ACFL Division 1
St. Mary’s Aghagallon 1-13 St. Mary’s Ahoghill 2-11
Noel Crossey was in match winning form as St. Mary’s Aghagallon completed the double over their namesakes, St. Mary’s Aghagallon to keep the Clooney men within striking distance of the top of the table.
Crossey opened his side’s scoring from a ‘45’ early in the game but it was the Ahoghill keeper’s shot from a free that screamed through a crowded goal line deep into injury time that sealed the points for the visitors and stunned the home side.
Aghagallon looked to be well on their way to victory when they led 0-7 to 0-3 at half time with Enda McCartan getting them off the mark with a point in the second minute.
Noel Crossey equalised from the ‘45’, a minute later but points from Hugh Hannon and Jack Lenehan had the home side two in front with 12 minutes on the clock.
Patrick Graham pulled one back for Ahoghill after converting a mark but it would be the home side who pushed on in the minutes leading up to half time.
Jonathan Hannon, Pauric Maginnis, Enda McCartan and Hannon again fired over unanswered points to move the home side five ahead by the 27th minute before James O’Connell and Eunan Walsh exchanged late score to leave the Aghagallon St. Mary’s leading by five at the short whistle.
The sides exchanged points on the restart as Jamie Lamont extended the home side’s lead before Ronan Graham replied for the Clooney side before Jonathan Hannon and Pauric Maginnis added two more for Aghagallon to move them six ahead by the 8th minute.
Ahoghill looked in trouble but they showed the resilience and character that has earmarked their play all year as they replied through Shae Madden and a couple from Ronan Graham to keep in touch.
It looked to be to no avail however as Enda McCartan and Jamie Lamont replied with points for Aghagallon by the 20th minute and the home side must have thought that they had done enough to get them over the line at this stage.
The Clooney men dipped into their reserves of character and their never-say-die spirit and a goal from the splendid Ronan Graham in the 24th minute sparked them into life.
Tom McGlone, Diarmaid Graham and Niall O’Connell fired over points as the visitors dominated the closing stages and another from Ronan Graham had it back to one with time almost up.
The home side hadn’t scored since the 20th minute but when they added a point, four minutes into injury time to move two in front they looked home and dry but there would be one more play in the game and it would be a dramatic one.
Ahoghill were awarded a close range free and Noel Crossey made the long journey up-field from his goal line to drill his shot through a small gap in the Aghagallon wall and snatch the points at the death.
This win moves Ahoghill onto 14 points and into fourth place in the table while Aghagallon wasted an opportunity to close the gap on leaders Portglenone but still remain in second place, four points behind the league leaders.
Ahagallon: 1 Luke Mulholland, 2 Ciaran Maginnis, 3 Aidan Mulholland, 4 Daryl McAlernon, 5 Daniel Donnelly, 6 Jamie Lamont, 7 Stephen Devlin, 8 Jack Lenehan, 9 Eunan Walsh, 10 Jonathan Hannon, 11 Enda McCartan, 12 Marc McAffee, 13 Hugh Hannon, 14 Pauric Maginnis, 15 Gareth Magee
Ahoghill: Noel; Crossey, 2 Seamus McKeever, 3 James Magee, 4 Gerard Graham, 5 Fionnbar O’Neill, 6 Eamonn Brady, 7 Diarmaid Graham, 8 Patrick Graham, 9 Thomas McGlone, 10 Dan O’Neill, 11 Donal Graham, 12 Bernard Graham, 13 James O’Connell, 14 Ronan Graham, 15 Shay Madden.
Referee: Danny O’Neill (Gort na Mona)