Flanagan’s Onions on the verge of Premier Division safety
Digicel Premier Division league leaders Devonshire Cougars and Flanagan’s Onions are set to square off tonight for valuable points needed by both sides.Devonshire Rec will be the venue for the titanic clash that can see one side put one hand on the league title or the other all but confirm their place in the top flight next year.Cougars, six points ahead of champions Dandy Town and North Village who clash this weekend, can push their lead to nine points with a win and three games left.Onions, on the other hand, are nine points clear of relegation positioned St George’s and Robin Hood who also play each other Sunday.With the stage set for both sides and their requirements from the game, Onions coach Dermot O’Sullivan admitted his side will do well to get something out of the match.“We are close to our goal of staying up, mathematically it isn't over so we are still looking to get the most out of each match and under no illusions that the job is done,” he said.“The teams below can still catch us if they go on a run and our form dips so we want to go out and get points and ensure our safety. We are playing the league leaders on the road and from our observations they have come from behind a lot in their matches, a sign of a champion and we will be hard pushed to get a good result.“They are very strong, and they only need a few more points to make their title reign official, so we are preparing for a real tough game.”The showdown with Cougars caps off a run of tough matches including games against Village, Wolves, and three matches against Town including a FA Cup replay in the previous round of the competition.Suspensions in a few vital positions within the side will see the visitors not be at full strength, although O’Sullivan acknowledged that with a full strength side they would be up against it.“We have a few suspensions that will have us not at our strongest but even at our strongest it will be a tough task against them,” O’Sullivan added. “Playing Dandy Town was a never give up performance and they knew they were in a fight in our last game.“They got their fifth goal when we were pushing for the equaliser and the sense around the league is that we come to play every game and leave it out, and many people have complimented us on how hard and determined we play. I think we have exceeded our own expectations in the league given it is our first season.”The other matches this weekend will see Somerset Trojans face PHC at Somerset Cricket Club tomorrow night, with kick offset for 9pm.On Sunday at 3pm, Hornets take on Village at St John’s Field, Hood meet St George’s at Goose Gosling Field and Rangers play Wolves at Southampton Oval.
