Reserve Football Cup semi-final
Casement’s 3-12 St. John’s 0-7
Casements, Portglenone advanced to the final of the Reserve Football Cup when they overcame the challenge of St. John’s at Whitehill tonight. The whiterock Road side kept in touch for a time but the superior pace and scoring power of a slick Casement’s side saw them over run the opposition in the second half.
The South West side led by 1-8 to 0-4 at half time, their goal coming from Niall Kelly after 24 minutes and two more from Stephen Kelly and Niall Kelly’s second put the contest out of reach of a tiring St. John’s side in the second half.
The opening exchanges in this reserve cup game between two sides, who will meet again on Wednesday night in a Senior Championship replay, were fairly even with Corey McLaughlin pointing Casement’s ahead in the second minute and Jude McCurdy equalising for the Johnnies with three minutes on the clock.
Stephen Kelly for Portglenone and Anto Press for St. John’s exchanged further scores and the tit for tat nature of the game continued as Niall Kelly for the South West side and Fra McCrudden for the Whiterock men raised further whites to leave it 0-3 to 0-3 with 14 minutes on the clock.
Fra McCrudden edged the Belfast men ahead for the first time with a point in the 15th minute but Portglenone were starting to get their game together and Niall Kelly got on the end of an excellent passage of play to finish to the net as the game moved into injury time.
Oisin Doherty fires over a Casements point
Paddy Graffin added a point and a four point gap had suddenly opened up with the Johnnies a bit unfortunate not to have had a goal of their own with Brian McManus getting down to deny McCurdy.
After the break it was a different matter as Stephen Kelly put significant daylight between the sides with a goal after 40 minute though Jude McCurdy did reply with St. John’s 5th point of the game.
The pace and movement of the Casement’s was starting to tell and as their confidence grew and St. John’s visibly tired, they added two further points through the excellent Oisin Doherty by the end of the third quarter.
Jude McCurdy and Fra McCrudden replied with consolation points for the Whiterock men but Niall Kelly’s second goal of the game and a late point from the same player ensured there would be no way back for the opposition.
Brian McManus in goals and Adrian Anderson, Connor McGee and Paddy Carey in defence were best in a Portglenone defence that gave little away. BJ Donnelly and Stephen Kelly were strong and creative in midfield while Niall Kelly, Oisin Doherty and Corey McLaughlin were prominent in a sharp attack.
St. John’s, as all Johnnies teams do, kept going right to the final whistle and in Brian Moore, Joe Garland, Daniel Gillespie, Ross Hannigan, Jude McCurdy and Fra McCrudden they had fine performers.
A few from either side will be hoping for the nod or at least a place on the bench when these two meet again in the senior championship replay in Ahoghill on Wednesday night while the rest I’m sure will be there willing their respective sides to victory from outside the Cloney wire.
Portglenone: Brian McManus, Adrian McKeever, Adrian Anderson, Declan Dobbin, Connor McGee, Paddy Carey, Aidan Kearney, Brendan Donnelly, Stephen Kelly, Oisin Doherty, Mark Graham, Paddy Graffin, Corey McLaughlin, Niall Kelly, Donal Murphy. Subs: James McL:arnon for Paddy Graffin, Christy Convery for Aidan Kearney, Owen Kelly for Donal Murphy
St. John’s: Matthew Leydon, Conal Maskey, Brian Moore, Davit McGarrity, Joe Garland, Gareth Clarke, Ross Hannigan, Daniel Gillespie, Barry McFall, Darragh McCallin, Anto Press , Gerard Cunningham, Jude McCurdy, Fra McCrudden, Declan Cregan.; Subs: Jude McCurdy, Kevin McGuinness, Niall McCallin, Brian Peden. Francis McCrudden.
Referee: Cathal McDermott (Tir na nOg)
