ACHL Division 2
CREGGAN 1-21 CAREY 1-08
Report Photographs: Joe Rice
North Antrim visitors Carey, travelled to Creggan on an unusually wet summers evening, for what turned out to be a game of two halves.
It was the men from the Glens who hit the ground running, scoring three unanswered points. Conor McBride, bagged two early frees in the second and 7th minute before mid-fielder, Daniel Martin, put them three ahead.
Creggan struggled to find their feet and when Morgan Nelson caught two high balls on the edge of the square he was crowded out, by the visitors defence who drove the ball back up the field for Patrick Butler to split the posts, giving the Faughs a four point lead.
The home side’s first score came after 14 minutes from a Oran McCann free but this did little to settle their nerves and it wasn’t until Kevin Rice caught a high ball in mid field, and made a b- line for goal, firing low past Dylan Mullan that they finally settled.
Further scores from a super sideline cut from Carey’s John McBride followed by another from play were matched by Creggan, a point from Ethan Carey Small and one from Sam Maguire, to leave it all square with 25 minutes on the clock,1.05 to 1.05.
The closing stages of the first half saw both teams battle it out with Creggan raising three more white flags, two from Oran McCann, a 26th minute free and another in the 28th minute from play. Carey’s, Conor McBride responded with a long range point from play, as Thomas McCann, split the posts at the other end to the sound of the short whistle.
Halt time score Kickhams Creggan 1.08 Carey 1.06.
As the ref walked out for the start of the second half he brought the sunshine with him, the skies cleared and the rain stopped with the pitch in fine condition with no wind. Both teams had been evenly matched in the first period and it looked like we were going to be in for a competitive game of hurling in the second but it wasn’t to be.
Creggan, went on the attack from the throw in with a point from Mick Maguire who was totally unmarked on the wing and cantered in to leisurely drop the ball over the bar. Conor McBride, did respond with a fine point from distance but that was as close as Carey got for the next twenty minutes.
Creggan began to dominate and points from Oran McCann 0-06, Kevin Rice 0-02, Morgan Nelson, Thomas McCann and Conor Small put them in control leaving the North Antrim side only one choice for the final 10 minutes, to go for goals and try to get back into the game.
They did come close with three attempts. John McBride, made the first bid for glory when he rounded his marker and had only the full back and goal keeper to beat but he miss hit the ball, leaving Aidan Maguire a simple lift to clear his line.
Maguire miss read the situation however and had it not been for Creggan’s keeper Emmet Long’s quick reaction the ball would have been it the net. The second was a high ball into the square with Long again dealing with the danger followed by another seconds later, when the Creggan keeper restored order with a ground clearance to the wings.
The Carey pressure finally paid off when Martin Hunter fired over in the 59th minute from long range for only their second point of the half but by this stage the Kickham’s were out of sight.
With Sarsfields losing to St. Enda’s at Hightown last night, this win leaves Creggan just a point behind the ‘Paddies’ and keeps them in the promotion race. Creggan entertain the new league leaders, St. Enda’s on Sunday while Sarsfields face a difficult away game in Dungannon so the race for the title could go right down to the wire.
CREGGAN;
1 EMMET LONG
2 JAKE MCATEER
3 LIAM MCCANN
4 DANNA OHARA
5 AIDAN MAGUIRE
6 CIARAN RICE
7 ETHAN CAREY SMALL 0.02
8 RUAIRI MCCANN
9 CONOR SMALL 0.02
10 KEVIN RICE 1.02
II MICK MAGUIRE 0.01
12 ORAN MCCANN 0.10
13 MORGAN NELSON 0.01
14 SAM MAGUIRE 0.01
15 THOMAS MCCANN 0.01
16 MARK MCCANN
17 DIAMUID MULHOLLAND
18 AARON HUGHES
19 OLIVER DUFFIN
20 ENDA MAGUIRE
21 OWEN GRANT
SUBS OLIVER DUFFIN, FOR LIAM MCANN
ENDA MAGUIRE FOR, MICK MAGUIRE
MARK MCCANN FOR, ETHAN CAREY SMALL
CAREY
1 DYLAN MULLAN
2 SEAN MCBRIDE
3 JAMES BLACK
4 DANIEL MCKINLEY
5 MICK MCVEIGH
6 COLM MCBRIDE
7 PEADA MCVEIGH
8 SEAM MCGLOUGHLIN
9 DANIEL MARTIN 0.01
10 JOHN MC BRIDE 1.01
11 GERARD MCBRIDE
12 PATRICK BUTILER 0.01
13 FIACHRA MCVEIGH
14 MARTIN HUNTER 0.01
15 CONOR MCBRIDE 0.04
16 JOHN MCBRIDE
PICS BELOW BY ANN GILLAN – AG PHOTOGRAPHY
