ACFL Division 2
St. Mary’s Ahoghill 2-13 Naomh Comhghall 1-13
It’s been a while since these two South West rivals met in competitive action with St. Mary’s having made the drop from division 1 at the end of last year and Naomh Comhghall in their second season in division 2.
Both sides have made contrasting starts to the season with St. Mary’s winning one and losing one going into Wednesday night’s meeting at Cloney and Naomh Comhghall with a win and a draw under their belts.
So there was a fair deal of interest as they took the field in Ahoghill on Wednesday night and that interest was well founded as they went on to serve up an excellent game of attacking football.
It was the Antrim town side who got off to a blistering start as Kian Smith found the net in the second minute and points from Tiernan Floyd and Caolan O’Loan had them 1-2 to 0-0 ahead by the third minute.
Naomh Muire looked shocked but gradually they began to get their own game together and Ronan Graham put them right back in it with a goal in the 7th minute.
Dan O’Neill added a point to leave just one in it after only 8 minutes of a blistering opening period but a lively Naomh Comhghall were edging the opening exchanges and they moved further ahead again through a Tom Hodkinson double.
The hosts kept in touch however with Donal Graham firing over two points and it remained nip and tuck in the period leading up to half time with Tom Hodgkinson 0-2 and Caolan O’Loan hitting points for the Antrim town men and Dan O’Neill and Colla McDonnell replying for the men from Cloney.
Hodkinson was certainly playing his part in keeping the Naomh Comhghall noses in front as he added two more points by the 4th minute of the second half to move his side three in front and they looked on their way to lifting a major scalp.
Points are never easy gained in Cloney however and Ahoghill responded with points from Dan O’Neill 0-2 and James O’Connell in response to one from O’Loan for the visitors.
The turning point in the game arrived at the end of the third quarter when Patrick Dougan finished to the net for Naomh Muire’s second goal and that score seemed to lift his colleagues.
Diarmaid Graham for the home side and Conor McAuley for the visitors exchanged further scores but it was the Ahoghill side who ensured there would be no way back for the ‘Town’ going down the finishing straight.
Dan O’Neill, James O’Connell and Donal Graham all raised white flags and despite a late double from Tom Hodkinson for the visitors it was Naomh Muire who held on for their second win in three outings.
An entertaining game of football with both sides deserving great credit for the football they served up but in the end it was probably Ahoghill’s greater experience that saw them through.
Naomh Muire Ahoghill: 1 Noel Crossey, 2 Shea Neeson, 3 James Magee, 4 Harry O’Donnell, 5 Fionnbar O’Neill, 6 Martin Graham, 7 Eamonn Brady, 8 Ronan Graham, 9 Patrick Graham, 10 Dan O’Neill, 11 Donal Graham, 12 Patrick Dougan, 13 Colla McDonnell, 14 Donal Graham, 15 Noah Friel, 18 Rian Martin, 21 James O’Connell, 22 Seamus McKeever
Naomh Comhghall: 1 Peter McAuley, 2 Leo McAleer, 3 Cathal Donnelly, 4 Eoin Lynott, 5 Ruairi Griffin, 6 James McCabe, 7 Danaan O’Hara, 8 Michael McCabe, 9 Caolan O’Loan, 10 Aaron McGaw, 11 Miles Devine, 12 Dylan Murdock, 13 Tom Hodgkinson, 14 Kian Smith, 15 Tiernan Floyd, 17 Balle1gh Close, 18 Aaron McHugh, 19 Aidan Short, 23 Conor McAuley
Referee: Fionntan McCotter (Sarsfield’s)