All that remains.

The season is almost done here.

As a Dundela fan the Championship season finished last Saturday. So the question hangs in the air. What next?

Luckily not everything is resolved just yet and this weekend provides a plethora of options. So a quick trip around what promises to be a full weekend of bitten nails and new hopes.

Friday 1st May

The Championship season may be over but there is still the possibility of one Championship team being promoted as second placed Annagh United face Crusaders (who finished 11th in the Premiership) in their second leg promotion/relegation playoff.

Last night (28th April) Crusaders squeaked a 3-2 lead coming from behind in the 90th minute at Annagh’s BMG Arena.

The tie now heads back to Crusaders’ home at Seaview with it all still in the mix. Annagh have been here several times before and never quite made it to the promised land. Could this be the year?

These playoffs always give home advantage to the Premiership side in the second leg. Many might think of this as a formality but with one goal in it you never know!

New away days pending

More games with Championship implications for 26/27 will take place on Friday evening as the Premier Intermediate League (PiL) our third tier in Northern Ireland wraps for this season.

A point will gain Moyola Park the title of champions in their final game but the real excitement could be in the top six as with restructuring taking place for 26/27 the Championship will increase from 12 to 16 places. So there are four promotion spots up for grabs.

Pick of the bunch fixture wise is Dollingstown v Newry as the home side could yet be champions and Newry need a win to secure a potential promotion spot.

There’s more to be said about this new restructuring but for now it will be interesting to see where exactly those new away days for me as a Dundela fan will be come next season.

Women’s football returns

Friday night also sees the return of the Women’s Premiership. No doubt Glentoran and Cliftonville will go toe to toe once more for the league trophy but last season Linfield snuck up close behind both and if their growth continues it can only add another level of intrigue to proceedings.

While a small league with just the eight sides participating it continues to grow and the standard too continues to rise as do attendances. Hopefully over the course of the season I’ll be making a dew stops around some unvisited grounds there too.

Saturday 2nd May

The big one.

The Irish Cup final.

Coleraine v Dungannon.

Last season I was fortunate enough to be in with the Dungannon fans for their first Irish Cup win. They’ve made it back to the final this year to face Coleraine. League runners up and with substantial financial backing enabling their transition to full time football.

A Coleraine win will not only secure a trophy but also put Glentoran into a European place as Coleraine’s second place European football would filter down to the Glens in third.

Dungannon won’t make it easy though and as they rested many of their ‘bigger’ players last weekend it’s clear that the plan is for the Swifts to attempt a repeat win and head to Europe themselves.

Tickets are still available at time of writing and I might even make the trip down myself on Saturday to check it out!