Creggan’s late-late show leaves St Gall’s stunned

Senior Football Championship – Round 3 at Dunsilly

Creggan 0-16 St Gall’s 1-11

It was one of those things that had to be seen to be believed. With 57 minutes on the clock St Gall’s led Creggan by 1-11 to 0-08 after putting on a dominant display. Some of the Creggan fans were heading down the under the railway tunnel at Dunsilly, and a few of the St Gall’s followers were also slipping away to beat the traffic, their thoughts no doubt turned towards their team’s meeting with Rossa in the quarter final. St Gall’s appeared to have it all wrapped up and the size of the winning margin was the only thing in question when suddenly they ground to an absolute halt. In fairness they had had lost a man to a black card three minutes earlier and they had emptied their bench to give their subs a run out.

Then it was if the whole St Gall’s team had gone home and Creggan were left to play the game on their own. Jamie McCann started the fightback with a pointed free on 57 minutes and he added a second a minute later. Most people probably felt it was token resistance, but when substitute Joe McAteer added a 2pointer the feeling changed dramatically. Joe then set up Conor Small for another 2pointer and the centre forward added another soon afterwards to bring his side level.

Substitute Conor Johnston put the Loughshore men ahead four minutes into injury time when he cut in from the right and fisted over before super-sub Joe McAteer added the last one to seal a two point win.

For most of the game St Gall’s were the dominant team. Creggan appeared to be content to keep the score down playing against the breeze. They led in the early stages when Conor Small and Jamie McCann replied to a Niall Burns free to lead 0-02 to 0-01 in the 11^th minute. However they only scored one more point in the 19 minutes plus injury time as St Gall’s took over, their good run started with a Brendan Bradly goal in the 16^th. Niall Burns, who was superb all day, and definitely didn’t deserve to be on the losing team, five points from frees and corner forward Conn Doherty hit one from play to go in at the break with a 1-06 to 0-03 advantage.

Most pundits felt that Creggan would soon reel their opponents in when they turned to play with the strengthening breeze at their backs, and even though Burns increased the lead to seven early in the new half, points from Jamie McCann and Conor Small hit back soon afterwards to cut the deficit to five. However three quick points in a row from Callum Welsh, Conn Doherty and Niall Burns pushed the gap out to eight. An exchange of points between Creggan’s Matthew Rodgers and St Gall’s Niall Burns strengthened the belief that St Gall’s were home and hosed, and when they were still six to the good with just two minutes of normal time left to play a quarter final meeting with Rossa seemed certain.

What followed will be talked about for long and many a day. What triggered the Creggan revival is hard to asses, maybe it was the St Gall’s black card, or maybe St Gall’s had just taken their foot off the pedal, thinking it was all over. Whatever it was Creggan somehow found a spark and three great catches during that run-in from the hitherto invisible Ruairi McCann were a perfect example, and the strong running and score taking of substitute Joe McAteer. Whatever it was it worked and St Gall’s were left to rue a chance wasted. However the men from the Bog Meadows are still alive and kicking and that late lesson could still work to their advantage in the coming weeks.