Antrim Reserve Football Shield First Round:

St Brigid’s 2-18 St Mary’s, Aghagallon 0-8

“You’d think it was Championship or something,” ruefully remarked an individual who may or may not have been involved in the St Brigid’s Reserves’ management team as he surveyed the healthy horde of men presenting themselves for selection at The Dub before the first round of their side’s Reserve ‘B’ Championship game with St Mary’s, Aghagallon. Long-standing muscle injuries mysteriously cleared up, partners successfully negotiated with, and the cobwebbed shooting boots apparently found down the back of the boot room, behind the golf clubs (having lain there since last year’s Championship), it was a brave and merry group of Biddies that pulled on (squeezed into) the blue and gold jersey for battle.

St Brigid’s manager Damien Judge outlined his tactical masterplan – essentially, run like cheetahs, leap like salmon and raise your arm when the black dots appear – and named a strong side to begin the game, with a strong bench including Shane Boyle, who confirmed reports that he was indeed “studying” on Friday evening when absent for our senior challenge match against the same opposition.

St Brigid’s started very strongly, with excellent scores from Niall McDonald and Chris McCann and a stunning long-range effort from Leonard before a brilliant team move from St Brigid’s resulted in a well-taken point from Chris Quinn. Aghagallon were finding it difficult to put together effective attacking plays, and when St Brigid’s were awarded a penalty it looked like the game could already be slipping away from them. Leonard duly dispatched the penalty into the top corner, shortly followed by another score from the very impressive McCann. St Mary’s then gave a brief glimpse of their quality with a couple of well-worked moves ending in fine scores just before the break. At half-time, it was 1-9 to 0-4 to St Brigid’s.

The second half saw St Brigid’s move through the gears once more, while Aghagallon continued to work hard to try and stay in the game. Despite their valiant efforts, however, St Brigid’s’ quality off the bench really told in the second half as the likes of Peter Henvey and Oran Boyle brought fresh legs and impetus to both attack and defence. Tomas Corey and Joey Peeps were excellent in defence alongside former Antrim minor and Aquinas star Paul Finnegan and past Great White Hopes, Andy Brennan and Tim McCrudden. Gradually, with McDonald goaling and McCann and his highly effective arse continuing to cause Aghagallon problems, St Brigid’s eased ahead and secured the win.

Gort na Mona 0-11 St. Paul’s 1-11

In the remaining game played in the Reserve Shield St. Paul’s travelled to Gort na Mona and came away with a hard earned 1-11 to 0-11 victory.

Our thanks to PRO’S from Rasharkin, St. Comgall’s and St. Brigid’s who forwarded reports while we hope to have a report on Dunloy v All Saints up later today.

 

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Reserve Football Shield (round one)

Naomh Comghall 5-16 St Agnes 1-03

Antrim based Naomh Comghall moved confidently into the next round of the Senior Reserve Shield competition when they proved too strong for the visiting St Agnes at Dunsilly on Monday evening. The home side started confidently and were in control for most of the contest.

A strong direct approach was the foundation for victory and such was evident from the outset although the Aggies tried to take the game to them in the opening phase but the home side were quick to raise the defensive barriers and deadly on the counter attack.

The opening score arrived shortly after the opening whistle as a powerful direct approach and a 40 metre solo saw Louis Edwards open the Naomh Comghall account and the home side were on the way.

St Agnes battled hard to contain the approaching sea of green and white but Paddy Cook was proving an ever present thorn in the side of the visitors as was the expertise from the dead ball by Roy Mc Larnon.

Mc Larnon had a personal haul of 1-04 in the opening thirty minutes and a flurry of late scores which included white flags raised by Louis Edwards and Kieran Quinn ensure a healthy 1-09 to 1-01 advantage for Naomh Comghall at the end of the opening period.

 

As the second period progressed it was quite obvious that the Aggies were running out of steam as the Antrim men applied the pressure and a tactical switch by the home side aided dominance as Aaron McGaw was relieved of his defensive duties to take the offensive and in the event, he went on to finish with a personal haul of 2-02.

The Aggies did their utmost to stem the tide but without much success and indeed they only managed to raise a couple of white flags in the second period.

 

The home side inspired by the excellent McCabe twins, Michael and Callum, and the fetch and delivery man in attack, Shaun Mc Larnon whose strong approaches throughout led to more than a few excellent scores saw Naomh Comgall stride onwards into the next round full value for a 5-16 to 1-03 winning scoreline.

 

 

 

 

 

Reserve Football Shield (round one)

St Mary’s Ahoghill 4-17 Con Magee’s Glenravel 2-09

Little separated St Mary’s Ahoghill and their visitors from Con Magee’s Glenravel in the opening period of the reserve Shield competition, and with the lead having changed hands on a couple of occasions throughout more of the same in the concluding thirty minutes was anticipated.

The Glensmen had nicked an early lead when centre back Ciaran O’ Connor bagged a goal shortly into the game and the major score proved the difference after 20 minutes as the visitors held a 1-04 to 0-04 lead.

The home side’s Aodhan Graham had raised three white flags at such juncture but with Michael Mc Quillan bagging a couple of points for the visitors and both mid-fielders, Ronan Higgins and Declan Diamond splitting the posts in turn, the visitors looked in control.

Glenravel certainly held the upper hand in the opening phase with centre back Ciaran O’ Connor dominant at the heart of the Con Magee’s defence and indeed when his intervention and clearance sent Michael Mc Quillan in to add a second goal they had moved five points ahead.

The Clooney men were not to linger for long in such arrears and a couple of point from the accurate boot of Pearce Downey kick started revival before Gerard Graham stepped forward to send a 25^th minute penalty to the back of the net after the former had been fouled inside the area.

The St Mary’s men had really seized hold of the bit as the short blast drew near and a 29^th minute Conor Scullion goal ensured they had turned the corner and ascended to the front as they had come from five points in arrears a short time previously to lead, 2-08 to 2-06 at the break.

Having concluded the first period on the positive the home side were set to continue in the same mode as the second thirty minutes got under way and with a vengeance as the opening five minutes saw the Clooney men strike out for home.

The Glensmen were under pressure from the outset as the home side blasted out of the start blocks to add an impressive 1-04 in the first five minutes.

Gerard Graham split the posts just seconds in and Ronan Graham quickly added another.

The beleaguered Glenravel struggled to clear their lines as the home side continued to drive forward as the ever accurate Aodhan Graham added a further couple of points, and when Conor Scullion found the net again in the 35^th minute the die was well cast.

The Ahoghill men had taken a 3-12 to 2-06 lead and they looked on the way to the next round barring major accident.

The introduction of replacements Jonathan Fyffe and Conor Carey did add impetus to the Glenravel cause, but the Clooney men had a firm grip on proceedings, and when replacement Conor Murray swept in from the left wing to send into the corner of the net the score was to provide the ‘coup de gras’ to take his side into a 4-14 to 2-07 lead with the game clock moving onward ever nearer completion.

The Glenravel men battled right to conclusion in search of scores and indeed the visitors raised the last couple of flags as the hard grafting Chris Henry and Michael Mc Quillan added late points but such were to arrive as consolation with Ahoghill crossing the line and into the next round with a 4-17 to 2-07 winning scoreline.

Ahoghill: Callum Reynolds, Bernard Graham, Sean Mc Keever, Niall Magee, Gerard Graham (1-02), Chris Mc Glone, Conor Neeson, Jerry Keenan TJ Hamill, Aodhan Graham (0-08), Pearce Downey (0-04), Ronan Graham (0-02), Conor Scullion (2-00), Michael O’ Connell, Fergal Doherty

Subs

Conor Murray (1-00) for F Doherty

Michael Logan for C Neeson

Glenravel: Ronan Donnelly, Daniel O’ Hagan, Neil Mc Laverty, James Brown, Chris Henry (0-02), Ciaran O’ Connor (1-00), Paul Mulholland (0-01), Ronan Higgins, Declan Diamond (0-01), Ruairi Lennon (0-01), Michael Mc Quillan (1-03), Aidan Mc Kenna, Oran Mc Aleenan, David Birt, Caolan Mullan

Subs

Jonathan Fyffe for C O’ Connor

Conor Carey for J Brown

 

Referee Sean Laverty (St Ergnat’s)