Willow Park face trip to Kilkenny for cup clash
By Kieran Galvin Willow Park face a demanding assignment in the third round of the Umbro FAI Junior Cup against Freebooters of Kilkenny this Sunday (Fairgreen, Kilkenny, 11am). The east Athlone side suffered a surprise home defeat to Killavilla Utd in the Senior Division of the CCFL last weekend and will be keen to bounce back in cup action. Freebooters are four-times Leinster Junior Cup winners, but Willow came out on top when the Kilkenny side visited Athlone for the quarter-finals of the LFA Cup in 2010. A 1-1 draw was followed by Willow progressing to the semi-finals after a penalty shoot-out. Willow went on to win the Leinster Junior Cup that year for the first time. Freebooters have lost a number of players that featured against Willow in 2010, with impressive goalkeeper Graham Doyle and midfielder Craig Wall having signed for Wexford Youths, while striker Ben Ryan is now to Waterford Utd. Willow have been hugely successful in recent years and have won the Senior Division title for the past five seasons, while also achieving some notable cup victories. Meanwhile, Melville Utd's Senior Division clash against Gallen Utd on Sunday will now take place in Brosna Press Park, Ferbane, and NOT Sarsfield Park, where it had been orginally listed for. St Peter's entertain Killavilla in the same division. Elsewhere, there are several local sides in action in the first round of the Combined Counties Cup - including Clonbonny, Clonown Rovers, Temple Villa, Horseleap Utd and Ballinahown. CCFL FIXTURES DIGEST Friday, November 2 Premier Division Willow Park B v Rosenallis (8pm, Willow Park, Athlone, I Stacey). Saturday, November 3 (2.30pm unless stated) U17 Division Willow Park v St Aengus (Willow Park, PJ Higgins); Combined Counties Cup 1st Round Melville Celtic v Dynamoe Rooskey (Sarsfield Park, Athlone, P Geoghegan); Colmcille Celtic v Ballymahon (Aughnacliffe, P Nolan) Sunday, November 4 (11am unless stated) Umbro FAI Junior Cup 3rd Round Freebooters v Willow Park (Fairgreen, Kilkenny); Combined Counties Cup 1st Round Eagles v Horseleap Utd (Ex Rugby Grounds, Birr, B Dolan); Clonbonny v Tower Hill Rovers (Valleycourt, Athlone, K Ronan); Clonminch Rovers v Clonown Rovers (Fentor Park, Killeigh, S Lowry); Temple Villa v Clonaslee Utd (Villa Park, Mount Temple, B James); Daingean Town v Ericsson Athlone (Sutherland Park, Ballinagar, A Martin); Ballinahown v Killoe (Sports Park, Ballinahown, U Beaumont); Senior Division Melville Utd v Gallen Utd (2pm, Brosna Press Park, Ferbane, P Nolan); St Peter's v Killavilla Utd (2pm, McCarthy Park, Athlone, P Murphy). Division 3B Gallen Utd B v Melville Celtic B (Brosna Press Park, Ferbane, D Foran). Division 4B Monksland Utd B v Clonmore Utd B (Cushla Park, Athlone, P Tone).