IFC Final Dunsilly – Saturday 7.00pm
St. Ergnat’s v Sarsfields
The heavyweights in division 2, Patrick Sarsfields and St. Ergnat’s Moneyglass meet for the fourth time this season in the Intermediate Football Championship final at Dunsilly.
The sides finished first and second respectively in Division 2 of the football league with Sarsfield’s topping the division and the South West side finishing second.
St. Ergnat’s won ten, drew one and lost two of their league fixtures to finish second with Sarsfields edging a titanic struggle in Moneyglass and Glenavy their other conquerors.
The Stewartstown Road side went through their league campaign unbeaten, winning 12 of their 13 outings and drawing the other one. That draw significantly was against Saturday’s opponents, Moneyglass.
That draw came back on the 30th April at the Bear Pit with Benny Marron’s side coming off the pace to stage a great comeback with the game finishing 4-17 to 3-20.
As fortune would have it Sarsfields and Moneyglass were drawn again in Group 1 of the IFC and St. Ergnat’s gained some revenge for that league defeat by recording a 2-15 to 0-12 victory on home soil to go on and top the group.
Sarsfield’s recovered from that early reversal to join them in the play-offs with the ‘Paddies’ drawn against Group 2 winners, St. Joseph’s Glenavy and St. Ergnat’s facing last year’s beaten finalists, St. Teresa’s.
The meeting of Sarsfields and Glenavy at Kelly Park in Portglenone proved a real cliff hanger with the Chapel Hill side looking on their way to the final when they led by eight early in the second half.
A Gary Lennon goal for the ‘Paddies’ in the 16th minute following a mix-up in the St. Joseph’s defence changed all that and when the same player followed with a 2 pointer, a minute later it was game on.
The Stewartstown Road side outscored their opponents 0-6 to 0-3 going down the home stretch to set up Saturday’s meeting with Moneyglass with Dunsilly likely to be busting at the seams.
St. Ergnat’s had a much easier passage to the decider when they overcame St. Teresa’s in the other semi-final at the Bear Pit, running out 4-17 to 0-16 winners, thanks to an absolutely scintillating second half showing where their main men really came to the fore. Hat-trick hero, Aidan McErlain, was in sublime form amassing a tally of 3-05 over the hour.
The Glen Road men simply couldn’t cope with the pace and combinations of their opponents with the dynamic Tiernan McCormick, causing added problems up front.
Sarsfield’s will start Saturday’s final as slight favourites but this is unlikely to worry St. Ergnat’s who have coped remarkably with the loss of a number of last year’s side to emigration and have done a great rebuilding job.
The ‘Paddies’ will look to Michael Brady, Caolan McKernan, Se Ferris, Daniel Smyth, Philip McPeake, Brian Healey and the dynamic Gary Lennon to lead their challenge at Dunsilly this week-end but could again be without their mid-field powerhouse, Conor Moley who received a serious injury in that group 1 defeat to Moneyglass.
Aidan McErlain will hope to carry his semi-final form into Saturday’s final but, like Sarsfield’s, St. Ergnat’s have potential match winners all over the field and James and Tiernan McCormick, Paul Duffin, Conleth McCann, Kevin McCann, Seanaghan Duffin, Colm Duffin and Tyler Cassidy will lead their challenge Dunsilly.