The Willow Park team which defeated Glenville in the Leinster Senior League last Sunday.

Willow Park prepare for big cup clash

Willow Park have a big game coming up this weekend as they prepare to face Bangor Celtic in the last 16 of the FAI Intermediate Cup.

Bangor have home advantage in this cup tie which will take place on Sunday at the Iveagh Grounds in Crumlin (kick-off 11am).

By reaching the last 16 of the Intermediate Cup, Willow have also earned a place in the 2023 FAI Senior Cup. The FAI has confirmed that the Athlone outfit will be invited into next season’s prestigious competition.

Willow's confidence ahead of the clash with Bangor was boosted by last Sunday's 2-1 away win over Glenville in the Leinster Senior League. The Athlone side is now ninth in the 14-team Senior Sunday 1 Division.

Bangor compete in the Senior Sunday Division, one flight above Willow, but the Dublin outfit is currently bottom of the table with just one win from nine games.

The sides met in early October in the Leinster Senior League's Charlie Cahill Cup, with Bangor winning 2-0 in Athlone. With Philip Coffey and Jimmy Greene at the helm, Willow will be hoping to reverse that result on Sunday.

Meanwhile, there were contrasting fortunes for Willow Park's teams in Combined Counties Football League action last weekend.

The club's women's team had a 5-1 win over Stonepark of Longford with goals from Savannah Cassidy, Nicole Kelly, Hannah Martin and Siobhan McCormack.

But Willow's second men's team was on the receiving end of a heavy defeat to Mullingar Athletic in the second round of the Combined Counties Cup at Gainstown last Friday night.

Johnny Keegan was the star of the show for Athletic, finishing the game with four goals, as Efe Siode scored another two in a 6-0 victory over a depleted Willow side.

Willow played most of the game with ten men after an injury, and found it difficult to cope with the Mullingar side’s capable attack.