ACFL Division 3
Armoy 1-11 Bredagh 2-13
League leaders Bredagh withstood a strong second half rally from Glen Rovers, Armoy to claim both points and maintain their place at the top of division 3 in a hard hitting contest in Armoy on Sunday.
The slick moving Down side were quickly into their stride as Ryan Curran set up Eoin Kennedy for a goal in the third minute after Ben Christie had opened their account from a first minute point.
Emmet O’Hara got Glen Rovers off the mark with a 7th minute point but Ben Christie restored the visitors four point advantage, two minutes later.
Armoy were enjoying their share of possession but dropped a number of long range attempts short into the hands of Bredagh keeper, Ian Galway who was safe and assured throughout the game.
Eoin Boyle finally got the distance right as he pointed for the home side in the 13th minute but it brought another response for a visitor’s side whose slick passing was opening up the Armoy defence.
Rory McCamphill, Paul McGarry and Lawrence Smyth hit three on the bounce to move the visitors six ahead with Trevor Linton seeing his well struck free come off the post at the other end.
A couple of late points from Emmet O’Hara for the home side closed the gap to five at the break but Bredagh were fully deserving of their lead as the sides changed ends for the second half.
Rory McCamphill from a free and Tarlach McBride from a similar scenario exchanged early points but a great long range effort from Liam Hogan and another from Ryan Curran had the visitors seven ahead with only six minutes of the new half gone.
The hits were going in hard and fast as Armoy started to disrupt the fluency of the county Down side and Emmet O’Hara saw his shot come back of a post before PJ McBride and Tarlach McBride from a free closed the gap to two.
Eoin Kennedy edged the visitors five ahead again at the end of the third quarter but Glen overs were enjoying more of the play and Trevor Linton (f) and Ian Galway from a ‘65’ exchanged further scores.
Two further points from Hogan and Christie for the visitors looked to have put the result beyond doubt but Armoy kept plugging away and Thomas Burns was on hand to fire to the net from close range after The Bredagh defence failed to clear a Tarlach McBride free that dropped short.
There was only three in it now and that lead was reduced to two when McBride fired over and the momentum was now very much with the home side but Bredagh refused to panic.
Fortune fell their way when they were awarded a free about thirty yards from their own goal and keeper Ian Galway became their hero as his massive shot sailed all the way to the Armoy net with Eoin Kennedy possibly getting a touch.
This win keeps Bredagh top of the league with four wins from four starts, two ahead of Rasharkin who have six points but a game in hand.
Rasharkin travel to Ballymena to meet All Saints and Bredagh entertain St. Brigid’s Cloughmills before travelling to Dreen to meet St. Mary’s on Sunday the 12th of May and that one could go some way in deciding who will claim top spot come the end of the season.
Armoy: 1 Conor Devlin, 2 Calum Coyles, 3 Shane Devlin, 4 Arthur Devlin, 5 Tarlach McBride, 6 Thomas Burns, 7 Joseph McFetridge, 8 PJ McBride, 9 Ronan Lavelle, 10 Eoin O’Boyle, 11 Emmet O’Hara, 12 Conor Watson, 13 Trevor Linton, 14 Colin Lordan, 15 Timothy Burns
Bredagh: 1 Ian Galway, 2 Ciaran McMullan, 3 Michael Woods, 4 J Carlin, 6 Mark Patterson, 7 Liam Hogan, 8 Lawrence Smyth, 9 P McGarry, 10 Ryan Curran, 11 Mel Lavery, 22 Ben Christie, 13 Rory McCamphill, 14 Eoin Kennedy, 15 Aaron Maguire.
Referee: Shane McDonnell (Oisins)
