ACHL Division 2
St. Gall’s 0-14 Tir na nOg 1-16
Tír na nÓg withstood a ferocious second-half fightback from St. Gall’s to claim a vital 1-16 to 0-14 victory at Milltown on Sunday, with Caleb Smith’s first-half goal ultimately proving to be the difference.
St. Gall’s exploded out of the blocks, with corner-forward Dara Delaney splitting the posts just 30 seconds after the throw-in. The Belfast side nearly doubled their advantage moments later, but Tír na nÓg goalkeeper Matthew Dimphinall pulled off a spectacular, crucial save to deny Patrick Friel.
Spurred on by that defensive stand, Tír na nÓg found their rhythm. Emmet Murray levelled the scoring three minutes in, before midfielder Sean Duffin hit two quick-fire points from play. Tomas O’Ciarain hit back for St. Gall’s in the 9th minute, but Joe McCormick immediately responded for the visitors to make it 0-4 to 0-2 at the 10-minute mark.
St. Gall’s rallied dynamically over the next five minutes. Points from Ronan Crossan and Dubhaltach MacLiam dragged the home side back on level terms at 0-4 apiece by the quarter-hour mark.
From that point on, Tír na nÓg completely took over the midfield battle. Tiarnan Bonnes restored their lead with a well-struck free, followed quickly by another white flag. Sean McKinley then punishing a misplaced St. Gall’s puck-out to register a point. The Randalstown surge continued with unanswered points from Emmet Murray and Sean McKinley.
Sean Duffin then extended the lead further by drilling a monster 70-metre free over the bar. A 20-metre free from Dubhaltach MacLiam briefly halted the bleeding for St. Gall’s, but Tír na nÓg hit back through McKinley and another long-range 70-metre free from Sean Duffin on the 30-minute mark.
The decisive blow arrived in the 31st minute. A slick attacking move found corner-forward Caleb Smith on the right side of the square. Smith made no mistake, unleashing a powerful drive across Kurtis McGreevey into the keeper’s right-hand corner to leave Tír na nÓg firmly in the driving seat at the break.
Half-Time Score: St. Gall’s 0-05 Tír na nÓg 1-11
The Belfast men threw everything at the Randalstown side in the second period, inspired by a brilliant performance from substitute Anto Healey (20), but the visitors held their nerve in injury time to secure the two points.
St. Gall’s introduced Anto Healey at the break, and the tactical switch paid immediate dividends. Just 30 seconds into the half, Ronan Crossan blasted over his second point of the day. Tír na nÓg replied instantly when midfielder Sean Duffin showcased his accuracy again, converting a 60-metre free. Crossan responded for the hosts to cut the deficit, but both sides then endured a frustrating, tense period where the woodwork denied clear scoring opportunities, with shots from both teams rattling back off the posts.
Tiarnan Bonnes settled Tír na nÓg with a well-taken free, but Healey then took centre stage for St. Gall’s. The substitute hit a fine point from play, and after Dubhaltach MacLiam converted a free, Healey struck again to leave the scoreboard reading 1-14 to 0-10.
The momentum was firmly with the home side. Wing-back Aaron Mackle surged forward to hit a point, narrowing the gap to six. Tír na nÓg substitute Ciaran McCamphill temporarily halted the charge with a vital response, but St. Gall’s kept pressing. In the 21st minute, Ronan Crossan hit a spectacular point from play, before a MacLiam free in the 26th minute left just four points between the teams.
When the unstoppable Healey struck his third point of the half on the 30-minute mark, a grandstand finish looked guaranteed with St. Gall’s trailing by just three. However, Tír na nÓg showed great composure in injury time. Tiarnan Bonnes won a crucial free and expertly slotted it over in the 31st minute, killing off the comeback and ensuring a five-point victory for the visitors.
St. Gall’s: 1 Kurtis McGreevey, 2 Daniel Churchill, 3 Gairech MacAdhaim, 4 Eoghan McCurdy, 5 Aaron Mackle, 6 Gregory McGreevey, 7 Tom Ghee, 8 Oran McIlhatton, 9 Patrick Friel, 10 Ethan Walsh, 11 Ronan Crossan, 12 Tomas O’Ciarain, 13 Dubhaltach MacLiam, 14 Niall Fallon, 15 Dara Delaney, 20 Anto Healey, 19 Joshua Southern,
Tir na nOg: 1 Matthew Dimphinall 2 Dara Martin 3 Brandon Mclarnon 4 Manus Smith 5 Ryan O’Neill 6 Caoimhin Duffin 7 Ciaran O’Neill 8 Sean Duffin 9 Connor McCamphill 10 Sean McKinley 11 Emmet Murray 12 Tiarnan Bonnes 13 Joe McCormick 14 Ciaran Logan 15 Caleb Smith 17 Conor O’Neill 18 Jude Storie 19 Kevin Sheerin 20 Ciaran McCamphill 21 Conlith Martin 22 Declan Mallon
Referee: Niall Clifford
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