ACFL Division 1
Lamh Dhearg 1 – 05 Roger Casements 1 – 18
Pics: Kevin Herron
This round 13 division one league encounter played on a perfect evening for football in Hannahstown started competitively, with little to separate the sides in the opening two quarters. The hosts were well in this contest, but poor discipline let them down when key players received red cards each side of half time, enabling visitors Portglenone to ease to a fairly comfortable thirteen point victory on this occasion.
Lamh Dhearg were playing for pride after a heavy defeat to league leaders Casements earlier in the campaign, and also attempting to pick up from dropping points to Rossa and St Brigids in recent games. Casements are a work in progress under John McKeever and were hoping to maintain a four point lead in the race to capture their first ever Eddie Fitzpatrick Cup.
With Conor Murray looking sharp Lamhs were fastest out of the traps, Murray’s ball winning ability at full forward was causing obvious damage and contributing to the hosts holding a slender lead in the early stages. Scores of his own were added to by Paddy Mervyn, Declan Dunne and deep playing Terry McCrudden, but the visitors kept themselves well in it with white flags raised on foot of some excellent moves and long range points by Aidan McAleese, debutant younger brother Ciaran, and impressive newcomer to the saffron and black, Odhran McGarry.
Casements were two to the good when referee Kevin Dunne dismissed a Lamh Dhearg player from play after a brief altercation and that remained the deficit when he blew the half time whistle a few minutes later.
If the first half was a tentative cat and mouse affair, the start of the second began with a flourish. An excellent pointed free from Michael Hagan put three between the sides but a move that started with promise by hard working Mark McGarry and continued by Michael Hynds ended up with Declan Dunne slotting into the back of the Portglenone net to level the game and raise the hopes of the home support.
Their expectation levels dropped significantly just a few minutes later when Aidan McAleese slammed a pile-driver past the helpless John Finucane to open the gap again to three and when another Lamh Dhearg saw red after a second yellow offence, this game was as good as over.
Casements played out the last twenty five minutes on their own terms, with a two man advantage, and chipped away at the scoreboard, tagging on an additional ten points, including a late collector’s item from Ronan Delargy which doubled his tally in senior football to two.
Lamh Dhearg battled courageously despite their numerical deficiency, and showed enough to suggest they will be a different proposition with a full deck when these teams meet again in the group stages of the championship.
For Casements it was a case of job done as John McKeever continues to use and rotate his playing panel and remain firmly in the driving seat for a first time division one league honours.
Lámh Dhearg: J Finucane, P Larkin, B Rice, R Murray (1-00), F Mervyn (0-01), M McGarry, M Hynds, P Mervyn (0-01), C Maxwell, D Smyth, S McManus, D Martin, T McCrudden, C Murray (0-03f), D Dunne. Subs: P Cunningham for D Martin (21), A Murray for B Rice (48), A McAufield for S McManus (48), C Nolan for R Murray (51), K Fay-Kelly for C Maxwell (56).
Portglenone: R O’Neill, R Delargy (0-01), D McNicholl, J Convery, R Hagan, N Delargy, C McGhee, N McKeever, S Kelly, C McAleese, M Hagan (0-02f), C McKenna (0-01), A McAleese (1-04), O Doherty (0-03), O McGarry (0-03). Subs: P Kelly (0-04, 0-02f) for C McKenna (42).
Referee: Kevin Parke (St Endas)
