PETER MC CANN (15) FIRES HOME THE FIRST OF HIS HAT-TRICK OF GOALS PAST THE DESPAIRING DIVE OF STEPHEN DOWDS, ST ENDA’S AS KEVIN PARKS LOOKS ON
ACFL Division 2 Reserve Football League
All Saints 8-15 St. Enda’s 0-3
All Saints, Ballymena continued their unbeaten run in Division 2 Reserve of the ACFL when they handed out a heavy defeat to St. Enda’s at Quinn Park on Wednesday night. With only one game left to play, against Gort na Mona they look likely to complete their campaign without dropping a point having clinched the league title several weeks ago.
Right from the start there was always only going to be one winner and St. Enda’s, who arrived with only 15 players saw their chances severely hampered when they lost a player to a red card after only 15 minutes.
A task that had looked difficult in the extreme became almost impossible as the boys in black attacked from the first whistle producing a performance of pace, precision and accuracy that first wore down their opponents and then blew them away.
The visitors threatened to make a game of it during the early exchanges but after Damian Kelly for All Saints and Philip Curran exchanged points the home side began to open up the opposition with some excellent team play.
James Gillan, Ciaran McGarry and Eoin Campbell fired over unanswered points and then the superb McGarry soloed through for a great individual goal. Damian Casey added a point before another of the All Saints veterans; Peter McCann fired home the first of a hat-trick of goals.
It was now all one way traffic and Dee Kelly pointed and Paddy Logan followed with their third goal in the 24th minute as St. Enda’s continued to battle in vain to contain a rampant All Saints attack. The scores continued with Niall Walsh and youngster James McDonnell raising further white flags before Peter McCann concluded the first half scoring with another fine goal.
NO RESPITE
Ciaran McGarry departed the scene at half time to be replaced by Emmet McAllister and St. Enda’s would probably have been delighted by his parting but there was to be no respite for the Glengormley men as the second half got under way.
Niall Walsh and Damian Kelly extended the home side’s lead before Philip Curran replied with his and St. Enda’s second point of the game but it proved to be only a blip in the All Saints dominance as Kelly replied immediately before Niall Shannon got their fifth goal following good work by Emmet McAllister.
Damian Kelly continued to show unerring accuracy with another fine point and Eoin Campbell followed with a 25th minute goal as the floodgates opened. Peter McCann completed his hat-trick with Chris Doyle replying with a St. Enda’s point and Eoin Campbell concluded the scoring with a late All Saints goal to conclude a thoroughly efficient evening’s work for the Quinn Park side.
St. Enda’s, although well beaten should be commended for the manner in which they kept going against impossible odds, never reverting to dirty play and in Phillip Curran, Kevin Park, Chris Doyle and Fiachra McElhatton they had fine performers.
All Saints: Paul McCann: Michael Carberry, Ronan Ward, Aidan O’Connell: James McDonnell, Ciaran McGarry, Joe Rocks: Damian Kelly, Niall Shannon: Niall Walsh, Eoin Campbell, James Gillan: Paddy Logan, Damian Casey, Peter McCann. Subs: Emmet McAllister and Paul Hefferon.
Referee: Paul McKeever (Portglenone)
