Antrim Senior Football Championship – Group 3

Glenravel  2-07   Portglenone 1-10

A draw was probably a fair enough result in this final Senior Football Championship game in the round robin series of Group 3. Both teams will have felt they had done enough to secure the points but with the lead exchanging hands a few time in the closing quarter a draw seemed fair enough when referee Patrick Tumelty called time. In reality this was a dead rubber as both teams knew their championship destiny before throw in so pride was all that was at stake over the sixty minutes. A late goal from Cahal Hynds seemed to have sealed the deal for Glenravel but a last ditch effort from Conor McGhee levelled the game so the points were shared.

Eoin Hynds and Ciaran McKenna shared points in the opening five minutes and then Ryan McQuillan nudged Glenravel ahead. With eight minutes played Portglenone were starting to find holes in their opponents defence and eventually Sean Byrne found the net from close range for the game’s opening goal. Paddy Kelly stretched the lead from a placed ball and followed that up with another free after Ryan McQuillan had put over from a tight angle at the other end, thus leaving a goal between the teams. McQuillan and Hynds would close the gap to the minimum but on the stroke of half time Oisin Kelly popped over a point from play to leave two between them at the break, Portglenone leading 1-04 to 0-05.

The Ports would tag on a couple of points early in the second half from the boots of Conal Delargy and Oisin Doherty to stretch their lead to four points and the skies were darkening overhead for the men in green and white. Niall Hynds put over a long range free to reduce the gap but Con Magees management decided it was time to re-shuffle the deck. Enter Cormac McKeown into the fray and within ten seconds he had the ball in the net and followed up with a good point six minutes later to nudge Glenravel ahead with twelve minutes remaining. In reply, Portglenone introduced Michael Hagan who would prove to be a real thorn in the Glenravel side as he levelled and then put the Bannsiders ahead shortly after his introduction. Niall McKeever would stretch that lead to two and with only four minutes left it looked like the pre match favourites would justify that tag. But confusion in Portglenone’s defence following a high ball in from Cathal Hynds allowed the ball to bounce into the net to put Glenravel back in front by the minimum margin. As the game ticked past the sixty minute mark Portglenone’s experience shone through when, after patient build up, Conor McGhee popped over the game’s final point to level and referee Tumelty called time. 

Portglenone now advance to the championship quarter final where they’ll play St John’s whilst Glenravel are into the survival playoffs and will face Tir na nÓg. 

FOR MORE PICS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/QCrUxynGDyqdAz/?invite=d882d877-e444-4ce4-a93b-e2b85a3abc18