Anna United took a point-and-a-half advantage in the Championship with a 4:2 win over Rathfriland on Tuesday evening. The result leaves the hosts sitting second in the table while the visitors remain rooted at the bottom.
And here's the thing about those positions — Anna United have four wins from six games, one point clear of whoever sits above them. Rathfriland haven't won since the season began, drawing once and losing five times. One point doesn't much matter when you're looking at a twelve-point gap to safety.
The home side came into this knowing they'd dropped points recently. They lost 4:1 to Newington United last week and drew 2:2 with Ballymena before that. But they'd won 5:2 against Ballymacash Rangers on their previous outing, so there was a sense they could bounce back.
Rathfriland's recent record tells a different story entirely. A 4:0 victory over Knockbreda back in May stands out, but since then they've lost three of four. The 3:1 win against Coagh United in April was their only positive run, and even that came months ago.
By then the Championship had barely begun to take shape. Six games played, two matches gone, and Anna United already have a cushion while Rathfriland are still searching for their first win of the campaign.