ACFL Division One
St Paul’s: 0-7 St Brigid’s: 1-24 – Venue: Shaw’s Road,
Belfast Referee: Kevin Parke
Played in ideal conditions on Wednesday evening, a slick-moving St Brigid’s side put on an absolute exhibition of attacking football. Making the short journey over to Shaws Road, the visitors were dominant from the first whistle to the last, securing an emphatic 20-point victory over hosts St Paul’s. The Musgrave Park side entered the tie determined to get their league campaign back on track after consecutive defeats to St Gall’s and Cargin left them with ground to make up. They did exactly that, finding their rhythm in spectacular fashion.
St Brigid’s flew out of the traps, setting the tone inside the opening 60 seconds when Reuben Carleton slotted a two-point free. Winning the ensuing kick-out, Niall Duffy cut inside with a terrific piece of skill and had the net at his mercy, only to be denied by an inspired save from St Paul’s goalkeeper Jack McAulfield, who played really well throughout, despite his team’s heavey defeat. It was a case of relentless attacking pressure. If not for McAulfield playing like a man possessed, the visitors would have had the game completely out of sight inside ten minutes. Jack Dowling, Dara Quinn, and JJ Higgins all mustered shots on goal, but the acrobatic stopper kept them at bay.
Eventually, following groans from the sideline urging them to take the easy points on offer rather than forcing goals, St Brigid’s adjusted their sights. Conor King fired over their first score from play, quickly followed by impressive strikes from inside the arc by James Smith and JJ Higgins. As St Paul’s struggled to retain possession in the middle of the park, Paul Bradley and Higgins kept the scoreboard ticking. The hosts finally got off the mark midway through the half when Shea Burns raised a white flag, hoping to eat into the eight-point deficit.
However, St Brigid’s response was instant. Higgins replied immediately, and Niall Duffy struck an exquisite point after spinning his defender inside out. While St Paul’s managed late points from Liam McKenna and Lorcan Phillips, St Brigid’s finished the half as they started it. Jack Dowling and Oran Downey both pointed to send the visitors into the changing rooms with a skip in their step and a commanding 11-point lead.
While St Paul’s late first-half flurry offered a glimmer of hope, St Brigid’s quickly extinguished it upon the restart, keeping their foot firmly on the throttle. Paul Bradley opened the second-half scoring, and Niall Duffy followed up with a quickfire brace. The South Belfast men then showcased their long-range accuracy, landing two massive two-point efforts from outside the arc: first, a drilled strike from the far-left by Carleton, followed by a thumping effort from Brian McGurk.
With confidence surging, St Brigid’s finally breached McAulfield’s defences to find the game’s only goal. Niall Duffy’s initial shot was tipped onto the inside of the post by the hard-working keeper, but the ball rolled perfectly into the path of the oncoming JJ Higgins, who smashed it into the empty net. St Paul’s continued to fight, with Ciaron Rogers-Duffy clipping over two late frees to marginally reduce the deficit. However, the visitors were relentless. McGurk pointed again, substitute Conan McNicholl planted his feet to drill a score, and Niall Duffy capped off a brilliant individual performance with his fifth point of the evening before the final whistle blew.
The result marks a superb return to form for St Brigid’s. Meanwhile, St Paul’s are left to lick their wounds; winless in four games, they now sit precariously above the relegation zone on score difference.
St Paul’s: Jack McAulfield; Cian McCann, Aodhan Kavanagh, Miceal Duffy; Niall McKenna, Conor Hughes, Mark Munce; James Farrell, Cormac Trainor; Patrick Crawford, Conall Duffy, Lorcan Phillips 0-1, Shea Burns 0-1, Liam McKenna 0-1, Ciaron Roger’s Duffy 0-3 (0-3f)
St Brigid’s: Fergus McCann; Aodhan McNicholl, Conor King 0-2, Joseph McCarney; Brian McGurk 0-3 (1xTP), Peter King, Reuben Carlton 0-4 (2xTP); Paddy Finnegan, Jack Dowling 0-1; Dara Quinn, Oran Downey 0-1 (0-1f), Paul Bradley 0-2; Niall Duffy 0-5, James Smith 0-2, JJ Higgins 1-3
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