O’Neill’s All County Football League – Division 2
Gort na Móna 0-9 Tir na nÓg 3-13
Tir na nÓg got themselves back into contention for promotion from Division 2 when they travelled to Turf Lodge on Wednesday evening and beat Gort na Móna by thirteen points, a result which drops the Belfast men to third in the table, after sitting joint top going into the game. For most of the opening half the Gorts matched their visitors and when Shane Scullion pointed in the 23rd minute they held a one point lead. However the Randalstown men finished the half strongly with two points from play and a goal from a penalty to go in five points clear at the break, and when they grabbed their third goal of the game early in the second half there was no way back for Gort na Móna.
Patrick McCaffrey had the home side ahead inside thirty seconds with a point from play and though Darragh Fagan levelled for Tir na nÓg a Brendan Burns point had the Gorts back in front. Slowly but surely Tir na nÓg began to find their feet and when Malachy Duffin was put through on goal in the ninth minute Gor na Mona goalkeeper Thomas McCaffrey was forced to ‘take one for the team’ and pulled Duffin down in the square. Sean Redmond stepped up and sent the resultant penalty to the net to put Randalstown two points clear but the Gorts came back strongly and three quick points from Dermot McVeigh, Patrick McCaffrey and Shane Scullion put them back on top. Scullion’s second point on 23 minutes kept the home side a point ahead but two Darragh Fagan points and a well taken goal in first half injury time by full forward Kevin Sheerin gave the men from Whitehill a five point lead at the break. 0-6 to 2-5
Tir na nÓg’s Barry McCormick fires in his team’s third goal. Pic by John McIlwaine
A strong run through the middle by Gorts full-back Christopher Devlin early in the second half set up Padraig McHugh for a point, to cut the gap back to four, but just minutes later Tir na nOg took a firm grip on the game when right half back Darren McCormick combined well with corner forward Fagan before blasting home his team’s third goal from close range. Barry McCormick and Sean Redmond added two more points for the visitors soon afterwards and though Dermot McVeigh and Padraig McHugh came back with points for Gort na Móna in the 49th and 51st minutes, that was to be their last scores of the game. Tir na nÓg took total charge of the game from this stage on and hit six points without reply in the final quarter through Caoimhin Duffin (2), Kevin Sheerin, Barry McCormick, Aodhan Toland and Darragh Fagan to run out winners by thirteen points.
This win brings Tir na nÓg right back into the mix but they face St Paul’s on Friday evening without the services of the four Duffin brothers who will be attending a family wedding. For Gort na Móna it was a day to forget, but they are still very much in the mix in the title race, and if they show the form they produced for most of the first half then they can bounce back from this.
Gort na Móna
Thomas McCaffrey, Shay McStravick, Christopher Devlin, Thomas McGoran, David McErlain, Dermot McVeigh, Michael Savage, Christopher Carson, Brendan Corr, Brendan Burns, Patrick McCaffrey, Aidan McDonagh, Patrick McHugh, Shane Scullion, Dessie McClean
Tír na nÓg
- SP. McAtamney 2. B. Magee 3. D. Martin 4. S. Redmond 5. B. McCormick 6. C. Duffin 7. D. McCormick 8. C. Sheerin 9. M. Duffin 10. K. Kerr 11. C. McKeown 12. A. McNeilly 13. S. Duffin 14. K. Sheerin 15. D. Fegan 17. M. Tolan 18. P. Sheerin 19. P. Cullen 20. C. Duffin 21. C. Logan 22. C. Dobbin 23. D. O’Kane
Scorers: D. Fegan (0.4- 1 Free), S. Redmond (1.1- penalty),D. McCormick (1.1), K. Sheerin (1.1), B. McCormick (0.2), C. Duffin (0.2), C. Sheerin (0.1), M. Tolan (0.1)
Subs used: C. Duffin for D. McCormick, C. Dobbin for K. Kerr, C. Logan for M. Duffin, M. Tolan for K. Sheerin, D. O’Kane for S. Redmond, P. Sheerin for A. McNeilly
Referee – Gerard Dougan
Pic by John McIlwaine