Local sides set to clash in mouth-watering Junior Cup derby

WHAT a way to begin this year's FAI Junior Cup. The Midlands' two leading junior football clubs - Willow Park and near rivals St Peter's - go head to head at Willow Park on Sunday afternoon (kick-off: 2pm) in what should prove a tantalising prospect in the opening round of the country's largest football knockout tournament. St Peter's were the real story of last year's competition, surprising many observers by going all the way to the junior cup final at Tolka Park before eventually succumbing to Ballymun Utd. The Connaught-side outfit have also built up a simmering rivalry with Willow Park in recent years, with Willow memorably pipping St Peter's to last season's Combined Counties league title after a nailbiting championship play-off at Lissywoollen in May. Willow, of course, have won the last two Combined Counties league titles and also captured the sought-after Combined Counties Cup last season. In recent years, the meetings of these sides have been extremely close affairs and there's often only a kick of a ball between them - if even! They met in the league just a few weeks ago at McCarthy Park and shared a tense draw, with Alan Kelly's late free kick earning St Peter's a draw against a Willow side who led from early on but then played the vast majority of the game with only ten men. The team's also met on three occasions last season; Willow winning 2-1 early in the season before two draws late on. And they are currently tied level on points at the top of the Combined Counties league table - further indication of the strength of both oufits. The stature of both sides has also been further boosted in recent months with the arrival at either club of some well known former League of Ireland players. Both Colin Fortune and Ronan Frawley have signed back for their boyhood club (Willow Park), while Damien Rushe is now on St Peter's books, joining the likes of Adrian Carberry and Tom Silke in the Springwell Road-based club ranks. A large crowd of local supporters will be expected to flock to Willow on Sunday for the latest installment in what is a healthy but ever increasinly fierce rivalry. And St Peter's attacking midfielder Stephen Mullan - himself a former Athlone Town and Sligo Rovers player - expects another highly competitive and tighly contested affair. "I suppose a lot of people are looking at the draw and thinking it's a bit of a shame that Athlone's top two teams have been drawn against each other so early on. But the fact this game has been looming large for a few weeks has helped us focus more on our league form in recent times. We are really looking forward to the game. Obviously we had a great run in this competition last season and it's something we would love to repeat, but it's going to be very tough against a good Willow Park team," said Mullan, who actually missed the most recent meeting of the side's due to illness. "There's always a bit of added spice when St Peter's play Willow Park - but I think a lot of that is added by supporters or people who aren't actually out on the pitch. There's a good level of respect between both sets of players and although it's a competitive fixture it's never been a dirty game in recent years. It could go either way on Sunday because the team's are so evenly matched. It will be close again," added Mullan. St Peter's, managed by another former Athlone Town player, Michael Collins, are expected to be at fully strength on Sunday. Last season's regular left back Paul Murphy has been struggling with a nasty groin injury in recent months - ironically picked up against Willow towards the back end of last season - but has returned to training in recent weeks and will probably take a place on the bench this weekend. Willow Park's most serious injury concern revolves around highly influential centre back Ronan Frawley, who was forced off early with a groin strain during last weekend's 5-0 league defeat of Mountmellick Utd. His older brother, Brian, is definitely ruled out through injury but Colm Hyland should come back into contention following suspension. Mark McConnell is also likely to rejoin the squad after recently returning from Defence Forces duties in Chad. Willow manager Tony O'Sullivan said: "I expect Sunday's game to be as tight as our previous meetings. It's very possible that set-pieces will have a major say in the outcome of the game. We've been winning recently in the league but I think our most recent performances have been a bit sluggish, to be honest. It's generally accepted that Willow and St Peter's are just as strong as each other and I'm sure this will be evident again on Sunday. It should be another interesting game." The winners of Sunday's match will meet Mullingar Athletic in the second round. Elsewhere in this weekend's first round matches, Temple Villa travel to Timahoe on Sunday to take on Stradbally Town. Other local clubs Melville Utd and Monksland Utd were handed byes into the second round.