Antrim ACFL Division 1
All Saints 1-11 Erin’s own 0-17
Erin’s Own Cargin secured a hard-fought 0-17 to 1-11 victory over All Saints Ballymena in an exhilarating Antrim ACFL Division 1 encounter at Quinn Park on Wednesday night. A dominant opening twenty minutes saw the visitor’s race into an eleven-point lead, and at this stage they looked like totally overwhelming their hosts. They were forced to with stand a late rally by the home side however but held on for a deserved victory.
The visitors asserted their authority from the throw-in, orchestrating a master-class in clinical point-taking. With direct attacking play and supreme accuracy, Cargin raced into a commanding 0-11 to 0-00 lead by the 20th minute. Callum Gribbin, Ciaran Bradley, and Jamie Gribbin all found their range from open play, while Tomas McCann converted two crucial frees (1-2pt) The opening blitz was further punctuated by a massive long-range, two-point free from Antrim county goalkeeper John McNabb.
Connell Lemon drives All Saints forward
All Saints, despite losing key defenders Sean O’Brien and James Gillan to early injuries, refused to fold. The introduction of substitutes Joe Rafferty and James McDonnell injected immediate energy into the Ballymena side. In the 25th minute, Benny McDonnell finally opened the hosts’ account with a well-taken point. Moments later, Cal O Brien added another before McDonnell struck a vital lifeline in the 30th minute, driving a low, first-time ground shot into the back of the net after a favourable break in the square. A late response from Tomas McCann brought his personal first-half tally to four, but another accurate strike from McDonnell closed out the half, leaving the scoreboard at 1-03 to 0-12 in favour of the visitors.
Cargin appeared to restore their domination immediately after the restart. In-form substitute Killian Scullion struck two fine scores alongside another white flag from Callum Gribbin to stretch the visitors’ lead.
However, All Saints completely dominated the final quarter as the momentum swung firmly behind the Ballymena side. Driven forward by the superb Connell Lemon, the home team targeted the gaps in the Cargin defence with the strong running of Connell Lemon and Cal O’Brien causing problems.
Ciaran Bradley who was excellent for Erin’s Own
Darach Bradley and substitute Ronan McKillop kicked vital points to ignite the home crowd. Midfielder Conor Stewart stepped up to strike a massive 2 pointer, while McKillop proved clinical under pressure, landing a 2pt free and adding another point from play.
With the deficit cut to just three points in the final minutes, the traveling Cargin support was left calling anxiously for the final whistle. The visitors utilized all their experience to manage the clock in injury time however, successfully holding out for a narrow, but deserved victory.
All Saints Ballymena: 1-11 (Benny McDonnell 1-02, Ronan McKillop 0-03, Conor Stewart 0-02, Cal O Brien 0-01, Connell Lemon 0-01, Darach Bradley 0-01)
Erin’s Own Cargin: 0-17 (Tomas McCann 0-05, Callum Gribbin 0-2, Killian Scullion, John McNabb (2pt), Ciaran Bradley, Jamie Gribbin, Killian Scullion 0-2, John Carron, Ciaran Bradley, Jimmy Gribbin 0-2,
All Saints: Ryan Stewart, Seán Ó Brien, Michael Read, Sean McDermott, Charlie Metrustry, James Gillan, Cal Ó Brian, Emmet Killough, Peter McReynolds, Connell Lemon, Conor Stewart, Harry Connon, Jack Patterson, Benny McDonnell, Darach Bradley.
Subs used: James McDonnell, Joe Rafferty, Ronan McKillop
Cargin: John McNabb, Kevin O’Boyle, Kevin McShane, Cahir Donnelly, Conan Johnston, James Laverty, Jack O’Neill, Gerard m,cCann, John Carron, Ciaran Bradley, Tomas McCann, Paul McCann, Jamie Gribben, Eunasn Quinn, Callum Gribbin.
Subs: Killian Scullion, Fiontan Hardy
Referee: Ritchie Leahy
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