ACFL Division 1 League
St Ergnat’s GAC Moneyglass 0-10 St. Mary’s Aghagallon 1-19
Report by Brian Hamill
Aghagallon produced a dominant display to make it two wins in three starts when they proved too good for Moneyglass,
St. Mary’s produced their best performance of the ACFL Division 1 season so far, dismantling a game Moneyglass side by a comprehensive 12-point margin on Saturday afternoon at St. Ergnat’s new pitch, running out 1-19 to 0-10 winners in a display of clinical, free-flowing football.
From the opening whistle, it was Aghagallon who dictated the tempo, and Moneyglass never found an answer to the visitors’ work rate, movement and accuracy in front of the posts. The result was never really in doubt after the first quarter, and St. Mary’s will take enormous confidence from this performance as the Division 1 campaign gets into full swing.
Moneyglass made the brighter start in what was a lively opening exchange, with Aidan McErlain displaying his threat from placed balls by converting a two-pointer from a free on just two minutes to give the home side a rapid foothold. It was a signal of intent from the St. Ergnat’s men, and McErlain would prove to be their most dangerous outlet all afternoon. Jonny Hannon, however, was quick to reply for the visitors. The left corner-forward, who has become one of Aghagallon’s most reliable marksmen, landed a free to open his account and set the tone for what was to be a productive afternoon in front of the posts. McErlain and Hannon traded frees in the opening exchanges before Pauric Maginnis provided the decisive moment of the first half, with a long range shot, from his right midfielder berth that ended with the ball in the net in the 10th minute to give Aghagallon a lead they would not relinquish.
The goal settled any lingering nerves in the Aghagallon ranks. Marc McAfee and Enda McCartan began to impose themselves at centre half-forward and left half-forward respectively, and the supply line from midfield, where Pauric Maginnis and Jack Lenehan were dominant throughout. Aghagallon’s free-taking, landing three converted frees in quick succession, while McCartan underlined the visitors’ attacking ambition with a magnificent two-pointer from play in the 25th minute. Moneyglass’ Seanchan Duffin and McErlain kept the scoreboard ticking over for the home side, but Aghagallon’s lead continued to grow with each passing phase of play. Steven Devlin, operating at right half-back, showed admirable attacking instinct by pushing forward to land a point from play, a score that encapsulated the all-round contribution running through the entire St. Mary’s team.
The second period was more of the same. Aghagallon stretched their lead to double figures and beyond, with a series of well-worked scores from play underlining the depth of quality in the visiting panel. Substitute Gareth Magee made an immediate impact on his introduction, landing a point from play to augment an already impressive tally, while fellow substitute Odhran Rooney was truly outstanding off the bench, firing over two spectacular two-pointers from play to kill any remaining hope Moneyglass harboured of a comeback. It was the kind of impact off the bench that managers dream of and Rooney’s contribution underlined that. strength in depth St. Mary’s now possess.
Despite losing a man late on, the home side never threw in the towel. They had two goal chances that put Aghagllon’s keeper, Gabhan Blaine and his defenders, under severe pressure. McErlain adding two further points from play in the closing stages and Tyler Cassidy registering a late effort to give the final score-line a slightly more respectable look. But ultimately Aghagallon were a class apart on the day.
Scorers — Naomh Ergnat Moneyglass: Aidan McErlain 0-5 (0-3f), 1 two-pointer from free; Seanchan Duffin 0-2 (0-1f); Tyler Cassidy 0-1.
Scorers — St. Mary’s Aghagallon: Jonny Hannon 0-5 (0-4f, 0-1 from play); Odhran Rooney (sub) 2 two-pointers from play; Enda McCartan 0-1 from play, 1 two-pointer from play; Pauric Maginnis 1-0; Ruairi McCann 0-1; Marc McAfee 0-1; Steven Devlin 0-1; Eoin Brankin 0-1; Jack Lenehan 0-1; Gareth Magee (sub) 0-1.
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