ACFL Division 1
St Brigid’s 1 – 15 Roger Casements 0 – 18
On a warm evening and in perfect conditions championship aspirants St Brigid’s and Portglenone went toe to toe in a contest that ebbed and flowed, but ultimately ended up in the same place where it started, level.
Little separated the teams on the scoreboard in the opening quarter, a bright start from the visitors saw them ease in front with lofted efforts from Fergal O`Kane and Ronan Kelly, and while it took St Brigid’s nine minutes to open their account, they went on a ten minute spree which saw them score five in a row, courtesy of Sweeney (2) King and Carleton (two 45s) to take the lead.
County captain Dermot McAleese seized the initiative with a massive two pointer from well outside the zone, and when cousin Aidan chipped in with a couple more, it was game on.
A well contested end to the opening half saw Ronan Kelly bring his tally to three, but four quickfire points from the well drilled St Brigid’s, courtesy of Carelton, Campbell, Downey and Bradley saw St Brigid’s jog off with a three point advantage when Brendan Toland blew his short whistle to signal for the interval.
The second half saw two well matched teams going head to head in pursuit of a couple of league points and of course, sizing each other up for more significant events later in the season. With little quarter asked or received, Brendan Toland was kept busy, and his job was made easier at times when numerous frees were fast forwarded, deemed to be on the wrong side of the new rules.
Paul Bradley opened the scoring for the hosts to go four ahead, and that signalled a response when the visitors chipped in with a trio of their own to close the gap to the minimum. Ronan Boyle and Paul Bradley stretched it to three once more, before Dermot McAleese fired over yet another two point sky-launcher to reduce the margin once more.
With a quarter remaining both sides went chasing the two points on offer and when Oran Downey, Ronan Kelly and Oisin Doherty exchanged white flags at opposite ends it was fifteen apiece, with around seven minutes remaining.
The Musgrave Park men then found a way to breach the Portglenone defence when Oran Downey found a way to stab the ball home from a goalmouth scramble, a green flag was raised and once more it was advantage St Brigid’s, three clear with three minutes remaining.
Casements showed a bit of character to fashion two final scores, both expertly dispatched from distance from the accurate foot of Aidan McAleese, one orange flag and one white, to draw an absorbing contest after an hours honest and at time excellent football.
Dermot McAleese, cousin Aidan and neighbours Ronan Kelly and Oisin Doherty stood tall for the visitors on a night the Huncheon neighbours claimed all but one of the visitors scores. Oisin Doherty looks like he is enjoying a three quarter berth at present, with Daniel McNicholl and Conor McGhee showing well too.
Reuben Carleton continues to impress and his St Brigid’s colleagues Shay Campbell, Oran Downey, Ronan Boyle and Paul Campbell can be pleased with their displays, as can evergreen Big Jack Dowling who continues to claim plenty of vital possession from Declan Heery’s well-placed kick-outs.
St Brigids manager Ruairi O`Neill will sleep easily knowing his side are ticking over nicely as he awaits the return of a handful of leading contributors to the St Brigid’s cause, amongst them several of the Downey clan and and county regulars Patrick and Joseph Finnegan.
The Portglenone management team will have seen enough to know they are on the right track, as they ease some of their own players back to fitness after lengthy periods on the sideline and picked up a tough point at a venue that they have returned empty handed from on many occasions.
St Brigid’s; O Downey 1 – 03, R, Carleton 0 – 04, P Bradley 0 – 03, N Sweeney 0 – 02, S Campbell 0 – 01, R Boyle 0 – 01, P King 0 – 01.
Casements; A McAleese 0 – 07, D McAleese 0 – 04, R Kelly 0 – 04, O Doherty 0 – 02, F O`Kane 0 – 01.