The season wasn’t supposed to be like this for Kilkenny.
Between losing players to Covid-19 and injury and having several games postponed across the regular league it’s been a year in the Leinster League where Kilkenny didn’t really get going.
Missed opportunities to close out games meant a few less points on the board – six losing bonus points have helped some – but grit and determination in the closing stages of the league have helped stave off automatic relegation.
As a result, the Foulkstown club have ‘one last shove’ this weekend on neutral territory as Wicklow provide the opposition for a 1A/1B promotion/relegation playoff.
Wicklow finished their regular 1B league campaign with 12 wins from 14 and come into this weekend in good scoring form.
Indeed they’ll be disappointed not to have claimed the 1B title, Boyne taking care of that by virtue of two extra bonus points picked up across the campaign.
Kilkenny have collected four wins, making things count when it mattered against Ashbourne with a bonus-point win on the last day of the league to avoid automatic relegation by a point, Dundalk dropping into Division 1B next season.
Showing their Provincial Towns Cup pedigree, Kilkenny are coming off the back of a good win over Edenderry with a quarter-final clash to come against Carlow next weekend.
It’s this Sunday that counts though with Carlow playing host to a 3pm kick off against Wicklow.
Hear more about the journey and outlook for Sunday’s game on this week’s edition of The Knock On, out tonight.
