Northern Switchgear Antrim Senior Football Championship, Group 2 

Rossa 0-12-2-14 Portglenone 

Kevin Herron reports from Pairc Rossa 

TWO second half goals were enough to see Portglenone seize the initiative in Group 2 of the Northern Switchgear Antrim Senior Football Championship as they defeated Rossa 2-14-0-12 at Paric Rossa on Saturday evening. 

Sean Byrne hammered home early in the second half and Michael Hagan slotted home a second late on to see his side run out winners and as they look on course to top the group come the conclusion in two weeks time. 

It was Portglenone who started brightly with back-to-back scores within the first two minutes. Oisin Doherty swung a high shot over from Ryan O’Neill’s lay off and then Niall Delargy kicked a second point. 

Stephen Beatty replied at the other end after playing a neat one-two, though Doherty restored his side’s two-point lead after taking possession from Niall Delargy. 

A quick tap and go from a free allowed Diarmaid Rogan to hit back and after almost 10-minutes without a score, Rossa nudged ahead through a Gerard Walsh two-pointer from the edge of the arc that made it 0-4-0-3. 

Parity was restored when Dermot McAleese’ dipping shot dropped over but Daire Murphy hit back at the other after collecting an inside pass from Niall Crossan. 

The visitors should have found the net after 20-minutes however Mick Byrne blocked Michael Hagan’s effort with his foot. 

An angled Dominic McEnhill point doubled his side’s advantage for a brief period until Hagan opened his account for the evening. 

The Bannsiders hit the front again through a two-pointer Paddy Kelly free and Sean Byrne followed up with a score from play to open up a 0-8-0-6 lead. 

Rogan doubled his tally at the other end, but the hosts trailed by two at the midway point as Aidan McAleese popped over on the stroke of half time. 

Dominic McEnhill halved the deficit with a converted free in the early stages of the second half, but Portgleone stole a march when Sean Byrne hit a bullet of a strike into the roof of the net past namesake Mick to make it 1-9-0-8. 

A close range Mick Byrne free closed the gap on the 40th minute and the hosts almost pulled level when Stephen Beatty’s shot was blocked and fell to the path of Daire Murphy, he knocked the ball across to Diarmaid Rogan and his palmed effort goalwards was somehow scrambled off the line by Daniel McNicholl. 

The hosts went close to finding the net again through a stinging strike from half time substitute Thomas Morgan which clipped off the bar and over for a point. 

Paddy Kelly replied instantly at the other to maintain his sides goal advantage, but they survived a further let off when referee Brendan Toland allowed an advantage and a wicked McEnhill shot crashed off the underside of the bar, Byrne was unable to convert the resulting free. 

They did reduce arrears to the bare minimum when Gerard Walsh kicked a 2pointer free from the edge of the arc. 

Kelly kicked a high shot between the posts for his third of the evening and after Ryan Convery galloped forward a few minutes later, Aidan McAleese swept over to restore the goal lead. 

The game was drifting away from Rossa when Paddy Kelly swivelled and shot over his third point in the space of 10-minutes and it was game, set and match a minute shy of the hour mark. 

Mick Byrne’s kick out failed to take elevation and was charged down by Niall Delargy, a series of passes later and the ball was slipped into the path of Michael Hagan to thump home and make it 2-13-0-12. 

The Bannsiders successfully saw out the closing stages with a further score courtesy of Dermot McAleese finishing the job for the Ports who have secured a place in the last eight and should top the group if they avoid defeat against Aldergrove in two weeks time. 

ROSSA: M Byrne (0-1f), C Orchin, G McGrath, F McDonnell, T Murphy, N Crossan, R Gowdy, G Walsh (0-4, 1×0-2pt, 1×0-2ptf), S Beatty (0-1), R Grant, C McDonald. D Rogan (0-2), D Murphy (0-1), D McEnhill (0-2, 0-1f), E Fleming. 

SUBS: T Morgan (0-1) for E Fleming (HT), E McMenamin for R Grant (HT), A Devlin for C McDonald (39), C Walsh for R Gowdy (53), O McVicker for D Murphy (57). 

PORTGLENONE: K Mullan, R Delargy, K O’Kane, R Convery, C McGhee, J Convery, D McNicholl, P Kelly (0-5, 1×0-2ptf), D McAleese (0-3), N Delargy, O Doherty (0-2), P Graffin, S Byrne (1-1), M Hagan (1-1), A McAleese (0-2). 

SUBS: R McKeever for P Graffin (45), C McAleese for S Byrne (54), N McKeever for R Convery (59), S Kelly for P Kelly (60+2), F O’Kane for M Hagan (60+4). 
REFEREE: Brendan Toland (LÁMH DHEARG)

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