JFC Group Group 1
St. Malachy’s 2-9 O’Donnell’s 2-9
St. Malachy’s and O’Donnell’s couldn’t be separated after 60 plus minutes of high intensity championship football at Cherryvale on Sunday. In a game where fortunes swung one way then another a draw was probably the right result in the end.
It was St. Malachy’s who struck first at Cherryvale with Anton McGreevey and Pearse Quinn firing them into an early two-point lead. O’Donnell’s took a time to settle but a Fionnbar McKernan free and a point from play by Ciaran McKissock had it all square with 14 minutes gone.
John Paul Lagan pointed at the other end immediately to restore the St. Malachy’s lead but O’Donnell’s were starting to get on top and Barra Corr finished to the Mal’s net in the 16th minute to give them the lead for the first time.
This game was now being played with a lot of intensity as Ciaran Vernon and Fionnbar McKernan exchanged further points and that’s the way it continued to the break.
Daniel Quinn for St. Malachys and McKernan with another O’Donnell’s converted free kept the scoreboard ticking with the final score of the half falling the way of O’D’s Daniel Walsh whose point moved his side 1-5 to 0-5 ahead at the break.
The MacRory Park side looked to be taking control in the early stages of the second half as Nathan O’Neill pointed after 30 seconds and another sweetly struck free by Fionnbar McKernan moved them five ahead with five minutes of the new half gone.
Stephen Seawright added another as the O’Donnell’s early domination continued and when Fionnbar McKernan was on hand to return the ball to the net following a great save from Thomas Rice they looked to be in total control.
The men from the Markets are made of stern stuff however and they replied with their first score of the half in the 15th minute, a Pearse Quinn point and when Michael Hegney followed almost immediately with a goal it was game-on again.
O’Donnell’s then lost a man to a straight Red card but St. Malachy’s had still a lot of work to do as they trailed by five but a John Paul Lagan goal in the 22nd minute and a point from James McGivern put them right back into contention with 7 minutes remaining.
Fionnbar McKernan looked to have secured the win for the MacRory park side when he pointed a 26th minute free but the momentum was now with St. Malachy’s and their outstanding player Pearse D Quinn hit two late points to earn them a share of the spoils.
Both sides have difficult away assignments in their next game in Group 1 on Sunday 17th August with St. Malachy’s travelling to league winners, St. Agnes while O’Donnell face Ardoyne at Fennell Park.
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