Saturday Morning League: tomorrow's games previewed

Kick-off 10.30am

Gilfillan Cup semi-final NEWTON HEATH v BRANDYWELL CELtiC (at Lisnagelvin No 2)

Brandywell Celtic may never get a better chance to win the Gilfillan Cup.

There is no doubt that out of the three teams remaining in the competition, Brandywell are the favourites.

They have the reputation, they have the experience and they have the quality.

Their recent win over Westbank United will only boost their confidence further.

They showed real ability that day and it is just a shame that they have not managed that level pf performance over the course of the whole season.

They should not discount Newton Heath so easily however.

This is arguably the strongest Newton Heath team in several years and they have forced their way into the promotion reckoning in the Championship.

Newton Heath can cause an upset here but they will need to be at their absolute best.

Prediction: Extra time before Brandywell emerge as winners. Premier Division CREGGAN SWIFTS v DU PONT (at Leafair)

This will be an interesting weekend in the Premier Division title race with all three teams in action.

All three are expected to win but that is not certain and even one slip up from any of the trio could set them back significantly in the battle at the top of the table.

Swifts are currently third, but they sit just two points behind league leaders Clifton Villa.

They face bottom of the table Du Pont and they are likely to win this one comfortably.

Du Pont have gone backwards this season and it would be a huge surprise if they managed anything here.

Prediction: A comfortable win for Creggan. BENTLEY v WESTBANK UNITED (at Templemore Central)

Westbank United find themselves in a very similar position as Creggan Swifts.

They, too, sit behind Clifton Villa at the top of the Premier Division and they, too, face an opponent struggling near the foot of the table.

The Bentley have won just once in 12 attempts this season and are very unlikely to get anything here.

Westbank were second best against Brandywell a fortnight ago and they will be determined to get back to winning ways as soon as possible.

Prediction: A big win for Westbank. HATMORE HARPS v CLIFTON VILLA (St Columb’s No 2)

Clifton Villa have arguably the most difficult challenge of the top three this weekend.

While Creggan Swifts and Westbank United are set to take on teams really struggling for form, Villa face a Hatmore Haps side who have at least shown glimpses of promise this season.

Hatmore still sit third from bottom but they have shown some fight this season, winning twice and giving plenty of teams a run for their money.

Hatmore will again do their best to upset the odds here so it will be up to Clifton Villa to prove that they are top of the table for a reason. Given the fixtures elsewhere, Villa have to win this one.

Prediction: Villa to get the three points. Championship STRABANE ATHLETIC v CITY COLTS (at Strabane)

The result of this game could have huge implications for the promotion race in the Championship.

At present, five teams have a very good chance of finishing in second place, which makes each and every result vital.

Strabane Athletic will be aghast at how their season has suddenly turned against them.

From sitting in second for so long, they have now fallen down to sixth.

They still have four games in hand over Newton Heath however so all is not lost.

Colts, meanwhile, could do themselves a huge favour by defeating Strabane here.

One more loss could spell the end of Strabane’s promotion hopes and make it less congested at the top.

Prediction: A score draw. ARTIGARVAN v FOYLE HARPS

(Lisnagelvin No 4)

This one will end in a very comfortable win for Foyle Harps.

The difference between the two teams is stark, with Harps flying at the top of the Championship and Artigarvan adrift at the bottom.

Prediction: A very comfortable win for Foyle Harps. CULMORE v TRISTAR (at Culmore) Dungiven enjoyed a brilliant win in Dungiven at last weekend and they will be hoping to make it two in a row against a struggling Tristar team tomorrow.

There is a good chance that could happen as Tristar are very hit and miss and are always capable of gifting their opponents goals.

They showed good spirit in a recent 3-3 draw with Foyle FC, but if Culmore get the first goal, they could struggle to get anything.

Prediction: Culmore to edge it. DUNGIVEN v PHOENIX ATHLETIC COLTS (at Dungiven)

Both these teams suffered heavy defeats last weekend, Dungiven falling to Culmore while Phoenix went down to Newton Heath.

Both suffer from the same problem - for all their goal scoring prowess they have serious problems defensively.

Dungiven are usually good for a few goals at home but Phoenix can never be ruled out and it would be no surprise if this one produced a good few goals again.

Prediction: A high scoring draw.