Antrim Football League – Division 2

Ardoyne – 1-8 Con Magees 2-11

Pics and report by Brian McKee

Fennell Park was the setting for a bad tempered game between Ardoyne and Glenravel on Sunday evening.  The game was littered with off the ball incidents as Ardoyne pushed to get back to winning ways and Glenravel strived to keep in touch with the league leaders.

Eoin Hynds fired the Glenravel men ahead with a point from the opening attack of the game, but the first of a number of bad tempered exchanges took place shortly afterwards and Ardoyne were left to play the rest of the game out with 14 men due to a red card. A further free from Hynds saw Glenravel move into a two point lead.

After a shakey start, Ardoyne began to settle with a point from Corrigan’s run through the Glenravel defence. Fyfe restored the two point lead with a further point from play, but a smart passage of play between the McNeill twins ended with a pointed free from Cormac Mullan. Aidan McNeill slotted over a further free for Ardoyne to leave the sides level following a run through the Glenravel defence that was brought to a sudden end.

A wayward free from Glenravel was redeemed by McQuillan who collected and, following an incisive run, fist passed over the bar. As half time approached Ardoyne again pulled Glenravel back to level scores with a further point from Mullan.

Half Time: Ardoyne 0-4 Glenravel 0-4

As in the first half, it was Glenravel who were first out of the blocks, adding a goal and three points before Ardoyne managed to get the scoreboard ticking with a ‘45’ slotted over the bar by Cormac Mullan. A free from Fyfe established a five point lead for Glenravel, but Ardoyne hit a purple patch with a goal from Aidan McNeill, while his brother Joe slotted a lovely point from play to leave the minimum margin between the sides.

Fyfe was a constant threat for Glenravel and he pushed them two points ahead with a score from play. The game looked like it was sliding firmly the way of Glenravel. Hughes in the Ardoyne goal pulled off a great save only to see a  penalty awarded from the resulting scramble in the goalmouth, which was despatched to the Ardoyne net by Fyfe to stretch the Glenravel lead to five points.

The penalty was decisive at this stage of the game with less then 10 minutes remaining, and while Ardoyne responded with two frees from Mullan and Aidan McNeill, the extra man paid dividends for Glenravel as they finished the game strongly with three further points from play.

Full Time: Ardoyne 1-8 Glenravel 2-11

Ardoyne: 1 Tiernan Hughes, 2 Fiontann Marley, 3 Joe McNeill 0-1, 4 Kevin McLaughlin, 5 Kealan McCallan, 6 Kevin Lynch, 7 Cormac Curran, 8 Declan McCormick 0-1, 9 Aidan McNeill 1-2 (1f), 10 Eoghan Corrigan 0-1, 11 Michael McGreevy, 12 Pearse Marley, 13 Cormac Mullan 0-3 (1f), 14 Oisin McVicker, 15 Conor McLaughlin, Conor Magee, Conor Carter, Alan Davidson, Cathal Keown, Padraig Montgomery, Odhran Mullan, Sean Joe Rooney, Ciaran McNeill, Cormac Barnes, Conor McDowell, Dan Moore, Seamus Watson, Eoin Fennell

Glenravel: 1 Jonathan Fyfe, 2 Charlie Henry, 3 Eoin McCusker, 4 Conor Carey, 5 Eamon Fyfe 1–3(pen), 6 Niall Swann 0-1, 7 Daniel McQuillan 1-1, 8 Martin McCarry, 9 David Higgins, 10 Rian Lennon, 11 Eoin Hynds 0-5 (3f), 12 Conleth O’Loan, 13 Cormac McKeown 0-1,  14 Aidan O’Donnell, 15 Sean McKay, 16 Jude Scullion, 17 Declan McAuley, 18 Connor McNeill 0-1, 19 Aidan McKenna, 20 Joe Martin, 21 Senan Black, 22 Daragh Donaghy, 23 Sean Paul McKenna, 24 Shea O’Broin 25 Declan Trainor