Senior Football Championship semi-final
(second replay)
Quinn Park Ballymena (Monday 8-00pm)
The football championship semi-final replay to top all football championship replays moves to Ballymena tomorrow night when Casements Portglenone and Lamh Dhearg meet for the third time in this year’s knock out competition and trying to predict an outcome looks as difficult as ever.
The Ports came with a late surge in Creggan eight days ago to grab a second bite at the cherry with a Paddy Kelly point and an injury time penalty ensuring a comeback of Lazarus proportions as the Hannastown side and their supporters shook their heads in disbelief.
They met again in the second part of what has now turned into a trilogy at the ‘Dub’ on Thursday night and another large crowd were treated to a compelling contest that swung one way then another but with the same result after 60 plus minutes sending the game into extra time.
Ten minutes each way of frantic action saw well chewed finger nails bit down to the bone as both sets of supporters roared their sides to one last moment of excellence that might bring a result and both sides will look to a plethora of missed chances over the 80 minutes as they try to find the key that might at last unlock the door to a place in the final against Cargin.
We were then treated to the novelty of a free taking shootout. Paddy Cunningham converted the first kick of a dramatic end to proceedings but Patrick Kelly was denied by the post and it was advantage Lamh Dhearg.
Conor Murray made it two from two before Ronan Kelly got the Ports off the mark and Terry McCrudden and Michael Hagan traded further points. Ryan Straney’s miss would gift Portglenone the chance to level, which Gerard McAleese accepted to make it 3-3 with a kick remaining each.
Mark Finnegan and Conall Delargy would successfully convert the final two kicks to bring it to sudden death.
At the second time of asking Kelly and Straney atoned for their original misses as everyone scored to make it 9-9.
With the sides still level County Chairman, Ciaran McCavana intervened and after consolation with both managers and referee Colm McDonald, it was decided that there would be no further kicks and the sides would meet again next week to try and set the record straight.
There have been different opinions expressed about the county chairman’s intervention but personally I feel it was the right one. The way both sets of players were kicking it could have went on for an eternity and would have been cruel on the individual who would finally have missed.
So it’s on to Ballymena on Monday night with the outcome as difficult to predict as ever. Injuries sustained over the last eight days could play a part and at the time of writing we don’t know who will start.
An injury to Lamh Dhearg’s Pearse Fitzsimmons which saw the big mid-fielder collapse in agony after contesting a high ball looks the most serious and after treatment he was removed from the field on a stretcher and looks an unlikely starter tomorrow night.
Both teams will have niggles and sores from nearly two and a half hours frantic action but with a place in the final at stake no one will want to miss tomorrow night’s action if possible. The game is likely to attract a record crowd to Quinn Park so get there early to ensure a parking space.
A nice touch by the aNTRIM County Board. All proceeds from tonights gate will be shared equally between the charities deterMND, Friends of the Cancer Centre and in memory of the late Paul McKeever, Cancer Focus NI.