ACFL Division 1
St. Mary’s Ahoghill 2-9 St. Brigid’s 0-8
St. Mary’s Ahoghill took another step away from the relegation zone with a comprehensive win over a St. Brigid’s team who were impressive early in the season but now find themselves perilously close to the bottom of the division.
The Ahoghill men have shown marked improvement since their loss to Gort na Mona at Enright Park back on the 12th of June with a good win over fellow strugglers, St. Mary’s Aghagallon and last night’s win over the Musgrave Park side should ensure them safety.
Patrick Finnegan opened the scoring for the visitors with a point in the first minute but points from PJ O’Connell, Ronan Graham and a James O’Connell had Ahoghill two in front by the 9th minute.
Ahoghill were slowly taking control however and a PJ O’Connell goal brought them to life with a goal in the 10th minute and the same player adding a point before his brother James moved his side seven ahead as he split the posts in the 20th minute.
The home side were rampant at this stage of the game as they moved the ball around with confidence as Michael O’Connell got in for their second goal after 24 minutes with Patrick Dougan adding a late point and Marcus Lynch and Conor McAleer replying from late frees to leave the home side in a commanding 2-6 to 0-3 half time lead and it already looked over at this stage.
Things got a little better for the visitors during the second half and while they never looked like overturning the Ahoghill lead they did out score the home side during the closing 30 minutes.
In fact the game became bogged down with St. Mary’s unable to produce the fluent football that had marked their opening half performance and St. Brigid’s depending on the free taking of Conor McAleer to keep the score board moving.
McAleer pointed four second half frees with their only other score coming from Patrick Finnegan from play while the Cloney side were content to consolidate their first half lead with Michael O’Connell registering their only point from play and PJ O’Connell and Donal Graham pointing frees in a drab second half.
This win moves Ahoghill onto 12 points with St. Brigid’s dropping a place below them on 11 while St. Mary’s Aghagallon have 9 points and Tir na nOg 8 and Gort na Mona 6 but these three have a game in hand over the Musgrave Park side.
The run in at the bottom of the league looks like being as exciting as the race for the title at the other end and the race for survival could go on until the final day of the season.
Ahoghill: 1 Noel Crossey, 2 Francis Neeson, 3 James Magee, 4 Bernard Graham, 5 Paddy Dougan, 6 Thomas McGlone, 7 Eamonn Brady, 8 Neil O’Connell, 9 Patrick Graham, 17 James O’Connell, 11 Ronan Graham, 12 Daniel O’Neill, 21 Fionnbar O’Neill, 14 PJ O’Connell, 15 Michael O’Connell.
Subs: Owen Neeson for Neil O’Connell 42mins Donal Graham for PJO’Connell 50 mins Martin Graham for Francis Neeson 55mins
St. Brigid’s: 1 Seamus MacGoncoilt, 2 John Morgan, 3 Joseph McCarney, 4 Diarmuid McLaughlin, 5 Ronan Boyle, 6 Michael Cummings, 7 Fergal Meenagh, 8 John Toner, 9 Jack Dowling, 10 Peter Lundy, 11 Marcus Lynch, 12 Sean O’Tomhrar, 13 Joseph Finnegan, 14 Conor McAleer, 15 Patrick Finnegan
Referee: Eamon McAuley (Cargin)