Antrim Football League – Division 2
St Agnes 1-06 Glenavy 2-13
Report and pics by Bert Trowlen
Newly promoted St Agnes welcomed Glenavy to Woodlands for a highly anticipated Antrim Football League Division 2 clash. Despite a spirited and promising display from the home side, it was Glenavy who demonstrated superior control throughout the game, proving to be the dominant force on the day and running out deserving 2-13 to 1-06 winners. Glenavy set out their stall early, applying pressure and dictating the pace. Young forward Finn Shannon opened the scoring for the visitors with a well-taken free early in the match. The turning point of the first half came in the seventh minute when Glenavy’s Michael Morgan found the back of the net to give his side a crucial early cushion. The Aggies battled hard to establish a foothold, but Glenavy’s defense held firm, and Shannon continued his fine form by tapping over another free shortly after to extend the visitors’ lead heading into the break.
The second half saw an uptick in intensity, but Glenavy struck a heavy blow right out of the gates. Seven minutes after the restart, Shannon fired past the St Agnes keeper to grab Glenavy’s second goal of the afternoon. By the twelfth minute, Shannon added another point from a free, firmly putting his team in the driver’s seat. However, St Agnes refused to roll over. At the fourteen-minute mark, Conall Turley stepped up to nail a crucial two-point free, sparking a revival for the home side. Just three minutes later, Brian Crossan delivered one of the scores of the game, splitting the posts with a magnificent long-range effort from play. Glenavy quickly capitalized on a defensive breach in the nineteenth minute; catching St Agnes with only two players forward, they worked the ball up the pitch, resulting in another converted free for the relentless Shannon.
The Aggies showcased exactly why they earned promotion with a beautiful, sweeping team move in the twentieth minute, finished off brilliantly by Cormac McBride. Five minutes later, St Agnes goalkeeper Colum Carroll kept his team’s hopes alive with an absolutely stunning point-blank save. Feeding off their keeper’s heroics, the Aggies worked another fantastic team score in the twenty-ninth minute, with Crossan once again applying the finishing touch. However, Glenavy had the final say, with Shannon capping off his phenomenal scoring exhibition with a final free in the dying moments. The victory was built on strong performances across the pitch for Glenavy, with Ciaran Loney orchestrating in midfield alongside the imposing Ben McCambridge, while Tim Honeyford and James Monaghan proved difficult to contain. While Glenavy thoroughly deserved the victory, St Agnes can take plenty of positives from the fixture. Last year#s Junior champions clearly have the talent and the structural promise to compete in Division 2, and with a bit more belief, the potential is certainly there for future success.
St Agnes 1- Colum Carroll, 2- Keevan Og Grieve, 3- Patrick Carroll, 4- Killian McCormick, 5- Conor Gregory, 6- Mark Caldwell, 7- Kevin Floyd, 8- Matthew Corr, 9- Barry McCrea, 10- Paudie Meehan, 11- Cormac McBride, 12- Conall Turley, 13- Shay Madden, 14- Brian Crossan, 15- David McGaharan.
Glenavy 1- Matthew Lawlor, 2- Tim Honeyford, 3- Darragh Doherty, 4- Ruairi Forester, 5- Pearse O’Neill, 6- Conor Hamill, 7- Jonathan Phillips, 8- Darragh Moore, 9- Ciaran Loney, 10- James Monaghan, 11- Patrick Gallagher, 12- Odhran Arthurs, 13- Michael Morgan, 14- Darragh Armstrong, 15- Finn Jack Shannon.
Footnote – Michael McCourt, who came on as a sub for Glenavy midway through the second half was playing in his 27th season for St Joseph’s.
TO SEE MORE OF BERT’S PHOTOS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
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