Senion Football League
Division One
St Galls 0-16 Dunloy 3-5
Wednesday 22 April
Brendan McTaggart reports from de la Salle Park, Milltown
St Galls continued their 100% record in the league with a two point win over Dunloy. The home side controlled the contest for the majority of the game yet the Cuchullains carried a goal threat throughout and could have left the Milltown Row with a share of the points but for a brilliant save from Chris Kerr towards the end of the hour.
The result was owed much to the accuracy of Daniel Quinn, he would finish top scorer with all but one of his six points coming from open play while Barra McCaffrey had a huge impact on the game after his introduction in the first half. The speed and agility of Gerard O’Neill and Niall Fallon while the aerial presence of Manus McCrossan was a major factor with St Galls dominating possession for long periods.
Dunloy were slow in starting yet a brace of first half goals from Charlie Cunning allowed them to sit back and stay organised, forcing St Galls to try and play through them. The Cuchullains would have been the happier of the sides going in at the half time break, trailing by the minimum but had a substantial breeze at their back for the restart. St Galls played superbly in the second period however, starving Dunloy of possession and opened up a five point lead before Emmett McKendry’s late major.
The home side were on the front foot from the first whistle and were three points up inside the opening five minutes. Niall Fallon opening the scoring before Gerard O’Neill split the uprights from outside the 40 yard arc. Quinn’s first point of the match came in the eighth minute but it probably should have been better for St Galls when Aodhan Gallagher found himself through on goal. He pulled his shot wide with Dunloy ‘keeper McMahon coming out to close down his angle.
Tom McFerran scored his first of two points in the half to open the scoring for the Cuchullains as they began to find some rhythm in the game. They scored their first goal in the 12th minute with Nigel Elliott collecting a pass having spun behind his marker. Going through on goal, he passed to Cunning and he made no mistake to beat the rushing Chris Kerr.
Dunloy’s second major came moments later and while it came in fortuitous circumstances, the finish was excellent. Elliott’s effort for a point came back off the upright and Cunning was first to react and again, found the back of the net to give Dunloy a three point lead midway through the half.
St Galls would waken from their slumber however and began to dictate the half. Mixing their point of attack with a series of long ball and speed, outscoring Dunloy six points to two in the second quarter. Padraig Murray, Quinn (two), Mackel, Barra McCaffrey and Gallagher with the scores while McFerran and Eoghan McGrath with the response from the visitors to leave the half time score 0-10 to 2-3 in St Galls favour.
In a cagey opening to the second half, McCaffrey and McGrath (free) exchanged points before Jack Martin brought the sides level after 11 minutes of the second half. The St Galls defence began to get the upperhand and force a number of turnovers that were actuated with scores at the other end of the pitch form Quinn (two) and McCaffrey to hold a three point lead going into the final five minutes.
Dunloy were searching for room in the St Galls defence and almost had their third major of the contest when Emmett McKendry managed to find a yard of space. His effort was brilliantly saved by the St Galls netminder however when it looked for the world he would manage to find the back of the net.
St Galls made the most of the reprieve, Quinn (free) and Ethan Walsh opening a five point deficit but Dunloy continued to press and probe. Substitute McGilligan got on the end of a long ball before breaking it into the path of McKendry. The Dunloy forward made no mistake second time around but it came too late with St Galls seeing out the remaining time.
Both teams are out in action again next Wednesday with St Pauls making the journey to the Milltown Row while Dunloy will welcome Cargin to Pearse Park on the same evening.
TEAMS
ST GALLS: Chris Kerr; Eoghan McCurdy, Aidan McDonagh, Gaireach MacAdhaimh; John McCaffrey, Damien Ball, Gerard O’Neill; Manus McCrossan, Aodhan Gallagher; Martin Murray, Daniel Quinn, Aaron Mackel; Niall Fallon, Padraig Murray, Ethan Walsh
Subs: Barra McCaffrey for P Murray (24); Liam Lynn for J McCaffrey (HT); Conall Murray for M McCrossan (43); Niall Burns for M Murray (52); Callum Walsh for A Mackel (55)
Scorers: D Quinn 0-6 (1f); B McCaffrey 0-3; G O’Neill 0-2 (1tp); A Gallagher 0-1; A Mackel 0-1; N Fallon 0-1; P Murray 0-1; E Walsh 0-1
DUNLOY: Chrissy McMahon; Callum Scullion, Sean Og Blaney, Cathair McCloskey; Conor Kinsella, Aaron Crawford, Jack Martin; Ciaran McQuillan, Ryan McGarry; Charlie Cunning, Tom McFerran, Stephen McAlone; Eoghan McGrath, Nigel Elliott, Emmett McKendry
Subs: Padraig McGilligan for C Cunning (49); Caolan McFerran for S McAlone (60)
Scorers: C Cunning 2-00; E McKendry 1-00; T McFerran 0-2; E McGrath 0-2 (1f); J Martin 0-1
Referee: Colin Thompson (St John’s)
