Laverty Cup Quarter Final
Tír na nÓg 1.17 (20)
Aldergrove 2.11 (17)
It took two periods of extra time to separate these two excellent sides and get an eventual winner at Whitehill on Sunday afternoon . With a stiff breeze in favour of the home side they made the most of it keeping Aldergrove scoreless for 22minutes and gaining an 8 point advantage at the short whistle. However the tables were turned in the second half when the St. James’ men began their come back and kept the blues scoreless for 31 minutes to edge themselves two points ahead with time almost up.
Tir na nOg launched one last attack however and Aaron McNeilly fired the ball to the back of the net to put Tír na nÓg a point ahead only for Matthew Donnelly to equalise and send the game into extra time which seen Tír na nÓg run out eventual winners by 3 points.
Aaron McNeilly (2) and Ciaran O’Neill struck first for the home side with the breeze on their back after 4 minutes at Randalstown. After narrowly putting the ball wide when through on goal Jack O’Mahoney righted his wrongs and spilt the posts as did wing half back Eamon Óg McAllister from a 45. The momentum remained with Tír na nÓg as McNeilly hit his second free of the day of his left foot to leave his side 6 points clear after 12 minutes.
Aldergrove tried hard to break the Tír na nÓg defence but Brandon McClarnon kept his defence in line and fought off the attacks. O’Mahoney was looking lively and set Conor Crossey up for the next score before Caoimhin “Cevo” McConnell tested keeper Josh Higgins to no success. Crossey fired the ball over the bar again before McAllister got his second point.
Corner forward Emmett Murray got Tír na nÓg’s tenth point of the day and 22 minutes into play Aldergrove got their first point of the game through substitute Rian McCarthy who was introduced for Padraig Hanna after 20minutes. His impact was immediate. Two minutes later mid fielder Gary Duffy got Aldergrove’s second point before Ciaran O’Neill set a placed ball on the ground and put it over the bar. Full back Irvine received a black card forcing Aldergrove to change re-shuffle and introduce David Aikens after 25minutes. Just before the half Kian Jones knocked the ball over the bar for the visitors to leave the half time score; Tír na nÓg 0.11, Aldergrove 0.3.
With the teams changing ends the wind now favoured the visitors and like Tír na nÓg they were to go on the rampage for the next half hour. Three minutes into play Oliver McAtamney was forced to take down McConnell giving away a penalty and picking up a yellow card. Cevo McConnell made no mistake, slotting the ball to the back of the net and renewing his team’s faith in a comeback. Matthew Donnelly was responsible for the next score through a free kick followed by Kian Jones after a foul on Conor Morris. The Tír na nÓg management were forced to make a substitution after Oliver McAtamney picked up a yellow card and a tick so Ethan Higgins was brought into the fray on 43minutes.
Conor Morris and Oisin Graham narrowed the home side’s lead to one point before Tír na nÓg went on the counter attack only for O’Mahoney to slip the ball just wide of the post. Aldergrove made no mistake and didn’t miss the target after 54minutes when Michael Blaney drilled the ball to the net and helped his team take a two point advantage for the first time in the game. With normal time almost up Randalstown would only have themselves to blame when McNeilly dropped a free short and a goal mouth scramble devastatingly rolled wide.
From the resulting kick out Ciaran O’Neill rose high at mid field and played his captain McNeilly straight through on goal and taking the bull by the horns he rattled the net to turn the lead back in favour of the Whitehill side. Aldergrove didn’t lose hope just yet but Jones failed to capitalise on his chance. Just when the home side felt they had done enough Matthew Donnelly squared things up and sent the game to extra time. Tír na nÓg 1.11 (14), Aldergrove 2.8 (14).
Both teams fought tooth and nail in the first half of extra time, after 7 minutes Peter Cullen who had moved up to wing half forward kicked a ball from far out left to spilt the posts, swiftly followed by McNeilly to leave Tír na nÓg 2 points ahead at half time of extra time.
Similarly to the second half Aldergrove came back fighting and kicked points through Michael Blaney and Morris who levelled proceedings up once again. McNeilly got his fifth point of the game from a dead ball and quickly followed this up with a huge 40meter kick after O’Neill played a perfect ball. Ciaran O’Neill then set the ball on the ground once more and spilt the posts after a foul to bring the gap to 3 points but Jones clawed another free kick back for the Crumlin side. 2 minutes into injury time the home side continued to press and were awarded another free which McNeilly confidently stepped up to stroke over to take his personal tally to 1-7 but more importantly to send his side through to the semi-finals of the Laverty Cup.
Tír na nÓg: 1. J. Higgins 2. O. McAtamney 3. R. Conceicao 4. J. Venckus 5. P. Cullen 6. B. McClarnon 7. E. Óg McAlister 8. C. O’Neill 9. C. Devlin 10. C. Crossey 11. A. McNeilly 12. M. Porter 13. E. Murray 14. N. McKee 15. J. O’Mahoney 17. O. Robb 18. E. McDonald 19. C. McCamphill 20. P. Duggan 21. E. Higgins
Subs used: E. Higgins for O. McAtamney (43mins), J. Hartnup for N. McKee (64mins), N. McKee for J. Hartnup (70mins), O. McAtamney for P. Cullen (76mins)
Scorers: A. McNeilly (1.7- 4 frees), C. O’Neill (0.3- 3 frees), E Óg McAllister (0.2- 1 45’), C. Crossey (0.2), J. O’Mahoney (0.1), E. Murray (0.1), P. Cullen (0.1)
Aldergrove: 1. O. McGarry 2. S. Bradley 3. E. Irvine 4. A. Mulholland 5. D. Gough 6. O. Creaney 7. C. Fogerty 8. P. Hanna 9. G. Duffy 10. M. Donnelly 11. O. Graham 12. C. Quinn 13. C. McConnell 14. K. Jones 15. C. Morris 16. P. McGregor 17. M. Blaney 18. R. McCarthy 20. D. Aiken 21. E. Gough 22. N. Wilkinson 23. S. Davy
Subs used: R. McCarthy for P. Hanna (20mins), E. Irvine for D. Aiken (25mins), M. Blaney for C. McConnell (39mins), E. Gough for A. Mulholland (57mins), P. Hanna for G. Duffy (75mins)
Scorers:
- Blaney (1.1), K. Jones (0.3- 1 Free), C.McConnell (1.0- penalty), M. Donnelly (0.2- 1 Free), C. Morris (0.2), G. Duffy (0.1), R. McCarthy (0.1), O. Graham (0.1)
The outstanding quarter-final between All Saints and St. Comgall’s was postponed because of exams and will be rescheduled.