Creagh Concrete U17 Football Final
Dunsilly 12-00 Sunday
St. Paul’s v St. Mary’s Aghagallon
This Sunday’s Minor Football championship final at Dunsilly has all the ingredients for an entertainingt game of football and both sides will go into it with confidence given their respective semi-final performances.
St. Paul’s caused a major upset when they came from behind to defeat Erin’s Own Cargin in Ballymena last Sunday morning in an excellent semi-final that went right down to the wire.
Erin’s Own started the game as firm favourites and made all the early running as they moved into a 1-05 to 0-02 lead at the end of the first half and might have been further ahead.
Cargin looked on their way to the final with what looked a fairly healthy lead as the game entered the final stage but St. Paul’s kept at their task and were rewarded for their efforts.
The introduction of replacements Michael Howell and Sean Burns paid dividend with both players finding the Cargin net to turn this game on its head.
The drama continued as the clock ticked down as both sides missed penalties in the closing stages but in the end it was back to back points from Lorcan Phillips and Caomhin Killyleah that saw the Shaw’s Road side emerge winners by the minimum.
Dirmuid O’Sullivan, Bairre Burns, Tiaran Auld, Niall McKenna, Caoimhin Killeyleagh, Lorcan Phillips and Miceal Phillips were best in a St. Paul’s side who never gave up when things weren’t going their way and that spirit will be needed on Sunday if they are to lift the trophy.
St. Mary’s Aghagallon made their way to Sunday’s final with a comprehensive win over St Brigid’s at Dunsilly. Aghagallon were always in command of the game and driven on by their brilliant midfielder Johnny Hannon they secured a final spot against St Paul’s.
With Hannon dominating midfield the St Mary’s boys were in control from the start and three points from Hannon and one from Sean Gowdy gave them a great start. It was fourteen minutes before St Brigid’s registered their first scored through Fintan Cleery but they were rocked back on their heels when man of the match Hannon broke through to drill home a great goal to give his team a 1-6 to 0-3 half time lead.
Second half goals from Enda McCartan and Ethan Laverty put St. Mary’s in a strong position and although St. Brigid’s finished strongly with a flurry of late points they never really looked like overturning the Aghagallon lead.
Those late scores from St. Brigid’s will be something the St. Mary’s management will look at while St. Paul’s will want to address their slow start against the Toome side but overall there will be a sense of a job well done in both camps.
Johnny Hannon was the outstanding player on view in the Dunsilly clash and he had plenty of support from Gabhan Baine, Edward Wislon, Padraig Gowdy, Ciaran Maginnis, Ethan Laverty and Enda McCartan.
This one is sure to be keenly contested with little separating them at the end but St. Paul’s win over Cargin can give them the confidence to push on and win their first minor title for some time though Johnny Hannon has the talent to turn it in the way of the Aghagallon side.
