Tailteann Cup Group Three
Antrim 1-22 London 1-14
Antrim overcame a strong challenge from London in Pairc Esler on Sunday to book a place in the knockout stages of the Tailteann Cup where they will face Wexford in Wexford Park next weekend.
They would have to wait on results from the other third round games being played today and when the news came through that Leitrim had defeated Tipperary it was the result that Antrim needed to keep their Tailteaan hopes alive.
The Saffrons started nervously against a London team that had ran them tight in last year’s competition and who obviously fancied their chances of claiming a major scalp.
It was a tight enough encounter for three quarters of the game, but a black card for London’s Matt Moynahan was a prelude to a run of 1-4 without reply as Antrim pushed on to win by eight in the end.
Antrim trailed by four at half time, but given the severity of the conditions, it didn’t seem an unsurmountable lead and that proved to be the case as the Saffrons struck two early 2 pointers in the opening minutes of the second half to draw level.
It was a day where both teams were not just seeking victory, but by as much as possible with scoring difference in play, yet with a strong wind that seemed to favour The Exiles, but swirled throughout, scoring remained difficult.
Antrim did get off the mark with Ryan McQuillan kicking points off either foot and the Glenravel man would play a big part in his sides success, but London grew into it as Daniel Clarke pointed and might have had a goal but Mick Byrne pulled off a fine blocking save to deny Ciaran Diver with the ball rebounding to Joshua Obahor to level.
Diver edged his side into the lead before Conal Gallagher slung over the first two-pointer of the game, while Byrne was again called into action to save from Ruairi Rafferty with the subsequent ‘45’ struck sweetly between the uprights by Sean Taylor.
McQuillan replied but Liam Gallagher sent over another two for London who were now five up before Antrim began to make some inroads with points from Conor Stewart and Paddy McBride.
Diver and Shay Rafter restored the Exiles 5 point advantage but after Stewart pulled one back, Antrim had an opportunity for a goal but Ryan Murray was denied from close range with the Lamh Dhearg man’s appeal for a penalty waved aside.
Instead referee Seamus Mulhare blew for half time and it was clear that Antrim had work to do as they headed to the dressing rooms trailing by four points.
The Saffrons were level within minutes of the restart with McBride and Dominic McEnhill landing two-pointers with the wind at their backs.
It remained tight with a Conor Hand 2pts briefly giving Antrim the lead for the first time before Obahor levelled it again.
The sides remained level going into the final quarter when Antrim struck for home as points from Adam Loughran and Ryan Murray were followed by an excellent sweetly struck Byrne ‘45’, which came after McEnhill’s 56th-minute penalty was saved by Andrew Walsh.
Matt Moynahan was sin-binned as the result of events leading up to the penalty and by the time he returned, Antrim had taken control to go nine clear with substitute Niall Burns finding the net despite the best efforts of Sean Taylor. Burns followed immediately with a point to announce his arrival in style and it looked well and truly sewn up at this stage.
The visitors continued to fight however and Shay Rafter fired through a crowded goalmouth from a free in added time, with management and spectators anxiously looking for the Limerick v Tipperary result, but late points from Marc Jordan and Dominic McEnhill were enough to see Antrim home and into the knockout phase.
Antrim: M Byrne (0-1, 1×45); E McCabe, E Walsh, K Keenan; J McAuley, D McAleese, M Jordan (0-1); C Hand (0-2, 1x2p), C Stewart (0-2); R Boyle, A Loughran (0-1), P McBride (0-3, 1x2p); R McQuillan (0-4), R Murray (0-1), D McEnhill (0-6, 2x2p, 2f).
Subs: N Burns (1-1) for A Loughran (52), J Morgan for J McAuley (70+1), J McDonnell for R Boyle (70+1)
London: A Walsh; D Rooney, S Taylor (0-1, 1×45), M Moynahan; E Walsh, C Gallagher (0-2, 1x2p), K Healy; T Barry, L Gallagher (0-2, 1x2p); J Obahor (0-2), D Clarke (0-1), C Diver (0-3); R Rafferty, N McElwaine, S Rafter (12, 1-1f).
Subs: Subs: C McCarrick (0-1) for N McElwaine (25), C O’Donoghue for D Clarke (58), M Carroll for R Rafferty (61), C McKelvey for C Gallagher (63), O Hilley for K Healy (68)
Referee: Seamus Mulhare (Laois)
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