ACFL Division 2
Glenravel 3-22 Rasharkin 2-14
Any game that produces forty one scores in sixty minutes of football is sure to delight the spectators and so it proved in ideal weather conditions in Fr Maginn Park on Friday night. The visitors seized control of the game in the opening five minutes and then proceeded to relinquish that control in the remaining twenty five, leaving themselves too large a gap to close in the second half; though they gave it a good rattle. These two teams came to play open football and referee Eamonn McAuley certainly facilitated that by allowing the game to flow naturally.
Eamonn McNeill opened the visitor’s account after 20 seconds and Aiden O’Donnell levelled with a free one minute later. McNeill, playing at full forward was proving a real thorn in Glenravel’s side and he followed up with three more points in quick succession and the home crowd smelt danger as Rasharkin now led 0-04 to 0-01 five minutes into the game. Glenravel mentors shuffled the deck in defence which stemmed the tidal wave from Dreen and allowed the home team some valuable possession which their forwards certainly made use of. From the fifth to the eighteenth minute, Con Magee’s went on a scoring spree returning another three goals and four points without reply. The goals coming from Eamon Fyfe, Eoin Hynds and Sean McKay. Eamonn McNeil got Rasharkin back in the game with a point but the Glensmen rallied once more with four excellent points from play in as many minutes. Fergus Quigg popped over a post for Rasharkin on twenty eight minutes and Aiden O’Donnell concluded the scoring of the half with a well taken point from play to leave the half time score 3-10 to 0-06 in favour of Glenravel. Nineteen scores in thirty minutes of football and all but four of them coming from play. On that scoreline the tea and coffee at half time tasted good for the home supporters.
Surely Glenravel had done enough to secure victory from that first half performance – not so thought the Rasharkin men who had managed to find the reset button in the changing rooms at half time. They came out all guns blazing and were awarded a penalty in the opening minutes which Johnny Fyfe saved brilliantly. We’ll never know what the impact would have been had that penalty been converted. Conor McFerran and Shane Hasson nudged Rasharkin closer but back came Glenravel with three points on the bounce to lead 3-13 to 0-08. Eleven minutes into the second half the visitors goaled through Pearce Kelly and the game went into see saw mode with points going over from either side. With ten minutes left on the clock Glenravel led by 3-17 to 1-10 and looked comfortable. However from fifty to fifty-five minutes the Dreen men hit a purple patch and scored 1-04 with a solitary point in return for Con Magees. That scoring burst would prove to be the final hurrrah from Rasharkin with 1-03 coming from chief marksman Eamonn McNeil and the other point coming from Thomas Doherty. The gap at this stage had been reduced to seven points as the home team led 3-18 to 2-14. With 5 minutes left, Rasharkin had opened a lifeline for themselves but that line was quickly severed by the Glensmen who finished with a flourish, scoring four points without reply to leave a final scoreline in their favour of 3-22 to 2-14.
The second half was a more even affair with twenty two scores in total and Rasharkin winning that half 2-08 to 0-12, but they had left themselves too big a mountain to climb after capitulating for most of the first half. That said, their full forward, Eamonn McNeil, was top scorer on the night finishing off a fine individual display with 1-09 to his name. Credit too to referee Eamonn McAuley who allowed both teams to express themselves by playing open running football. With the first phase of Division 2 now concluded, these teams will meet again later in the summer having both finished in the lower half of the table.
Glenravel:: Johnny Fyfe, Conor Carey, Paul McCurry, Michael Leverty, Kieran McKeown, Niall Swann, Declan McAuley, Connor Carey, David Higgins, Eoin Hynds, Declan Traynor, Aiden O’Donnell, Sean McKay, Eamon Fyfe, Conor McNeill
Subs: Josh McKeown for Paul McCurry, Charlie Henry for Declan Traynor, Martin McCarry for Sean McKay
Rasharkin:: Ryan Doherty, Eoghan Kennedy, Brendan Etherson, Pearse Kelly, Conor Hasson, Emmet McFerran, Fergus Quigg, Jack Quinn, Thomas McMullan, Donagh Quigg, Shane Hasson, Thomas Doherty, Conor McFerran, Eamonn McNeill, Gerard O’Hagan.
