This weekend sees the three grades of Minor Football championship finals take place at three different venues at the same time. The minor football championship, once the opener to our Senior Football finals has undergone changes in recent years and some will feel it is no longer afforded the platform it deserves.

There are many factors that have contributed to these changes. Covid played its part and brought about the need to restrict crowd numbers and still appears to be a factor in avoiding double headers wherever possible.

Minor football-and hurling- have undergone big changes themselves with the age group being changed from U18 to U17 and in Antrim now-as in most counties- we have Minor championships in U17A-U17B- and U17C grades where there was once only the A championship.

This, in my opinion is a good thing as it affords lesser teams the opportunity to compete at their own level and provides them with the possibility of winning a championship medal.

Whatever the merits of playing the minor final prior to the senior one it will be all guns blazing for the young footballers, mentors and supporters of St. Brigid’s, Glenravel, Aldergrove, St. Enda’s, Rasharkin and Tir na nOg this Sunday with one collective aim – to bring home the silverware.

St. Brigid’s v Glenravel

U17A Final-Creggan 11-00am

The U17A final sees a fancied St. Brigid’s take on Con Magee’s Glenravel at Creggan and the Musgrave Park side will start as favourites for this one but they should be wary of a Glenravel team who are here on merit and produced a great result when they travelled to Milltown last Sunday and came away with a four point win over St. Gall’s.

Oisin Kelly’s superb fisted effort to the net for the home side into added time ensured there was only a point in it going into the last minute. However, seconds later, when Glenravel broke on the counter attack, Daire Higgins ruthlessly despatched his effort to the net to seal his side’s progression to the final where they will meet St Brigid’s.

St. Brigid’s have been knocking at the championship door now for a number of years but have found it difficult to get over the line and have been thwarted in their efforts by an Erin’s Own Cargin team in two of the last three deciders.

The Musgrave Park side finally got the Cargin monkey off their backs when they travelled to Toome on Sunday morning last. A 10^th minute goal by impressive full forward JJ Higgins was to prove crucial as St Brigid’s pushed on to win by 1-4 to 0-5 in conditions that were not conducive to good football.

Conor Logue, Sonny Doyle, Donnach McGurk, Rory McErlean and JJ Higgins will lead the St. Brigid’s bid for honours while Eamon Ward, Daire Higgins, Shea O’Brion and Cormac McKeown will spearhead the Con Magee’s challenge.

Naomh Eanna v Aldergrove

U17B Final – Dunsilly 11-00am

St. James Aldergrove produced a great result when they travel;led to Davitt’s Park last Sunday and defeated a Corpus Christi Gaels side who had performed much better in the division 2 league. St. James were pushed hard all the way before emerging 3-9 to 2-8 winners and this will have given them confidence going into Sunday’s decider.

At the same time St. Enda’s defeated a fancied Creggan at Hightown by 1-7 to 0-6 and once again it was a side from further down the league finishing places that took the spoils.

Creggan finished second in division 2 to Lamh Dhearg but league positions doesn’t seem to count where this championship is concerned and I don’t expect there to be too much in it in this cone with Aldergrove given a tentative nod.

Rasharkin v Tir na nOg

U17C final – Ballymena 11-00am

While Aldergrove were impressing at Davitt’s Park in the U17B semi-final a dogged St. Mary’s Rasharkin were overcoming a conceivably more difficult hurdle when they defeated Ardoyne at Fennell Park.

Oisin Casey 1-03, Daniel Doherty 1-02, Joseph McNeill 1-00 and Cormac McMullan 0-01were the men who provided the all-important scores as Rasharkin finished a point ahead in an excellent game.

St. Mary’s will start as underdogs against a Tir na nOg side who finished top in division 3 of the league but things look very much on the up in Rasharkin this year with their senior hurlers through to the JHC Final and their U13 Footballers already Shield champions.

The sides met in a cracking league encounter back in March when Rasharklin emerged 3-11 to 4-6 winners down in Dreen. When the same sides met again in July at Whitehill Tir na nOg avenged that defeat winning 4-10 to 4-5 and there could be another goal feast in Ballymena on Sunday.

U17C Football Championship semi-final

Ardoyne 2-08

Rasharkin 3-06

The hard work being put in by the mentors of St. Mary’s Rasharkin continues to pay dividends and that resurgence in fortunes was again evident on Sunday when they travelled to Fennell Park and defeated a good Kickham’s Ardoyne side in the semi-final of the U17C Minor Football Championship.

Victory looked unlikely during the early exchanges as Rasharkin fell behind early in the 1st half, conceding 2 quick goals, leaving them 7 points down after 20 minutes and the South West side looked badly in need of inspiration.

That inspiration arrived as Rasharkin clicked into gear and started the comeback with goals from Joseph McNeill and Daniel Doherty and points from Oisin Casey and Daniel Doherty to leave Rasharkin leading by 1 point, 2-04 to 2-03 as the half time whistle sounded.

The momentum appeared now to be very much with the visitors as the second half got under way and an early second half goal from Oisin Casey moved them four ahead.

Ardoyne, who had defeated Naomh Padraig, Lisburn in the quarter-final, came back strongly to level the contest and at this stage the Kickham’s looked favourites to push on for victory. Points were exchanged from either team in an exciting finale with the Rasharkin point coming from Cormac McMullan. The loudest cheer of the day came from the Rasharkin faithful who had made the journey to Fennell Park as Daniel Doherty, the coolest man on the field slotted over the winning point from a free and ended a very sporting contest.

In the other semi-final of the U17C championship Tir na nOg recorded a resounding victory over St. Brigid’s B in Creggan, running out 5-9 to 0-7 winners over the Musgrave Park second string.

Rasharkin now meet South West rivals, Tir na nOg, Randalstown in the U17C final in Ballymena on Sunday morning (16th October) at 11-00am

Rasharkin scorers:

Oisin Casey 1-03

Daniel Doherty 1-02

Joseph McNeill 1-00

Cormac McMullan 0-01

Antrim Under-17A Football Championship (semi-final)

                                 Erin’s Own Cargin 0-05 St Brigid’s 1-04

A 10^th minute goal by impressive full forward JJ Higgins was to prove crucial as St Brigid’s gained a place in the under-17 football championship at the expense of a fancied Erin’s Own side in a blustery rain lashed Toome on Sunday last.

The full forward was first to a Technan McGarvey delivery just after a Conhuir Johnston’s point at the other end had seen the home side get off in front. Higgins was first to his wing man’s delivery to punch to net to give the South Belfast side the lead.

The full forward added a point a couple of minutes later and in the unfriendly conditions with the onlookers looking for shelter, the 1-01 to 0-01 lead looked a useful advantage.

Cargin’s Conhuir Johnston was being carefully shadowed and the home side were finding the target difficult to navigate as several promising openings were spurned as the wide ball tally increased.

It was Johnston who was to make the next mark when he fired between the posts from long range after an illegal tackle on himself.

As the home side proceeded to have difficulty in finding the target Cahir O’ Boyle came forward to punish a further indiscretion on the hard grafting Jack O’ Neill in the 29^th minute which was to complete the tally in the opening period and the visitors took respite from the conditions holding a 1-02 to 0-03 advantage.

Conditions deteriorated as the second half got under way and after Rory McErlaine came forward to send a 30 metre free between the posts to increase the St Brigid’s lead, another foul on Conhuir Johnston at the other end was punished when Cahir O’ Boyle sent the award between the posts.

Scores were proving increasingly difficult to come by in the difficult conditions but a couple from the accurate boot of centre forward Rory McErlaine from the left hand side ensured a 1-04 to 0-04 advantage for the visitors as the game entered the final stages.

The home side needed to find the net in the last minutes but the St Brigid’s defence stood firm as the clock ticked onwards towards completion.

Conhuir Johnston, who had been closely marked throughout, added a point after taking a pass from the impressive Jack Harney but in the event it was not enough as St Brigid’s stood firm to go forward to the final.

St Brigid’s will meet Con Magees Glenravel in next week’s decider after the South West side travelled up to Milltown on the same day returning with an impressive semi-final victory over St Gall’s.

Cargin: Daniel Mc Cann, Eoin Scullion, Hugh O’ Donnell, Patryk Matchyk, Ciaran Mc Peake, Ben Mc Larnon, Cahir O’ Boyle (0-02), Cian Scullion, Charlie Mc Cann, Jack Harney, Conhuir Johnston (0-03) Patrick O’ Neill, Jack O’ Neill, Diarmuid Quinn, Callum Gribbin

St Brigid’s: Luke Logue, Conor 0’ Connell, Conor Logue, Darra O’ Grady, Thomas McKenna, Sonny Doyle, Mark Goodman, Thomas Lloyd, Donnach McGurk, Techal McGarvey, Rory Mc Erlean (0-03), Dara Quinn, Conor Gilecce, JJ Higgins, James Mallon.

Subs

Fiontan Hardy for P O’ Neill

Referee: M O’ Neill (Armoy)