Longford champions Clonguish up against The Downs

AIB Leinster Club Football Championship

For the first time since 2009 when they lost by a couple of points (1-14 to 0-15) against Westmeath opponents Garrycastle in the quarter-final after extra-time at Pearse Park, Clonguish are back in the Leinster Club Senior Football Championship.

Providing the opposition in the 2026 first round clash at TEG Cusack Park in Mullingar on Sunday (throw-in 2pm) are the current Westmeath kings The Downs who won the county SFC title for the second year in succession after beating St Loman’s by a solitary point (1-18 to 0-20) in a thriller.

Situated a short journey from Mullingar, The Downs were also crowned Westmeath champions in 2022 and in that same season they reached the Leinster Club final that ended in a defeat against Kilmacud Crokes.

Apart from their star attacker Luke Loughlin, the other key men on The Downs team include Charlie Drumm, Kevin O’Sullivan and Jonathan Lynam who are also Westmeath regulars.

Injury ruled Lynam out of the superb Leinster Championship success this year but he is back in action for his club while another influential figure is the target man full-forward Niall Mitchell.

Better known as a Westmeath hurler, the towering Mitchell stands at 6’ 4” and is a serious threat alongside class act Luke Loughlin who is also recovered from the injury problem that forced him out of the glorious Lake County provincial triumph apart from the first round clash against Longford.

Mitchell and Loughlin accounted for 1-13 between them in the pulsating county final against St Loman’s and The Downs dangermen will be difficult to contain.

Overall the Westmeath champions are a physically strong outfit but the youthful Clonguish side are growing in stature and came of age in the most emphatic 14-point win over Killoe in the county final.

The Newtownforbes club captured the Connolly Cup for the first time in 17 years and are certainly not lacking in scoring power with captain Matthew Carey leading the charge in the quest for a possible upset.

While The Downs are generally regarded as the firm favourites to advantage a stage further in the Leinster Club, and particularly so with home advantage, they fell at the first hurdle last year in a high scoring encounter (3-13 to 4-8) against a strong Tullamore side in Mullingar and thus Clonguish will believe that they have the ability to do likewise.

The Intermediate champions Mostrim are also in Leinster action this weekend and are facing a tough task against the Kildare title winners Milltown in the first round clash at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park on Saturday, throw-in 1.30pm.

​Junior ‘A’ Championship runners-up Ballymore were nominated as the Longford representatives in the Leinster Junior Club and were scheduled to play Curraha (Meath) away on Saturday but have decided to withdraw from the competition due to a number of unavailable players.