrum will have to rebuild for the future. All the talk and hype will have to cease and the acting will have to start.

Key Players – Kieran Walsh, Martin Coughlan, Paul McComiskey and Mickey Murray
One to Watch – Cormac Venney – The pint sized full forward on his day can wreak havoc on an opposition defence. Handy from set pieces and highly dangerous from play, Venney will carry a big scoring threat in to Division 4.
Strengths – Dundrum have gained valuable experience playing against the stronger Division 3 sides over the past few years and this should hold them in good stead.
Weaknesses – Having been out of Division 4 for awhile now it may take the Duns time to re-acquaint themselves with all the teams and grounds.
Should Finish – Anything less than a top three finish will be deemed as a catastrophic failure.

Killyleagh
Last Season – 9 th in Division 4
Like the Finn, Killyleagh returned to Division 4 last year after a couple of years on the sidelines. Their homecoming was less than successful as the team struggled for much of the year, not fielding on occasion. This year it is hard to see how the small East Down club will improve their fortunes with limited resources and little coming through from the underage ranks.

Key Players – Conor Martin and Ian Sullivan
One to Watch – Ian Sullivan – One of Killyleagh’s brightest young players, the small forward can be a terror to mark.
Strengths – Week in, week out, they are an unknown quantity and this may see them overcome some of the lesser sides.
Weaknesses – Similarly to the Finn they are vastly inexperienced and don’t have many resources from which to draw from.
Should Finish – Bottom three

St Johns
Last Season – 10 th in Division 3 (Relegated)
St Johns are a bit of an enigma. One minute they look like a very competent team, the next they look rather ordinary. In fact, it was their Jekyll and Hyde performances last year that ultimately led to their relegation. However, poor league form aside, St Johns seem to reserve their best for Championship time which has seen them reach two Junior showpieces in the past three years.
The Drumnaquoile side need to convert that Championship form in to League form for this year’s campaign if they are to make a swift return to Division 3. Last year they lost most of their games by only three or four points so they will probably have taken some from that.

Key Players – Aidan Kelly, Dan Marmion and Conor Burns
One to Watch – Aidan Kelly – Gifted with pace, St John’s ace marksman will win many games with his hard working effort up front.
Strengths – St Johns have the ability to raise their performance for big games. Just look at their disposal of Drumaness in last year’s Junior Championship semi final.
Weaknesses – Sometimes they just seem to go through the motions, which sees them fail to put teams away.
Should Finish – Finishing in the top five should be a realistic target.

St Michaels
Last Season – 3 rd in Division 4
Over the years St Michaels have established themselves as a top Division 4 side but only to collapse when they partake in Division 3. Last year they brought the Junior Championship home to Magheralin. This slightly interfered with their promotion prospects as they narrowly failed to reach the top two automatic promotion places.
It will be interesting to see whether the hangover from the Championship win will still linger over the side as they begin their assault on Division 4. Truthfully it shouldn’t and many would expect the Magheralin men to be in the reckoning come the season’s end.

Key Players – John Catney, Declan Lavery and Kevin Hamill
One to Watch – Declan Lavery - The Down Minor is a superb talent who should, if given the opportunity, destroy most defences in the Division.
Strengths – The team will be on a high after their success last year and the players will have gained added belief in their footballing ability.
Weaknesses - St Michaels tend to overemphasize the physical side of their game and they could be caught out against the more skilful sides.
Should Finish – Very close to the top two.

St Pauls
Last Season – 6 th in Division 4
The most northerly club in Down have been plugging away over the years in an attempt to escape the clutches of Division 4. Unfortunately they have yet to do so. Mid table finishes have been the best they have had. Yet like many other teams in the Division they can look forward to a brighter 2005 . This is mainly to do with the fact that they can now introduce some of their successful minor players from the past few years in to the senior ranks.

Key Players – Conor McIllroy, Brian McIllroy and Eunan Donnelly
One to Watch – Brian McIllroy – The seasoned campaigner is a strong leader who can inspire St Pauls to victory
Strengths – Not many teams will relish the long journey to Holywood and St Pauls can catch many of them on an off day.
Weaknesses – They tend to perform badly away from MacNamee Park on occasion
Should Finish – Comfortably in mid-table

Marcas Mac Siomoin 4/4/05