Senior Football Championship – Round 3 – At Erin’s Own Cargin

Glenravel 4-06  Rossa 1-17

Results from previous games in Group 2 had rendered this a winner takes all scenario where the victors remained in the Senior Football Championship and the vanquished bid farewell to the 2025 season. So all to play for in Toome but a combination of squally showers and the remnants of ex hurricane Erin made this a game where the team who minimised mistakes would prevail. Given recent results Rossa would enter the fray as favourites despite being beaten earlier in the league by the same opposition. However that game would have been played without County level talent meaning Rossa would have been without the imaginative prowess of Mick Byrne in goals, the aerial dominance of Gerard Walsh  lár na páirce  and the silky skills of Domenic McEnhill upfront, all of whom contributed significantly to the Belfast side’s win today. The game ebbed and flowed with either team enjoying leading position on the scoreboard over the hour but when referee Mark O’Neill called time on proceedings it was the Belfast men who led and now head into the knock out stages.

Playing with ex hurricane Erin assistance, which blew straight down the Cargin pitch into Trea Gardens in the first half, Glenravel would have been hoping to amass a good lead in the opening thirty minutes but their opponents took an early three point lead with points from Gerard Walsh and a 2-pointer from leading scorer, goalkeeper Mick Byrne. In the opening exchanges Glenravel struggled to get their hands on the ball until a rare attack resulted in a penalty which Eamon Fyfe blasted home to level the game. Both teams were really challenged to string together coherent passing as the football seemed more like a bar of soap with the men in green and white relinquishing possession unnecessarily in a game where possession was king. The game of cat and mouse inched inexorably towards half time with a couple of two pointers each coming from Ryan McQuillan and Domenic McEnhill  to level things at 1-02 to 0-05 as we entered the final minutes of the first half. In the final play of the half, Glenravel’s Eamon Ward rounded the imperious Rossa defence and when faced one-on-one with County keeper Byrne, the young Glenravel forward found the top corner of the net in what was be the best move of the game. On the kickout Mark O’Neill blew the half time whistle with Glenravel three points to the good on a 2-02 to 0-05 score line. But as Erin clenched her teeth – would that be a big enough lead?

Glenravel started the second half without talisman Ryan McQuillan through injury making their challenge all the greater. The rain drenched spectators might have been expecting a full throttle push from Rossa with a gale force wind to their backs but that thought was put on ice as Glenravel’s Shea O’Broin darted through the blue and yellow defence to goal after three minutes. At this stage Glenravel were starting to dominate across the pitch but a couple of points each from Eoghan McMenamin and Domenic McEnhill with responses from Sean McKay and Niall Swann. With a quarter of the game remaining, Glenravel led by four points and that lead stretched to seven when they goaled for the fourth time. As the ball was played in from a Glenravel attack, there were at least eight bodies in the locale, ten if you include umpires, and as a game of pinball emerged the size five football ended up in the net. After in depth consultation with his umpires, referee Mark O’Neill instructed them to raise a green flag. In post match conversations that goal was attributed to Sean McKay!! So now the underdogs led by seven on a scoreline of 4-04 to 0-09 and only fifteen minutes remaining. At this stage Glenravel looked to be in a good position and managed to hold possession well inviting their opponents to come and get it. They had a few chances to put the game to bed at this stage but their opponents had other ideas. Their inside forward line started to make hay from some wayward kickouts and that resulted in a Tommy Morgan goal giving hope to what looked like a defeated Rossa team. Suddenly a seven point gap was only four and the Belfast men smelt blood. Morgan would follow with a point followed by a Domenic McEnhill point before a 2-pointer from Morgan levelled the game as we entered added time. Rossa star Domenic McEnhill nudged his team ahead for the first time since the twenty sixth minute of the game but that was cancelled out by Glenravel’s Cathal Hynds making a welcome return after a long lay off. Deep into added time and STILL all to play for in this fascinating affair. Morgan (2-pointer) and McEnhill would stretch Rossa’s lead to three and a final last gap attempt by Glenravel’s Callum Higgins sailed over rather than under the bar to leave the final gap of two points in favour of the Belfast men.

This was a pulsating game played in the most difficult circumstances. Officially we are still in Summer but this game felt a lot more like early Winter so congratulations to both teams for serving up such an exciting game in the circumstances. Rossa will be glad to be still in the competition and Glenravel, given their ups and downs across the season will be glad to be still ploughing a furrow at the top table of Antrim football in 2026.

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