All County Football League Division 1
St. Mary’s Aghagallon2.11 Kickham’s Creggan 2.17
by Colum Walsh
In sweltering conditions this Division 1 game was played at high pace but without a great deal of physicality. Over the 60 minutes the difference between the two teams was the greater movement and firing power in the Kickham’s full forward line with Liam Quinn, Conor and Kevin Small racking up a total of 1.14 between them.
Kevin Small set the pace for the Creggan men pointing from a free in the opening minute before adding further points in the 2nd minute. Guairá McCann halved the deficit 2 minutes later but a well-placed goal from David McGuckin who was allowed to win a long kick-out and run through the middle of the Aghagallon in the 5th minute and a further point from Kevin Small 3 minutes later put Kickham’s in the clear by 5 pts. St. Mary’s Eunan Walsh replied immediately with a point but this was cancelled out straight away with a point from Kickham’s Conor McCann. It was to be a 6 minutes before the next score when Dessie Marshall pointed for a free for St. Mary’s which was followed by a Ruari Loughran point. But again Kickham’s cancelled out these scores with points from Conor Small and Odhran McLarnon. In the 21st minute St. Mary’s pointed through Dessie Marshall but a minute later Kickham’s stretched their lead when Conor Small found the net only to see that score canncelled immediately when Caolan Farr was allowed to run through the Kickham’s defence and place the ball in the back of the net. David McGuckin and Kevin Small from another free extended Kickham’s lead. In the final 5 minutes of the half both sides traded wides until Shane Russell opened his account with a point in added time of the half which left the score St. Mary’s 1.06 Kickham’s 2.08 when Referee Eamon Hamill blew for half time.
The second half opened in the same way as the first with a Kevin Small pointed free for Kickham’s in the opening minute. Dessie Marshall replied immediately with a St. Mary’s point. Connor Small pointed in the 5th minute for Kickham’s and although Aghagallon responded with a period of sustained pressure they were rewarded with two pointed frees from Ruari McCann in 9th and 12th minutes. Kickham’s again cancelled out those two scores with points from Liam Quinn a minute later and in the 19th minute through Kevin Small. St. Mary’s Shane Russell and Kickham’s Conor Small traded points in the 20th and 22nd minutes before Adam Shanks found the net for St. Mary’s second goal after attacking down the left , giving a pass to Dessie Marshall and cutting in to take the return found the goal at his mercy, he coolly slotted home. This gave St. Mary’s a chink of light which was to be shortly extinguished when Liam Quinn and Kevin Small pointed for Kickham’s in the 25th and 27th minutes and whilst St. Mary’s responded immediately through Shane Russell this was to be their last score and the game was brought to a close with two Liam Quinn points in the 29th and 30th minute to leave the final score St. Mary’s 2.11 Kickham’s 2.17
St. Mary’s Aghagallon: G. O’Neill, M. McKenna, M. McStravick, A. Doherty, P. Mulholland, R. O’Neill, A. Shanks (1.00), C. Farr (1.00), E. Walsh (0.01), S. Russell (0.03), C. Brady, R. Loughran(0.03,2F), D. McAlernon (0.01,1F), R. McCann (0.01), D. Marshall (0.02) Subs J. Lenehan, A. Mulholland, C. Reynolds
Kickham’s Creggan: O. Kerr, S. Maguire, A. Maguire, C. McCann, C. Devlin, T. McCann, J. McCann, C. McCann (0.01), K. Rice, O. McLarnon (0.01), D. McGuckin (1.01), A. McKeown, L. Quinn (0.04), K. Small (0.07,3F), C. Small (1.03) Subs: T. McAteer, K. McCann, M. Rodgers, O. McAteer