Northern Switchgear Antrim Senior Football Championship Group Four
Naomh Éanna 1-08-0-11 Rossa
Kevin Herron reports from Hightown
Michael Armstrong kept Rossa’s hopes of progressing to the last eight of the Northern Switchgear Antrim Senior Football Championship alive after steering over a late leveller in their 1-08-0-11 draw with Naomh Éanna at Hightown on Sunday afternoon.
Rossa were ahead for the majority of the game until James McAuley swept home a 38th minute goal that had Naomh Éanna 1-05-0-07 to the good.
A nail-bitter developed in the remaining twenty plus minutes and just when it looked as though Fionn Nagle had got the hosts over the line, Armstrong cracked over an equaliser with time fast elapsing to ensure that their fate would lie in their own hands going into the final group game in a fortnight.
A healthy crowd descended upon the Hightown Road in anticipation of a close encounter between the Belfast duo.
Rossa were first of the mark in the Glengormley hills through a Michael Armstrong point and Dominic McEnhill would add a second in the aftermath.
Odhran Eastwood came up with the initial response to get the hosts off the mark for the afternoon, though McEnhill converted a free and Rossa had restored their two-point advantage.
The sides equally traded the next few scores, Conor McAuley curled a shot inside the large posts to narrow the margin again- only for Michael Byrne to leave his goal to convert a free.
A fisted Kristian Healy point followed, but Dominic McEnhill swung over his third point of the half from a tricky angle and Michael Armstrong then steamed through and opted to take a point as Rossa moved 0-06-0-03 ahead.
Naomh Éanna ended the half on the front foot and were perhaps unfortunate to trail at the break, Fionn Nagle made a direct run through and split the posts and Cormac Morgan then dropped a shot over the bar to ensure that the bare minimum was the difference at the break.
Rossa extended their lead at the beginning of the second period when Thomas Morgan picked out Sean-Pat Donnelly to guide a shot over the bar.
But the hosts came up with the perfect response and lead for the first time on 38 minutes, James McAuley burst towards the target and played a quick one-two with Fionn Nagle before squeezing a low shot into the net past Michael Byrne to give his side a 1-05-0-07 lead and ensure they were ahead for the first time in proceedings.
They then doubled their advantage through Conor McAuley’s second point of the afternoon – though Gerard Walsh made an instant impact upon his introduction from the bench with a point to bring it back to a one-point game.
The game was evenly poised for the first time when Niall Crossan fed Richard Gowdy to pop over the equaliser with little over ten minutes remaining.
Rossa hit the front for the second time in proceedings after Dominic McEnhill converted his second free of the afternoon to make it 0-10-1-06.
Their lead was short-lived though as Philip Curran and Michael Morgan switched the play and slipped in James McAuley to drop over the equaliser.
In a nervy ending to proceedings, Naomh Éanna thought they had secured the spoils when Fionn Nagle’s high shot hung in the air and eventually dropped over Mick Byrne’s crossbar to edge the hosts back into the box-seat.
The visitors immediately sought a response and although their chance of a leveller might have faded when Byrne pushed out in front of referee Darren McKeown- leading to a free turning into a hop-ball- the Rossa shot-stopper would atone for his error.
Playing a role in the games levelling score, Byrne joined his team-mates in attack and fisted the ball into Eoghan McMenamin down the right channel and he slipped the ball inside to Michael Armstrong- who tried to find space and then successfully shot high between the posts to level at 1-08-0-11.
