by Aimee McAtamney
ACHL Div 2 Result
Tír na nÓg 3-14 Oisin’s Glenariffe 0-16
Following an 18 point win at the beginning of the season Oisin’s Glenariffe CLG travelled to Randalstown on Sunday as firm favourites and hoping to continue their recent good run. Goals were to prove the difference on this occasion however and it was the Whitehill side who gained both points in a keenly contested game Pearse Sheerin and Ciaran Logan were the men who got the majors that were to deny the visitors.
Sean Duffin opened the scoring for the home side with a point in the first minute swiftly followed by another from Ciaran Logan. Alex O’Boyle was the first to find the target for the visitors after 3 minutes as he split the posts and he added a second a minute later from a dead ball to level the scores. Tír na nÓg returned to the offensive but fired 4 wides in quick succession with Kevin McCann, Sean Duffin and Kevin Sheerin the guilty parties, before Declan Mallon found the target after Eight minutes. Stephen Carey picked up a yellow card for the Blues ten minutes into the contest after two early fouls giving O’Boyle the opportunity to level the game again from the dead ball and the visitors hit the front when O’Boyle added two more during the next four minutes.
Kevin Sheerin got his first of the game on sixteen minutes and one and he added another a minute later from a free after Ciaran McKeown was pulled down while closing down on goal.
Declan Mallon rose high to pluck a beautiful ball from the sky in the twentieth minute before firing over from close range but this was cancelled out soon afterwards when O’Boyle pointed his fifth free of the match to tie the scores once more.
Glenariff’s Randal McDonnell and Tir na nOg’s Kevin Sheerin exchanged point before a heated exchange of views saw the visitors reduced to fourteen min but despite this handicap O’Boyle hit two more frees late in the half to give the Oisins a one point lead at half time.
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The game restarted in a similar fashion with the home side conceding fouls in scoreable positions and O’Boyle taking advantage and finding the target. Glenariffe went four points clear with two scores from Daniel Haughey and O’Boyle before Sheerin got in on the act again and hit a point from a free. On 41minutes The Sheerin brothers swapped positions as Kevin moving to the ‘40’ and Pearse to the edge of the square and the move paid early dividends when he caught a high ball and after an intricate passing move involving Sheeran and Ciaran Logan and the latter cut inside and fired the ball to the Oisin’s net from a near impossible angle.
Sensing that the switch had worked well Tir na nOg kept sending in the long balls and after Kevin ‘Skimper’ Sheerin added a point from play centre half back Colm Duffin launched a long ball in onto the square which Pearse Sheering finished to the net. The momentum was now firmly with the Whitehill men as Kevin Sheerin added another point to his tally quickly followed by a point from Sean Duffin to turn the game on its head, going from four points down to six ahead as they continued to dominate the exchanges.
Kevin McDonnell tried to spur the visitors on but Blues keeper Kevin Kerr was cool under a high ball to clear his lines and as Tir na nOg returned to the attack Ciaran McKeown outpaced the Glenariff defence to fire a shot at goal, and while Oisins keeper Seanan McToal did well to save the initial shot Pearse Sheerin was on hand to fire the rebound home.
Dan McKillop and Alex O’Boyle replied for the visitors after 50 minutes but Sean Duffin replied with a point from a long range free from just inside his own 45 line. Glenariff responded and Kevin McDonnell found full forward Paul McDonnell who spilt the posts. Before a double substitution for the home side seen Conor Duggan and Neil Shannon introduced to the fray.
Glenariff were still battling hard and on 59minutes Paul McDonnell stepped up to strike a 20 metre free low as he went for goal but Randalstown keeper Kerr was equal to the task as he pulled of a fine save only for Randal McDonnell to fire in the rebound
As the clock ticked down Kevin McCann won a free for the Whitehill men and free taker Kevin Sheerin stepped up to finish the day and bring his personal tally to 7 points. A fine win and the third in a row for the Randalstown men who have added the scalps of Armoy, St Gall’s and now Oisins. Best on the day for the home side were Colm Duffin, Ciaran McKeown and Ciaran Logan wile Alex O’Boyle, Paul McDonnell and Aaron Cosgrove shone for the visitors.
Tír na nÓg: 1. K.Kerr 2. B. Kerr 3. T. Martin 4. S.Carey 5. D. Martin 6. Colm Duffin 7. Caoimhin Duffin 8. E.Martin 9. S.Duffin 10. C.Mckeown 11. P.Sheerin 12. C.Logan 13. D. Mallon 14. K.Sheerin 15. K.McCann 16. R. Graham 17. C. Duggan 18. N.Shannon 19. E.Heffron 20. R. Bonnes
Scorers: K.Sheerin (0.7- 6frees), P.Sheerin (2.0), S.Duffin (0.4- 1 free), C.Logan (1.1), D. Mallon (0.2)
Cards: S. Carey- Yellow (10mins)
Glenariff: 1. S. McToal 2. C. McToal 3. M. Gettens 4. P. Burns 5. N. Murray 6. C. Patterson 7. K. McKendry 8. T. Quinn 9. A. Cosgrove 10. K. McDonnell 11. D. McKillop 12. R. McDonnell 13. D. Haughey 14. P. McDonnell 15. A. O’Boyle
Scorers: A. O’Boyle (0.11- 9 frees), R. McDonnell (0.2), D. Haughey (0.1), D. McKillop (0.1), P. McDonnell (0.1)
