O’Neill’s Sportswear Football League – Division 1
Naomh Eoin 1-9 Naomh Bríd 0-6
St Brigid’s battle for survival in Division 1 of the Antrim Football League was made a lot harder after Wednesday evening’s defeat to St John’s at Corrigan Park. Ironically the Musgrave Park men dominated the first twenty minutes of the game as they had the lion’s share of possession, but solid defending by the Johnnies meant the visitors had to shoot mostly from distance and their efforts to find the target were poor to say the least.
With both team short a good few regulars St Brigid’s started with a world of possession but it was 12 minutes before they raised their first flag, as corner forward James Smith sent over a point from a free. Jack Dowling got their second on 19 minutes and things looked promising for the visitors, but when Lorcan Heenan got St John’s opening score on 21 minutes things began to change.
Suddenly the Johnnies had found a bit of rhythm and with Paddy McBride making his influence felt more and more the home side found a higher gear. McBride added a second point on 23 minutes and three minutes later they hit the front when a pass from half back Conal McGlade found Lorcan Heenan in front of goal the corner forward fired the ball home. St Brigid’s were at sixes and sevens but to their credit they fought back in the dying minutes of the first half and points from James Smith and John Morgan brought them back to within a point by the time referee Ray Matthews blew the half time whistle.
When the sides came out for the second half an early Stephen Tiernan point helped St John’s take control of the game. With McBride in great form the Corrigan Park side pinned their visitors back in their own half, hitting five points without reply, two of them from McBride, the second of which was the score of the game.
St Brigid’s ended a 22 minute scoreless spell with Smith’s third point of the game and when Enda Downey added a fine score soon afterwards there was renewed hope for the visitors. However that was to be their lot and St John’s regained their composure to finish strongly with another Paddy McBride point and one from Ciaran Garland to end up winning by double scores.
St Brigid’s are in trouble, but they can still save themselves if they get results in their two remaining games. On Sunday they take on fellow strugglers Naomh Eanna at Musgrave Park, before travelling the short journey to the Bog Meadows next Wednesday evening to take on St Gall’s, while with no such worries St John’s can look forward to the start of the championship in two weeks’ time.
