Homefit Antrim Football League Division Two
Antrim Football League Division 2
Con Magees Glenravel 0-11 All Saints Ballymena 0-05
By Aodh O’Loan
Glenravel came away with the league points in this enthralling encounter at Fr Maginn Park between two local rivals. Only a single point separated the teams at the interval but Con Magees dominated the second half exchanges and their efficiency in attack in contrast to their opponents inaccuracy led to an increased gap of six points at the final whistle. A combination of injuries and County duty forced both sides to field slightly understrength lineouts but those who were brought in will feel they laid a strong claim for first team places given the intensity of the game.
Callum Higgins opened the scoring inside one minute with a clever point but as the game settled into a ding dong battle where not an inch was yielded, both forward lines struggled to find space. It wasn’t until the fourteenth minute that the umpires were called into duty again when Higgins sent over another point, this time from a placed ball. Three minutes later All Saints lost their influential midfielder, Sean McVeigh to injury, denting their aerial dominance somewhat. However, Ballymena’s Brendan McDonald was their sharpest player on show throughout the hour and he reduced the gap to one five minutes later.
A further ten minutes would pass scoreless until Callum Higgins registered for the home side and on the stroke of half time Ronan McKillop popped over a nice point to bring first half proceedings to a close with in single point separating the teams; Glenravel ahead 0-03 to 0-02.
Shea O’Brien levelled the game a couple of minutes into the second period and though the visitors would set up several scoring chances they really struggled to find the accuracy needed. In contrast, Glenravel went on to record the next seven points without reply and put some daylight between the sides. Higgins contributed three of those and whilst Sean McKay, Joe Martin, Daniel McQuillan delivered great scores from open play, the pick of the bunch has to Rian Lennon’s effort on thirty eight minutes where he finished a surging run with a lovely point from forty five metres out, off the outside of his right boot. That score alone gave the home team and their supporters a much needed lift and the the subsequent scores meant the home side were now leading 0-10 to 0-03 and probably home and hosed. Ballymena were reduced to fourteen players when one of their players received a red card with ten minutes remaining and at this stage it seemed their race was run. As we entered added time, Brendan McDonald did tag on a couple of points for the visitors, but between those scores Ronan Higgins, on as a late sub, pirouetted and slotted over Glenravel’s final score of the game to leave them deserving winners 0-11 to 0-05.
Both teams will welcome the break now after a fairly intensive fortnight of football.
Con Magees
Johnny Fyfe, Charlie Henry, Eoin McCusker, Conor Carey, Rian Lennon, Cathal Hynds, Daniel McQuillan, Martin McCarry, Higgins, Aidan O’Donnell, McKeown, Sean Paul McKenna, Declan McAuley, Calum Higgins, Sean McKay
Subs – Ronan Higgins for Charlie Henry (inj); Chris Laverty for Declan McAuley (inj).
All Saints – Niall Shannon, James Gillan, Cormac Lemon, James McDonnell, Ciaran McGarry, Emmet Killough, Joe Rafferty, Sean McVeigh, Shea O’Brien, Cal O’Brien, Oisin Connolly, Shaun O’Callaghan, Brendan McDonnell, Conell Lemon, Ronan McKillop
Referee – Paddy Tumelty