Senior Football Championship – relegation final
Glenravel 4-17 St Enda’s 1-08
Con Magees, Glenravel secured Division 1 status and guaranteed their place in senior championship football in 2025 as they put St Enda’s to the sword on Sunday on the excellent surface of Glenavy’s pitch. Both teams will look back on a lack lustre performance throughout the year but only one team could book Division 1 status for next year and the men in green and white did that with a convincing display over their rivals. The scoreline suggests a facile victory for Glenravel but in reality with two minutes remaining in the first half they led by two points 1-07 to 1-05 having squandered a few goal scoring opportunities early on. But in those final minutes of the first half, Glenravel would add 1-02 to leave them ahead by seven points at the break. St Enda’s would go on to add three points only in the second half, all from placed balls off the boot of full forward Stephen O’Connor. That was never going to be enough as Glenravel ran rampant in the second half.
St Enda’s opened with a point from play from big midfielder Sean Murray from distance in the opening minute but that would prove to be the only time they were ahead in the game. Ryan McQuillan levelled before Cathal Hynds goaled with two minutes on the clock to put Con Magees ahead. Glenravel were totally dominant in the opening exchanges but squandered two great goal chances before Ryan McQuillan again settled the nerves and stretched their lead to four points. Cormac Morgan put over a couple of points for St Enda’s but Eamon Fyfe and Ryan McQuillan quickly cancelled those out . O’Connor got on the scoresheet once more to reduce the deficit but back came Glenravel through Hynds and Fyfe to leave Glenravel ahead 1-07 to 0-05 as we entered the final minutes of a pulsating first half. St Enda’s were experimenting with an aerial assault and this paid dividends when Niall McKeown deflected a speculative long range missile into the Glenravel net to leave two between the teams and the Glenravel contingent started to wonder about those early missed chances. But a brace of points from Ryan McQuillan separated by a goal from Sean McKay took the teams to half time with Glenravel perhaps slightly fortunate to lead by seven points 2-09 to 1-05. They wouldn’t have known it at the time but that scoreline would have been enough to secure ultimate victory for Con Magees, such was the lack lustre effort from their rivals in the second half.
Sean McKay stretched Glenravel’s lead with one minute of the second half played but then two pointed frees from Stephen O’Connor revived St Enda’s hopes. However with twenty minutes remaining Glenravel goaled twice within a minute to put the result beyond doubt. Sean McKay and Cormac McKeown’s goals put Con Magees ahead 4-10 to 1-07 and there really was no way back for the Hightown men at that stage. Both teams turned to their benches for fresh legs. For St Enda’s, goals were of the essence and but for two fabulous point blank saves from Glenravel keeper Johnny Fyfe who knows how the final quarter would have unfolded. Those saves seemed to put the final nail in St Enda’s coffin as they only recorded one more point from Stephen O’Connor to the end of the game. As they chased green flags, St Enda’s left a fairly porous defence behind which Glenravel happily picked off with points from Eamon Ward, Callum Higgins and Sean McKay to leave the comfortable victors on a 4-17 to 1-08 scoreline.
Neither team will look back on 2024 as a joyous year. Today’s game was more about survival than celebration. Glenravel ended their first year in Division 1 for a very long time with security of tenure for 2025. St Enda’s will plough their luck in Division 2 and Intermediate Championship campaign for 2025. But no doubt they will already be charting their path back to the top tier as soon as this disappointment settles. Both sets of players will no doubt already be enjoying the Autumn/Winter break as they read this report.
Finally a word of recognition for referee Mark O’Neill and his officials who marshalled the game very professionally throughout and to Glenavy who’s pitch was immaculate and their organisation was what you would expect from a great GAA Club. Well done to all involved.
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