ACHL Division 2
Creggan 2-14 Bredagh 3-14
Report: Joe Rice
Breda trailed the home side for 55 of the 60 minutes, only getting over the line with a fortunate goal at the game entered extra time. The visitors would have been favourite as they arrived in Staffordstown for the 2.pm throw in but an impressive Creggan saw things differently with their 1st half performance which had the visitors rattled with 30 minutes on the clock.
Three minutes into the 2nd half Bredagh had turned the home side’s 9-point advantage with 2 goals in quick succession. The first of the 2 goals, scored by Liam Hogan, dropped over Tiernan McLarnon’s head to the back of the net. The 2nd goal, from Cormac Blaney, was unstoppable at close range.
The first score of the game came after 5 minutes as both teams struggled for possession. Kevin Rice pointed to put the first score on the board and for the next 30 minutes the home side added a further 2 goals and 10 points to put some distance between the 2 sides – 1.03 from Kevin Rice, 1.05 from Morgan Nelson, 0;02 from Niall McAuley and 0.01 from Oran McCann.
The visitors were continually off target, finding it difficult to shake off their Creggan pursuers. After 25 minutes they had only registered 3 points and their tally only increased as they hit a purple patch in the remaining 5 minutes before the interval – 3 pointed frees from Tiernan Sheehan, O.02 from Mark Patterson and 1 point a piece for Ciaran McMullan, Ryan Curran and Liam Hogan.
Half Time Score CREGGAN 2.11 v BREDAGH 0.08
At the interval, on a cold and sunny afternoon, the home side hurried into the dressing room as the visitors remained on the pitch to be read the riot act from their very vocal management. As the 2nd half got underway the heated team talk paid dividends. Within 4 minutes of the restart the visitors had hit the onion bag twice narrowing the gap to a respectable 3 points and to the delight of the visitors’ supporters the contest was re-ignited.
A high ball in from Liam Hogan to the Creggan Keeper, who had caught a half a dozen similar efforts in the 1st half, dropped into the net. The visitors’, Cormac Blaney, was up next with an unstoppable effort giving Tiernan McLarnon no chance. For 15 minutes Creggan were guilty of indecision and poor touch and the re-energised visitors took advantage of this holding them scoreless for 13 minutes.
Creggan’s first 2nd half score, a free from Oran McCann, and 2 further points from Rice was all they had left in the tank. If hurling was a game of 2 halves, it could be measured in scores – 25 minutes into the 1st half Breda had only managed 3 points whilst 30 minutes of the entire 2nd half Creggan could only rake up 3 points.
As we headed into the final 10 minutes, the visitors’ intensity narrowed the gap with points from Sean McGourty, Jamie Curran and an equalizer from Jarlath McCollum deep into injury time. The visitors managed to get their noses in front but not for long as Creggan drew level again.
As the clock ticked down the Referee signalled to Creggan’s Keeper that there would be one more play of the ball. McLarnon lashed the ball up the pitch as his team mates fumbled for possession. Bredagh sent the ball high into the danger area and Mark Patterson pulled to finish to the net as the Referee blew for full time.
CREGGAN: No.1 Tiernan McLarnon, No.2 Michael Small, No.3 Aidan McKeown, No.4 Senan O’Boyle, No.5 Peadar McGuckian, No.6 Sam Maguire, No.7 Jake McAteer, No.8 Niall McAuley (0.02), No. 9 Sean Duffin, No.10 Morgan Nelson (1.05), No.11 Kevin Rice (1.05), No.12 Oran McCann (0.02), No.13 Dermot Mulholland, No.17 Callum McCann, No.18 Joseph James Smyth, No.19 Declan McCann.
BREDAGH: No.1 Ian Galway, No.2 Niall Smyth, No.3 Lawrence Smyth, No.4 Mel Lavery, No.5 Evin Maguire, No.6 Aaron Carey, No.7 Tiernan Sheehan (0.04), No.8 Michael Woods, No.9 Mark Patterson (1.02), No.10 Chris Hobbs, No.11 Oran McFlynn, No.12 Ciaran Mulholland, No.13 Sean McGourty (0.01), No.14 Ryan Curran (0.01), No.15 Liam Hogan (1.03), No.16 Aaron Maguire, No.17 Cormac Blaney (1.00), No.18 PJ Lavery, No.19 Eoghan Curran, No.20 Noah Hawkin, No.21 Jamie Curran (0.01), No.22 Jarlath McCollum (0.01).
Referee: Barry Winters
