Antrim Football League – Division 1
All Saints 3-12 St Brigid’s 2-14
An injury time goal by All Saints veteran Sean McVeigh earned the Ballymena club victory over St Brigid’s in Saturday evening’s Division 1 league game at Quinn Park. The visitors appeared to have it won when they led by three as the game went into extra time but All Saints kept battling to the last and they were thrown a lifeline when McVeigh sent over a point from out on the wing, a ball that bounced in front of the St Brigid’s keeper and went over the crossbar. Even that appeared to be too little too late, but with time almost up one of the Ballymena players sent in a ‘Hail Mary’ of a shot from distance and McVeigh somehow got a touch to it and deflected past the visitors goalkeeper and into the back of the net to put his team a point clear. That was not the end of it for St Bridid’s had a chance to draw the game thirty seconds later, but two different players turned down chances of fisting the ball over the bar at the other end and the men in black held on to take the points, which keeps them in the title race, just four points behind league leaders Cargin.
With the wind and driving rain at the backs St Brigid’s dominated the opening ten minutes and led by 1-04 to 0-01, the points coming from Conor McNicholl, Dara Quinn, Cathal Conway and Reuben Carleton, with the goal coming from full forward McNicholl. As the rain eased a little All Saints began to get back into the game and their brilliant centre forward Paddy McAleer set about dragging his team back into the game. Three points in a row in the 12th, 16th and 18th minutes from the former county star closed the gap to three, and though the south Belfast side hit back with points from McNicholl and Bradley, McAleer came back with a great goal, which lifted the home team. McAleer added a point to cut the gap to a single point before setting up his evergreen team-mate Sean McVeigh for his team’s second goal in four minutes.
Trailing by two points at the break the visitors started the second half well and a Conan McNicholl point cut the gap to a single point before substitute JJ Higgins fired home his team’s second goal to put them two clear. Two more McAleer points brought the home team back on terms but St Brigid’s were getting on top and points from McNicholl, Bradley and Higgins pushed them two clear with ten minutes left to play.
A wonderful 2-pointer by All Saints corner back Cal O’Brien brought hit team level with eight minutes left to play, but St Brigid’s appeared to have it won when they hit the next three scores through Bradley, McNicholl and Doyle, but they tried to run the clock down and paid the price when McVeigh delivered the sucker punch.
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