Photo above – St Patrick’s goalkeeper Ruadham McKenna who hit three 2pointers inside five minutes to bring his team right back into the game
Antrim Football League – Division 2
Glenavy 0-16 St Patricks Lisburn 1-11
When St Patrick’s Lisburn turned around at half time seven points in arrears to their hosts Glenavy at Chapel Hill on Wednesday evening most of those in attendance must have thought this was going to be a drab old game with little incident. However all was to change in the second half as the Lisburn men got right back into the game, thanks mainly to three 2pointers by the visitors’ goalkeeper Ruadham McKenna that got his team right back into the game and though they ended two points short in the end, they certainly had the home fans worried for a while.
Two club legends, Joe O’Boyle of Glenavy and Mickey Lynch of Naomh Padraig Lisburn were at the game at Chapel Hill
Glenavy started strongly with three points from Fergal Henry, James Gallagher and Henry again in the 9th minute. Lisburn hadn’t raised a flag by the end of the opening quarter but when Josh McMullan grabbed a goal on 16 minutes they were back on terms. However that was to be their only score of the first half as the home side hit seven in a row, three from Fergal Henry frees, two by Jack Shannon and one each from James Gallagher and Pearse O’Neill to lead by 0-10 to 1-00 at half time.
Clubmates Josh McMullan and Che Smyth clashed heads during the game and play was suspended for quite a while, Josh was able to return to the action after getting patched up but Che had to leave the field and was taken to hospital. All of us with the two speedy recoveries
When Shannon added another at the start of the second half things looked bleak for the Lisburn men, but after Josh McMullan sent over a point, goalkeeper McKenna lifted the spirits with a great 2pointer in the 38th minute. A clash of heads between two Lisburn players held the game up for a good few minute but once it going McKenna did it again and two minutes after that he added a third to bring his team back to within a point. Two in a row from James Gallagher gave Glenavy a bit of breathing space but Lisburn kept in touch when Rudi Smyth sent over a point. Fergal Henry and Eoin Dixon exchanged point to cut the deficit to just two, but Shannon and Henry pushed the gap out to four by the 56th minute. Lisburn kept up the pressure and landed two more points in added time, but the home team held on to win in the end by two.
Fergal Henry who was top scorer for Glenavy
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With two rounds of the Antrim ACFL Division 1 remaining O’Donovan Rossa gave themselves a fighting chance of survival with an excellent win over All Saints at Rossa Park on Wednesday night.
The high flying Ballymena side travelled to Belfast placed second in the league and expected to add two more points to sustain their challenge for a place in the league semi-finals but were taking down to earth with a bang.
Both sides had their county players back on board for the first time this season and it was Rossa’s returning Dominic McEnhill who would make a significant impact on his side’s victory.
McEnhill formed a twin threat up front with the excellent Thomas Morgan and the All Saints defence quite simply couldn’t cope with that threat.
Corey Walsh turna away in celebration after scoring Rossa’s goal
Morgan for Rossa and Benny McDonnell for the visitors exchanged early point and Dominic McEnhill restored the Rossa lead before one of All Saints returning county men, Conor Stewart got on the end of a good move to fire past Michael Byrne for the game’s opening goal with 9 minutes gone.
That score should have settled Baker Bradley’s side but instead it was bottom placed Rossa who returned to the offensive with Gerard Walsh 2pts and Dominic McEnhill levelling matters by the 11th minute.
Rossa looked dangerous every time they came forward as they moved the ball with a confidence that belied their lowly league position and a smart interchange saw Thomas Morgan place Corey Walsh who palmed to an empty net at the end of the opening quarter.
Walsh’s goal gave the hosts a lead they would not lose despite Conor Stewart replying with 2 quick fire points at the other end and the same player replied to a Thomas Morgan point to leave it finally balanced.
Morgan and McEnhill struck a couple of excellent 2 pointers to move the home side five clear as their confidence began to grow and they were handed an opportunity to move further ahead when referee Colin Thompson spread his arms to indicate a penalty.
All Saints Ciaran Campbell holds onto the ball despite taking a heavy hit from Eoghan McMeneman
Up stepped Dominic McEnhill to take the penalty award buy Saints’ keeper, Ryan Stewart dived full stretch to his right to save the penalty.
Mick Byrne converted the resulting ‘65’ but All Saints finished the half well with Benny McDonnell and Connell Lemon pointing to leave four between the sides at the break but the visitors would have the breeze behind them in the second half.
It was Rossa who continued to look the more dangerous side as matters got under way again and Thomas Morgan and Rory Grant moved them six ahead by the 2nd minute before Sean McVeigh and Benny McDonnell closed the gap to four once more by the 6th minute.
There was a distinct lack of cohesion about the All Saints play as Kavan Keenan attempt to find the unmarked Sean McVeigh cannoned wide of the big full-forward with Morgan pointing at the other end after 11 minutes.
All Saints rang the changes with Michael McCarry and Darach Bradley entering the action but it was Rossa and that man Morgan who continued to dictate matters as he moved his side 7 clear with 13 minutes remaining.
Rossa made clever use of their possession as they began to slow matters down and the visitors were finding it increasingly difficult to get their hands on the ball.
They did manage a couple of late points from a Michael McCarry free and one from Connell Lemon from play but the final score of the game fell the way of an excellent Rossa as Corey Walsh bisected the uprights.
Thomas Morgan who was a constant threat to the All Saints defence
With two rounds of games left there are two battles going on within the division. Rossa gave themselves a fighting chance of survival as they move onto 6 points with Ahoghill and Tir na nOg and St. John’s on 7.
They face a difficult away trip to Dunloy on Saturday before finishing their programme with a home game against St. Brigid’s on Wednesday the 2nd July.
At the other end of the table another battle is going on for a top four spot that would guarantee a place in the league semi-finals.
All Saints looked in a strong position when they travelled to Belfast to meet Rossa, sitting second in the table behind Cargin and on course for a place in those semi-final but they will need at least one win from their two remaining games if that is now to be achieved.
The first of those comes at home to neighbours Glenravel in Ballymena on Saturday and they then face a difficult away trip to Aghagallon to conclude their league programme.
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Sarsfields put themselves in pole position to claim the ACFL Division 2 title when they travelled to Moneyglass on Wednesday night and recorded a three point victory over their challengers for the title, St. Ergnat’s.
Both sides were locked on 21 points going into this ‘winner takes all’ contest, the sides having shared the points earlier in the season at the Bear Pit before the league split and both a long way clear of third place St. Teresa’s.
A superb exhibition of free taking from Brian Healy would prove the difference between the sides in the end, the Sarsfield’s sharp shooter accounting for 1-9 of his side’s total on the evening. 0-6 from frees and his goal coming from the penalty spot.
Healy’s goal came in the second minute and points from Conor Moley 2pt, and Healy 0-2 had the visitors 1-4 ahead by the 6th minute as they started at blistering pace.
Sean Boyd opened the St. Ergnat’s account with a point in the 8th minute in exchange to another Sarsfields point from Conor Glenholmes and two pointed frees from Tyler Cassidy and another from play by Conor Boyd had it back to 4 by the 22nd minute.
Philip McPeake and a converted Healy pointed free in exchange to points from Aidan McErlain and Colum Duffin left Sarsfield’s leading by five at the break.
Aidan McErlain got St. Ergnat’s off to a great start when he found the net, two minutes into the second half but Sarsfields replied with point from Garry Lennon and another Brian Healy free to move four ahead again by the 8th minute.
A great 2 pointer from Colum Duffin cut the deficit to two once more and it was down to one when Conor Boyd split the posts for his second of the evening.
Just when it looked like the tide was turning Healy struck another brace of 2 pointers of the ground with Duffin replying with a similar effort for the team in blue in the 48th minute but that would be as close as they would get.
Both sides added 0-3 in the run in with a Healy 2 pointer and Lennon on target for Sarsfields and Colum Duffin (2pts) and Kevin McCann replying for St. Ergnat’s.
St. Ergnat’s are at home to St. Joseph’s Glenavy in their final game while Sarsfield’s entertain, Naomh Padraig Lisburn and, barring slip-ups the Division 2 title looks on its way to the Stewartstown Road.
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Casements welcomed county champions Erin’s Own to O’Kelly Park for a much anticipated re run of last year’s dramatic county final which on that occasion required overtime to separate the two teams. This time there was a bit less drama, Cargin doing what they do, coming from six points down with twenty minutes left, to find a way to win a game of football.
The pitch was in pristine condition and a large crowd was in attendance when referee Colin McDonald got the game underway. Cargin got out of the blocks a bit quicker, punishing Portglenone for several early contest lapses in front of goals in the opening minutes, Conan Johnston and Benen Kelly posting the minors.
Enda Lynn got the home support going with a superb point to get the Ports into the contest and followed up with an even more outrageous score a few minutes later. The fayre was full on and end to end, a fantastic fingertip save from Casements keeper Ryan ONeill from Conan Johnston preventing a certain Cargin goal. Either side of that Tomas McCann had raised both an orange and a white flag, to put Cargin up by three at the end of the first quarter.
Casements finally got their foothold in the game and in the space of a few minutes they had a goal and four, a fair reward for numerous spells of attractive and open football to edge ahead in the contest. Dermot Mc Aleese signalled his return to club duty with a trademark solo effort and it took two excellent points, one from Michael McCann and the other from his nephew Sean O’Neill to send the clubs in at the interval, Casements two points to the good.
Shooting into their favoured end, Casements started where they left off, opening up a six point gap thanks to an excellent point from Ronan Kelly and a superb solo goal from the imperious Enda Lynn who weaved and jinked his way through the Cargin defence to plant a pile driver past John McNabb in the Cargin goals.
The script was going nicely at this point for the hosts, and the more optimistic of their supporters may have been thinking that a rare league win over their South West rivals was just possibly on the cards.
That position was reinforced when a finger-tip save from a Cargin penalty dispatched by Michael McCann resulted in a white flag which Dermot McAleese returned at the other end almost immediately to maintain a six point gap in favour of the yellow and black.
Cargin never doubted themselves and in the space of a few minutes John McNabb dispatched two orange flags for a four point contribution, and Tomas Mcann tagged on another point to leave the minimum between the teams as the game entered the final quarter.
Then the game changed in the space of a minute. John Carron fielded highest and sent a delivery high into the Casements goal mouth. Daniel McNicholl rose highest and was bursting out with the ball when he believed he was fouled, waited on the accompanying whistle which didn’t come – the ball spilling to the on waiting Cargin predator David Johnston who made no mistake, drilling the ball into Casements net to put Cargin back in front.
The large crowd were getting more involved and with the contest full on, Casements put together their best move of the game. Niall Delargy and Dermot McAleese worked the ball the full length of the pitch, and found Casements sharpshooter Aidan Mc Aleese in a one on one opportunity, but on this occasion the normally reliable Aidan pulled his shot narrowly to the left and an inch wide of the post.
Casements came again though, and the superbly talented Enda Lynn narrowed the deficit once again to the minimum and the big question was could Casements find that crucial score. Try gallantly as they did though, and with the game entering its concluding stages, a well worked weave between McCann brothers Tomas and Michael set up Ben McLarnon for a score he will remember, finishing to the net past Ryan ONeill to give the visitors a clear advantage on the scoreboard.
Sean ONeill and Tomas McCann raised another two points in succession for the men in green, a late Sean Byrne point a consolation score for Casements right at the end.
Best on the night for the winners were McCann brothers Michael and Tomas, with John Carron, James Laverty and Gerard McCann also catching the eye. Sean ONeill also looked lively, his evenly matched dual with Niall Delargy a feature of the evening.
Portglenone have Enda Lynn to thank for keeping them in the contest, his individual scores from this particular game worthy of the entrance fee alone. Dermot McAleese, Niall Delargy, Ryan Convery and Kevin OKane all gave their lot to their teams cause.
Cargin were without the services of numerous anticipated championship starters, so Ronan Devlin will be relieved to get through this midsummer test, content that his men are nicely on schedule for the time of year.
Casements will finish the league more or less in a similar position to last year, and in due course will switch focus to their main seasonal objective, but while manager John McKeever will take some positives from his team’s performance, he will still be hoping to get more from first phase possession around the middle and see an improvement in breaking ball statistics.
For long periods of time there was little to separate these teams from open play, Cargin just that bit more clinical in front of goals, of course also possessing that crucial knack of finding a way to win. That’s why they remain the team to beat in Antrim football.
Scorers.
Casements; Enda Lynn 1 – 03, Ronan Kelly 1 – 01, Paddy Kellyb 0 – 02, Dermot McAleese 0 – 02, Michael Hagan 0 – 01, Sean Byrne 0 – 01.
Cargin; Tomas McCann 0 – 05, John McNabb 0 – 04, David Johnston 1 – 00, Ben McLarnon 1 – 00, Michael McCann 0 – 02, Sean ONeill 0 – 01, Benen Kelly 0 – 01, Conan Johnston 0 – 01,
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St Brigid’s made the short journey to Milltown on Wednesday evening and came away with both points after an impressive win over St Gall’s. The Musgrave Park side, with their county players back on board were on top form as they secured two more league points to all but assure a place in the league semi-finals in a couple of weeks’ time.
Early points by John Morgan, Paul Bradley, Enda Downey and Shea Downey had them four clear after seven minutes, and while St Gall’s did have a couple of good scoring chances themselves, they just failed to deliver the finish. However the home side eventually got going when goalkeeper Kevin Niblock sent midfielder Gerard O’Neill through for their opening point on eleven minutes and two minutes later they were back to within two when corner forward Daniel Quinn sent over a free.
The visitors were starting to dominate however and they hit the next four points without reply as Dara Quinn, J Higgins, Patrick Finnegan and the excellent Paul Bradley found the target, but the home side stayed in touch when right half back Liam Lynn sent over for St Gall’s. Ronan Boyle came back with a point for St Brigid’s before a controversial incident when St Gall’s Brendan Bradley appeared to be fouled while closing down on goal. Most people in the crowd thought match referee Kevin Parke had signalled a penalty but in fact the St Enda’s man was indicating a wide. Daniel Quinn and Brendan Bradley did manage two scores before the break but Peter King sent one over at the other end and there was only five between the sides at the break.
When Paul Bradley got three in a row for the visitors early in the second half it looked like St Gall’s were in trouble, but they bounced back with a well taken goal by Colm Walsh, and when the same player added a point there was just four between the sides again. St Brigid’s Ronan Boyle and St Gall’s Daniel Quinn exchanged points to keep the gap at four, but the Musgrave Park men were dominating possession and after JJ Higgins added a point, second half substitute Rian Tweedy got through to fire home the game clinching goal.
Substitute Matthew Downey added a point soon afterwards and Bradley hit his sixth of the game but St Gall’s kept battling and Daniel Quinn pointed before finishing with a 2pointer, though by this stage the destiny of the points had already been decided.
ST GALL’S: K Niblock, C McGirr, T Keenan, J McCaffrey, R Wilson, C McCabe, A Gallagher, L Lynn, G O’Neill, M Murray, B Bradley, D Wilson, C Walsh, C Doherty, D Quinn.
ST BRIGID’S: D Heery, J Toner, O Downey, S Doyle, S Downey, J Morgan, R Carleton, P Finnegan, J Finnegan, R Boyle, D Quinn, P King, P Bradley, E Downey, JJ Higgins
