Northern Switchgear Senior Football Championship
Group One
Round One
Dunloy 2-30 St John’s 1-11
Brendan McTaggart reports from Pearse Park, Dunloy
Dunloy laid down a statement of intent on Sunday afternoon as they swatted aside the challenge of St John’s in the opening round of the Antrim Senior Football Championship. 22 points was the difference at the end of an hour that saw the home side hit nine two-point scores from five different players and have nine scorers overall.
A look further at the Cuchullains stats will show they hit an eye watering 1-17 in 20 minutes after the half time break that the Johnnies simply had no answer to.
Keelan Molloy top scored with all of his 1-7 coming from play while Tom McFerran and Karl Fitzpatrick shared 14 points equally – Fitzpatrick’s kicking from placed ball outside the ‘Big D’ exemplary on the three occasions the opportunity presented itself.
Their organisation and ability to mix their attacks from deep kept St John’s guessing with Deaglan Smith and Eoin McFerran influential throughout.
Patrick McBride top scored for the Corrigan Park men with four of his six points coming from open play – one two-point score also. Conal Quinn would score their major midway through the second half but it acted as merely a footnote to a second half dominated by the attacking ingenuity of the Cuchullains.
Fitzpatrick opened the scoring with the first attack of the game as the sides sized each other up in the opening exchanges. With the Johnnies playing with whatever wind was blowing at their back, McBride split the uprights to raise the first orange flag of the game to give his side the lead.
That would be their last score for close to 15 minutes as Dunloy played with a mix of patients and precision. Scores from Molloy and Smith (two frees) left three between the sides while Eoghan Rua Lambert was at full length to deny Seaan Elliott a certain goal in the same period of time.
St John’s began to win the middle third and exert some pressure on the Dunloy defence with McBride (two) and Conal McGlade splitting the uprights while a Fitzpatrick two pointed free at the other end of the pitch was the Cuchullains response.
The home side reeled off points from Tom and Luke McFerran and Molloy (two) with a fine effort from Conor McEvoy the only response from the Johnnies. The home side had a couple of goal chances late in the half with Fitzpatrick going close and Lambert denying Molloy but the visitors to Pearse Park had the final say with McGlade splitting the uprights with a ’45 in what was the last kick of the half to leave the half time score 0-10 to 0-7 in Dunloy’s favour.
Dunloy were worthy of their three point lead at half time and with St John’s finding joy in the middle third, it was set up for a tense second half. What transpired couldn’t be further from that, however. By the time McBride spooned an effort over the bar in the 43rd minute, Dunloy had reeled off 1-11 in a period of play that saw Molloy (2), Tom McFerran (2), Fitzpatrick and Smith all fire over two pointers.
The opening goal of the game came in that opening quarter of the second half and while it was Molloy who applied the finish, it was Seaan Elliott’s vision that created the chance. Opening the Johnnies defence with a single handpass, spotting the run of Molloy on the angle and the dual star made no mistake with a precise left footed finish.
The Johnnies major came after McBride’s point in the 43rd minute. Capitalising on a rare Dunloy defensive mistake, Ronan Quinn bore down on goal and passed to Conal Quinn who made no mistake by palming the ball to the back of the net to leave the score 1-21 to 1-8 with a quarter of the game remaining.
While both sides looked to their bench in the final quarter, the Cuchullains remained relentless. Further two pointed scores from Fitzpatrick (free) and Tom McFerran were added to by Seaan Elliott in the space of three minutes.
Odhran Quinn and McBride (free) fired over either side of further scores from Tom and Eoin McFerran (two pointer) as the clock ticked into the final five minutes.
Conor Ferris split the uprights in a rare foray into the St John’s half before substitute Barry McCloskey scored Dunloy’s second major. Reece Cunning leading a counterattack and laying the ball into McCloskey path. Fully 25 yards from goal, McCloskey hit a thunderous drive to the top corner to give Lambert no chance between the sticks.
St John’s had the final say when substitute Conor Adams split the posts in injury time but it acted as scant consolation for the Corrigan Park side.
Both teams now turn their attentions to the small ball next weekend with Dunloy entertaining Ballycastle and St John’s travelling to Naomh Éanna.
TEAMS
DUNLOY: Chrissy McMahon; Reece Cunning, Aaron Crawford, James Scally; Aodhan McGarry, Conor Kinsella, Ryan McGarry; Eoin McFerran, Deaglan Smith; Nigel Elliott, T McFerran, Seaan Elliott; Luke McFerran, Keelan Molloy, Karl Fitzpatrick
Subs: Jack Martin for N Elliott (48), Kevin McQuillan for K Molloy (52), Barry McCloskey for S Elliott (54), Ryan McFarline for E McFerran (58), Paudie McGilligan for D Smith (58)
Scorers: K Molloy 1-7 (2xTP); T McFerran 0-7 (2xTP); K Fitzpatrick 0-7 (3xTPF); D Smith 0-4 (2fs, 2xTP); B McCloskey 1-00; E McFerran 0-2 (1xTP); C Kinsella 0-1; S Elliott 0-1; L McFerran 0-1
ST JOHN’S: Eoghan Rua Lambert; Conor McEvoy, Jack Bohill, Oisin Jackson; Odhran McAuley, Adrian Oliver, Sean Wilson; Padraig Nugent, Enda McGurk; Conal McGlade, Patrick McBride, Ronan Quinn; Conal Quinn, Ryan McNulty, Odhran Quinn
Subs: Ronan Donnelly for O McAuley (40), Conor Adams (0-1) for A Oliver (42), Aaron Bradley for C McGlade (47), Andy McGowan for P Nugent (54)
Scorers: P McBride 0-6 (2f, 1xTP); C Quinn 1-00; C McGlade 0-2 (1xTP); C McEvoy 0-1; O Quinn 0-1; C Adams 0-1
REFEREE: Patrick Tumelty (Lámh Dhearg)
