South West Antrim Under 23 Football Shield
Glenavy 0-9 Aghgallon 2-8
Goals in each half by visitors Aghagallon gave them the edge as they beat Glenavy in Sunday’s semi-final of the South West Antrim Under 23 Football Shield at Chapel Hill.
Joseph Lavelle struck for the first one on twenty minutes to help the St Mary’s outfit to the 1-3 to 0-4 half time lead of 1-3 to 0-4. The gap was still at two twenty minutes into the second half when the visitors midfielder Pauric Maginnis took advantage of a defensive slip by the Creggan defence to fire home his team’s second and seal the win.
Marc McAfee got Aghagallon’s first point of the game on four minutes but the home team settled well and three on the trot Fergal Henry, Finn Shannon and Henry again had them two clear by the 16th minute. The Chapel Hill side were giving as good as they got but on twenty minutes Joseph Lavelle gave his team a lead they would not subsequently lose when the full forward found the Glenavy net from close range.
The second half saw the teams exchange points on two occasions with Johnny Hannon on target from play and from a free for the visitors which Fergal Henry got both the Glenavy scores to keep the gap at two. Aghagallon goalkeeper Luke Mulholland increase the lead to three when he pointed a 45 on fifty minutes and when Pauric Maginnis grabbed his team’s second goal it was all over bar the shouting. Ruairi McShane pointed to stretch the St Mary’s lead to seven and though Glenavy finished strongly with points from Shannon and Henry it was a case off too little, too late and Aghagallon had already booked that final place.
