ACFL Division 1
St. Mary’s Aghagallon3-10 Kickham’s Creggan 4-12
Creggan left Pairc na nGael last night with two hard earned points, as the hosts worked hard to push last year’s league winners in a game that ebbed and flowed.
The visitors picked off the early scores with Conor Small, Liam Quinn and Ruairi Mc Cann all raising the white flag from play. In between St Mary’s did have a goal threat when Ruairi Mc Cann surged through from the left and passed to Caolan Farr but his effort was palmed wide by Oisin Kerr for a forty five. However Farr only had a minute to wait until he raised the green flag for the game’s first major – a great retrieve by Gareth Magee was laid off to Farr who scored with a powerful drive across goal.
With parity on the score board after a difficult opening ten minutes for the hosts they took the lead, referee Sean Laverty acknowledged the foul on Marc Mc Afee and when the young forward couldn’t get his shot away called play back and Gareth Magee slotted over the resultant free.
Conor Small brought the teams level again with a free of his own and a minute later Creggan got their first goal after a slick passing move Liam Quinn finished to put the visitors in a lead that they would not surrender.
St Mary’s next score was a repeat of their last Marc Mc Afee again fouled and Gareth Magee scoring from the free.
Conor Small and Dominic Mc Ateer scored from play before Magee pulled one back with a longer range free and followed it with a well taken point from play, collecting in his chest, turning and driving over the bar.
Creggan looked dangerous attacking from the right and with five minutes to the short whistle another fine passing move started by the impressive Fintan Burke saw Liam Quinn slip Conor Small in and he scored with a low shot.
This lifted the visitors and they ran out the half with unanswered scores from Mc Ateer, Quinn and a free from Small
Half time 1:04 to 2:09
If the last five minutes of the first half were about Creggan’s finishing the opening five minutes were all about the finishing of young Aghagallon man Adam Loughran who opened his account for the season with two well taken points and a great solo goal when he intercepted a poor pass and powered towards goal before rippling the net with a precision shot.
Small got Creggan’s first of the second half but Gareth Magee and Eunan Walsh, after some great work by the industrious Pat Branagan, pulled back scores for Aghagallon to close the gap to two points. And indeed Walsh had a great chance to put St Mary’s in front but his goal bound effort was well saved by Kerr.
Small scored a point and then a fortuitous goal when the bounce of the high ball deceived the home defence with the ball bouncing into the unguarded net to open the scoring to six points with fifteen left minutes on the clock.
We had a scrappy passage of play with both teams trading wides and then Luke Mulholland was called on to make a fine save from Quinn.
Marc Mc Afee made a mark and fed Gareth Magee who split the posts, Creggan replied when Small scored again and with two minutes to go Creggan got their fourth goal when Burke put pressure on the St Mary’s goal and scrambled the ball over the line.
Gareth Magee did pull a point and a goal back for the hosts but the final score of the evening went to Conor Small leaving the final score 3:10 to 4:12. This reflected the dominance of the Creggan men on a night when the clinical finishing of the three front players proved too much for Aghagallon.
A second defeat for St Mary’s but they will take some consolation from the scores they chalked up against a strong Creggan team that will be difficult to overcome again this season.
St Mary’s: L Mulholland, G Mc Kenna, M Mc Stravick, A Mulholland, F Bustard, P Branagan, J Lamont, R Mc Cann, E Walsh, C Brady, A Loughran, M Mc Afee, C Farr, G Magee, J Lenehan
Creggan: O Kerr, A Maguire, R Johnston, E McAteer, C Mc Cann, M Johnston, R Mc Cann, K Small, O Mc Cann, F Burke, T Mc Aleer, P Coey, L Quinn, C Small, D Mc Ateer
Creggan are now just one of two sides on full points after two rounds after wins away to Casement’s Portglenone and last night’s opponents and face another stiff test when St. Johns visit the Staffordstown Road on Sunday.
Creggan scorers: Conor Small 2-06, Liam Quinn 1-02, Fintan Burke 1-00, Dominic McAteer 0-02, Ruairi McCann 0-02, Tiernan McAteer 0-01