O’Neill’s Sportswear – Antrim Football League Division 1

Gort na Móna 1-11 Aldergrove 1-16

Aldergrove moved into second place in the Division 2 league table when they travelled to Turf Lodge and beat Gort na Móna by 1-16 to 1-11. The win puts them ahead of Con Magees Glenravel on score difference, but with two games in hand.

Sunday’s win was hard earned against a Gorts side who fought to the bitter end. The visitors were a point ahead at half time after playing up the slope in the first half, and when they moved five clear ten minutes into the second half it looked like they had the points wrapped up. However the Gorts hit back with a goal and a point to close the gap to a single point and it took a great scoring display from full forward Seamus McGarry to get the Crumlin men over the line.

Two points by Padraig McHugh and one from Niall Malaney had the Gorts 0-3 to 0-2 ahead after eight minutes, the Aldergrove scores coming from Declan Gough and Ryan Owens. Goalkeeper Shane O’Neill sent over a 45 to bring the visitors level on 11 minutes and they moved ahead when Ryan Owens hit a superb point.

Points from Christopher Carson and Padraig McHugh restored the Gorts lead midway through the opening half but three on the trot from Seamus McGarry, Oisin Graham and Conor Browning put Aldergrove three ahead with just five minute of the first half left to play, but two well taken points from Carson brought Gort na Móna back to within a point by half time.

Ronan Hanna stretched the visitors lead to two with an early second half point but Niall Malaney cancelled that out with a point at the other end on 35 minutes. However the Crumlin men were starting to find the target and points from Seamus McGarry and Cormac McGarry were followed by a Ronan Hanna goal, the centre forward selling the defender a neat dummy before blasting home.

With the gap now out to six Aldergrove looked comfortable but nothing is won easily at Pairc Enright and back came the Gorts with goal from Carson and a Manus McMullan point to close within two. The gap was still at two with just nine minutes of normal time left on the clock, but Aldergrove dominated those final minutes and with McGarry in great form on the edge of the square they hit five of the last seven points, four of them from the full forward and one from Ronan Hanna to seal the win and keep their league title hopes very much alive.