Antrim Senior Football League Division One
Naomh Éanna 0-8 Gort na Móna 4-11
Pics by JJ Lawell
Gort na Móna are a step closer to maintaining their place Division 1 football next season after a fantastic win over Naomh Eanna in Sunday’s league tie at Hightown. The win puts the Turf Lodge men in second place in Division 1B with just three games remaining, but it also leaves Sunday’s opponents in great danger of relegation after falling to their eight defeat in a row. It all looked so promising for the 2018 All Ireland Intermediate Championship finalists when they won three of their first five games in the league campaign, one of them a victory over county champions Cargin on the opening day. However things have gone downhill ever since then and with injuries, and absentees to deal with the confidence appears to have seeped away from Frank Fitzsimons’ depleted side.
Two early points from Dessie McClean got the Gorts up and running but Stephen O’Connor and Ruairi Scott pointed to bring the home side level by the 12th minute. However Gort na Móna held the upper hand and they began to show that on the scoreboard when points from a Darren Boyd free, one from play from Shane Scullion and one from a Thomas McCaffrey 45 put them three clear and though O’Connor pulled one back for the home side Donnelly and Boyd responded with points to stretch the gap to four.
The home team fought their way back into the game and three points without reply from Scott (2) and O’Connor reduced the deficit to the minimum just before half time but they were dealt a body blow in first half injury time when Dessie McClean put Shane Scullion in for a goal which gave the Gorts a four point cushion at the break.
Gort na Móna started the second half in emphatic fashion and two goals and a point in the opening minutes put them in complete control. Man of the match Shane Scullion grabbed the first of the two when he raced through from 30 meters and fired the ball home and he completed his hat-trick soon afterwards when he fired a rebound to the net after the home team’s goalkeeper had made a good save from a Conor Browning shot. It was all over soon afterwards when Dessie McLean worked his magic to set up Carson for the Gorts’ fourth goal and the only thing in question was the size of the winning margin.
The visitors’ goalkeeper Thomas McCaffrey even got in on the scoring act as he converted his second long range free of the day to put the seal on a vital win for Sean McKenna’s men and leave Naomh Eanna facing a mighty fight for survival.
NAOMH ÉANNA: M Morgan; K Jennings, M McNamee, R Kennedy; J McAuley, C O’Neill, C Morgan; F O’Connor, N McKeown; E Gibson, S O’Connor 0-4, S McBride; R Scott 0-4 (0-2fs), J Maskey, M Kennedy.
Subs: R Gillen for M Kennedy (39mins), C Maxwell for McBride (39mins), R O’Neill for McAuley (50mins).
GORT NA MÓNA: T McCaffrey 0-2 (0-1f, 0-1 45); C Connolly, T McGoran, M Rea; C Browning, D McErlean, A McDonagh; C Carson 1-0, C Magee; C Browning, C Donnelly 0-1, P McHugh 0-2 (0-2fs); D McClean 0-2, D Boyd 0-3 (0-2fs), S Scullion 3-1.
Subs: J McDonnell for Donnelly (43mins), P Mulvenna for Scullion (43mins), J Reilly for McHugh (57mins), S McStravick for Connolly (57mins).
REFEREE: G Dougan (Creggan)
