Mitchelstown up for derby battle

Mitchelstown go into tonight’s Cork IFC clash with Billy Morgan in their corner, but with a big task ahead of them against their rural neighbours, Kildorrery.

“It has been a bit of a step up,” Mitchelstown captain Shane Beston says of his side’s first season in the intermediate grade. On the night in question, Beston and his team-mates had made it look anything but, sweeping Ballydesmond aside in comprehensive fashion, 5-24 to 1-5. In fact, despite their neophyte status at this level, Mitchelstown have won six of their first seven league games, and look extremely comfortable.

Tonight’s opponents in the first round of the IFC, Kildorrery, are more experienced at this grade, and have won four of their six games so far. As close as they are in the league table, they’re also neighbours geographically, with only seven miles between the two.