Antrim Senior Football Championship Group
St Brigids 1-13 St Galls 1-10
Paul McIntyre reports from Musgrve Park
St Brigids got their championship campaign off to the best possible start with a three-point win over St Galls at a rain battered Musgrave Park on Sunday afternoon.
Patrick Finnegan’s 6th minute goal was the cherry on top of a scintillating opening quarter as the South Belfast side aim to add a first senior championship to their recent league success.
Ruairi McErlean impressed with five-points in the opening half as St Brigids threatened to run away with the tie, and at one point the Biddies enjoyed a ten-point lead. However, a Niall Burns goal on the stroke of half-time helped ignite the fire that was missing from the bellies of the St Galls players, and despite a much improved performance in the second half, and the fact that the home side managed just two points in the second half, St Gall’s fightback fell just short.
St Brigids wasted no time in working the scoreboard. Only 35 seconds had elapsed when Conan McNicholl scored from play, following a quick ball inside from Patrick Finnegan.
Jack Dowling and Mikey Cummings added points in the opening five minutes before the games opening goal arrived a minute later. Patrick Finnegan’s run through the heart of the St Galls defence wasn’t tracked, and when he collected James Smith’s pass, Finnegan blasted past Chris Kerr to give his side a six-point advantage.
A Daniel Quinn point in the 7th minute eventually gave St Galls something to cheer about but by the time Ruairi McErlean converted a free in the 11th minute, it gave St Brigids a commanding eight-point advantage at 1-6 to 0-1.
Quinn and Niall Burns tried their best to take the fight to their hosts, and when Burns landed his second of the game in the 22nd minute, it left six between the sides with half-time approaching.
But a Shea Downey effort, two from McErlean and a James Smith point left ten between them before the visitors received a much-needed lifeline in the final minute of the half.
Following a defence slip Conor Ryan got in behind the St Brigids full back line and managed to pick out Quinn, who unselfishly passed the ball on to Burns who finished neatly to the net to cut their arrears to seven-points at the break, 1-11 to 1-4.
When the sides emerged for the second half, they were welcomed to the field to a downpour of biblical proportions, and it was the visitors who handled the worsening conditions better.
After Burns converted two frees, Brendan Bradley kicked two from play, and from a position of strength, St Brigids were fighting hard to hold on to a three-point lead with just ten minutes remaining.
Burns, who was St Galls standout player on the day, got in behind the home defence, but his pass across the face of the St Brigids goal failed to find a blue shirt, and the home side survived the scare.
Shea Downey settled the nerves for St Brigids, and as the game ticked into injury time, the contest threatened to boil over.
With time against them, St Galls kept up the pressure and a further Burns free left three between them again, but St Brigids did just about enough to hold on for an opening day win.
Teams & Scorers:
St Brigids: Declan Heery, John Toner, Joe Finnegan (0-1), Ronan Boyle, Reuben Carleton, Shea Downey (0-2), Shay Campbell, Mikey Cummings (0-1), Jack Dowling (0-1), Niall Duffy, Patrick Finnegan (1-0), James Smith (0-1), Conan McNicholl (0-2 1 Mark), Conor McAleer, Ruairi McErlean (0-5 3f).
Replacements: Ben Doherty for Duffy 13 mins, Callum Downey for McErlean (45), Deaghlan O’Hagan for Dowling (64), Brian McGurk for Doherty (65).
St Galls: Chris Kerr, Marcus Donnelly, Tiarnan Keenan, John McCaffrey, Ruairi Wilson, Conall McGirr, Conall McCabe, Marcus McCrossan, Aodhan Gallagher, Callum Walsh (0-1), Brendan Bradley (0-2), Conor Ryan, Niall Fallon, Niall Burns (1-5 0-4f), Daniel Quinn (0-2).
Replacements: Liam Lynn for Wilson (HT), Niall O’Neill for Fallon (49), Conor Burke for Walsh (53), Caolan Chada for Ryan (57).
Referee: Mr Mark O’Neill.
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