Graham Tarmac Antrim Junior Football Championship, Quarter Final
Eire Og 0-12-0-10 O’Donnell’s
Kevin Herron reports from Woodlands
Pics by Bert Trowlen
Eire Og saw off the challenge of West Belfast rivals O’Donnells and advanced to the semi-final of the Graham Tarmac Antrim Junior Football Championship with a 0-12-0-10 at Woodlands on Friday evening.
The hosts had two scores on the board within the first two minutes, Lorcan McIlroy converted a free within the opening minute after he was bottled up in his attempt to land a score from play, then after a combination involving all the full forward line Kevin Clarke kicked a point.
It took almost 10-minutes for O’Donnell’s to reply, but it was a levelling score. Ciaran McKissock kept an Eire Og kick out in play and switched the ball to Darragh Walsh, he in turn popped the ball to Cailean Walsh to swing over from the edge of the arc.
Midway through the first half McIlroy doubled his account for the evening from play and Stephen Erskine then dropped over a further score to restore their sides two-point lead.
Scores were traded between Conor Walsh and Conor McKenna- though O’Donnell’s restored parity for the second time as Darragh Walsh flashed a shot over and then McKissock picked out Fionnbar McKernan to pop over on the turn and make it 0-5 apiece.
Eire Og would hold a slender lead at the interval through a converted McIlroy free, but in dying embers of the half O’Donnell’s were reduced to 14-men when Cailean Walsh was red carded for an off the ball incident and the Whiterock men would have to try their best to readjust things at the break.
Despite being a man light, O’Ds levelled things up for the third time early in the second half with Fionnbar McKernan converting a close range free.
It was from the same scenario that Eire Og nudged themselves back in front, Conor McKenna sent an angled free between the posts, Connall Smyth shot over 60-seconds later to double their advantage and McKenna kicked a further free to move their side 0-9-0-6 ahead.
Stephen Seawright looked to have eaten into the three-point deficit when his two-pointed effort was sailing over, though Jamie King got a hand to it and to half the score’s worth.
Substitute Padraig McKissock narrowed the margins further with a straight forward converted free midway through the second half.
The hosts looked to have kicked on in the aftermath when substitute Dermot Burns sent an angled shot over with almost his first involvement.
Talisman Lorcan McIlroy then added a further score to his personal tally following a long passing sequence until the opportunity presented itself and it did come through Conor McKenna’s pierced pass into his path.
McIlroy looked to have added an insurance point a minute shy of the hour mark, but O’Donnell’s didn’t go away quietly and two minutes into added time Padraig McKissock halved arrears with a two-pointed free.
There was enough time for O’Ds to claim a further two-pointer that would have forced extra time, but Eire Og saw the game out to advance to the last four and a meeting with Division 3 champions St Agnes’.
EIRE OG: J King, C Rice, E Sheehy, J Devlin, R Donnelly, C McKenna (0-3, 0-2f), K McKenna, P McNelis, C Erskine, G Donnelly, M Graham, S Erskine (0-1), C Smyth (0-1), K Clarke (0-1), L McIlroy (0-5, 0-2f). SUBS: D Burns (0-1) for S Erskine (45), B O’Malley for C McKenna (60), J Connell for G Donnelly (60+3).
O’DONNELLS: C Murphy, M Sloan, S Smiley, J McKenna, K Kennedy, S Seawright (0-1), G McKernan, C Carville, J Wilson, P Rice, D Walsh (0-1), C McKissock, Cailean Walsh (1×0-2pt), Conor Walsh (0-1), F McKenna (0-2, 0-1f). SUBS: P Moore for D Walsh (37), P McKissock (0-3, 1f, 1×0-2ptf) for P Rice (41), Connor Walsh for Conor Walsh (50), J Rafferty for C Carville (58).
REFEREE: Martin Quinn (NAOMH ÉANNA)
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