Champions dazzle in the Dunsilly deluge

Northern Switchgear Antrim SFC semi-final

Cargin 2-6 St Brigid’s 0-6

By John McIlwaine

Main picture – Cargin’s Kevin O’Boyle dances with delight after scoring his team’s second goal

County champions Cargin took a step nearer retaining their Senior Football title when they came from three points down ten minutes into the second half to beat St Brigid’s by six in Sunday’s semi-final at Dunsilly. The champions in the early part of a low scoring opening half, were pegged back in the run in to half time as St Brigid’s went in two to the good at the break. (0-5 to 0-3)

When the south Belfast side got the first score of the second half to go three up it began to look like we could be in for a major upset, but team captain James Laverty settled things down with a well taken point from play and when it was followed with a goal minutes later the tide had turned and the men from Toome were in control from then on.

***St Brigid’s Ronan Boyle and Cargin’s Tomas McCann in action during the second half***

Conditions were good as the game got underway, but that soon changed as the rain fell heavily from the fifth minute on. Enda Downey gave St Brigid’s an early lead as they played wind assisted in the first half. However they retreated back into their own half and let Cargin run at them and it was from one of those runs that Tomas McCann was presented with the opportunity to send over the equaliser. ‘Mossy’ then set up big Pat Shivers to send over the lead point, Michael McCann coming on for the injured Shivers soon afterwards. With conditions worsening as the game progressed free flowing football was at a premium and with Cargin holding the upper hand St Brigid’s appeared to be in deep trouble. However they finished the half strongly and after Jack Dowling landed a fine long range effort they pushed ahead when John Morgan found the target.

Points at either end from St Brigid’s Enda Downey and Cargin’s Tomas McCann tied things up at 0-3 apiece, but two late points for the Musgrave Park men sent them in out of the rain at half time with a 0-5 to 0-3 lead.

***Conhuir Johnston celebrates after scoring Cargin’s opening goal***

A deluge of biblical proportions greeted the sides as they came back from under the railway tunnel, but St Brigid’s looked more assured and when Enda Downey put them three clear you began to wonder if and upset was on the cards. They did have other chances for a while with no success but when James Laverty drove over a Cargin point you could sense the tide was turning.

The score that really turned the game came soon afterwards when St Brigid’s defender Ronan Boyle was dispossessed by Thomas McCann, a clever tug of the shoulder by Mossy while sending the ball spinning from Boyle’s grasp and breaking to centre forward Conhuir Johnston who soloed clear to fire to the net, the St Brigid’s protests waved away by match referee Conal Roberts.

It was a blow that left the Musgrave Park men reeling on the ropes and before they could find their feet the game was gone from them. The peerless Mick McCann added a point before a long delivery from substitute John Carron dropped in around the square and ended up in the back of the net, Kevin O’Boyle seemingly getting a touch.

When Tomas McCann added one from a free the gap was out to six and it was clear it would take something incredible for St Brigid’s to turn the game around, especially considering the conditions. To their credit they never gave up the fight and when a great palmed effort from Jack Downing stuck in the flooded ‘square’ it was clear their hopes were gone. A goal at that stage might well have swung the momentum and set up an exciting finish, but Cargin were already making plans for their trip to Corrigan to take on Dunloy in a unique final in two weeks’ time… and they wouldn’t be troubled again.

CARGIN: J McNabb; K O’Boyle 1-0, R Gribbin, S O’Neill; J Crozier, J Laverty 0-1, P McCann; K McShane, G McCann; D Johnston, C Johnston 1-0, E Quinn; P Shivers 0-1, T McCann 0-3 (0-2fs), J Gribbin.
Subs: M McCann 0-1 for P Shivers (16), B Kelly for D Johnston (36), J Carron for G McCann (41), C Donnelly for O’Neill (57), Conan Johnston for R Gribbin (57).

ST BRIGID’S: D Heery; F McKernan, J Finnegan, P King; R Carleton, J Morgan 0-1, R Boyle; F Meenagh, J Dowling 0-1; S Downey, O Downey, J Smith; E Downey 0-3 (0-1f), M Downey 0-1, P Bradley.

REFERE: C Roberts (St John’s).