Aldergrove 0-11  Glenravel 1-10

By Aodh O’Loan

The age old saying of “goals wins matches” could be easily applied to this game even if both teams could only muster a single green flag over sixty minutes of football. That goal, coming from the boot of Glenravel’s Eoin Hynds with twelve minutes remaining, was enough to put a little daylight between the teams and eventually secure an away victory for the visitors. Glenravel had the four Under 20 players who were involved in Friday night’s Derry v Antrim Ulster championship game at Owenbeg back in action, and all four were to play their part.

 That said, there was little to choose between the two sides throughout the entire game and when Con Magees had squandered a few goal chances in the opening period their supporters must have wondered if those misses would eventually cost dearly. In the end they didn’t and Glenravel went on to inflict a second consecutive defeat this week on the Crumlin men.

Aldergrove started the game well and were three points to the good after six minutes; big full forward Ronan Hanna chipped in with two from play and his partner upfront, James Trowlen popped over a free in between to give the home side a perfect start. Glenravel got off the mark with points from the impressive Ryan McQuillan and Rian Lennon on eight and ten minutes but Hanna replied to reclaim a two point advantage for Aldergrove 0-04 to 0-02. In the second quarter though, Con Magees found their rhythm and would record the next five scores as they drove straight at the home team’s defence drawing a few scoreable frees which Aiden O’Donnell gratefully converted on three occasions. Ryan McQuillan popped up again with two more points from play, scoring off both left and right feet to leave Glenravel ahead 0-07 to 0-04. It was during this spell that Glenravel squandered a couple of goal chances so when James Trowlen pointed from a close in free on the stroke of half time Aldergrove would have been happy enough to be only two points adrift 0-07 to 0-05 at the short whistle.

Eoin Hynds stretched the Glenravel lead to three points two minutes into the second half and there followed a cat and mouse game for ten minutes when both defences were on top. Aldergrove had made a couple of substitutions and one of them put over a fine point from play not long after his entry. Ryan McQuillan fired over again for the visitors but Aldergrove replied with two scores from James Trowlen and Ronan Hanna to leave a single point between the teams, Glenravel ahead 0-09 to 0-08.

Once again Glenravel were starting to find some rhythm. Cathal Hynds will have felt unlucky to be denied by the woodwork when his piledriver looked net bound but brother Eoin saved his blushes minutes later when he left Shane O’Neill no chance in the Aldergrove goals as his shot hit the roof of the net to leave a four point gap. The same player would stretch the lead to five points with ten minutes left on the clock. On such a tight match surely the game was beyond the home team at this stage? Not so. Playing up the hill Aldergrove finished the game a lot stronger and recorded three more points to leave only two between them. As the game ticked over into injury time and the home team mounting attack after attack the spectators could have been thinking of deja-vu, given how the similar fixture last year had ended in victory for the home team after a last minute penalty goal secured a one point victory for them. But it was not to be. A long range ball into the heart of the Glenravel defence was plucked from the air after a magnificent leap from Callum Higgins; he cleared his lines and referee Brendan Toland called time on the game.

A very even game it has to be said where both teams will look back on missed opportunities but Glenravel just about deserved victory over the hour.