Antrim Football League Division 1
St Brigid’s 0-13 Creggan 1-13 at Musgrave Park
PICS BY BERT TROWLEN
Creggan Kickhams cemented their place at the summit of the Antrim Division 1 League table with a hard-fought 1-13 to 0-13 victory over St. Brigid’s at Musgrave Park, Belfast on Sunday. The win brings the Kickhams’ impressive tally to eleven wins and a draw from twelve outings, though they had to dig deep in the second half to withstand a strong challenge from a resilliant St. Brigid’s side.
Playing with a strong wind in the first half, the Musgrave Park ment took control of the game early on. They opened their account on the three-minute mark and quickly found their rhythm. Creggan responded with a well-worked team point from Kevin Small on seven minutes, but St. Brigid’s capitalised on the elements to dictate the pace. JJ Higgins added a point from play, followed quickly by a free from Reuben Carleton. The Musgrave Park men continued to press, with Paul Bradley proving a constant threat, hitting three excellent scores—two from play and one from a free—in a devastating seven-minute spell. Niall Duffy also added his name to the scoresheet as St. Brigid’s built a commanding lead.
Creggan managed to stay in touch through the efforts of Conor Johnston, who hit two crucial first-half points under severe pressure. Shea McCann kept the scoreboard ticking over for the visitors with a trio of reliable frees, while Dominic McAteer slotted over a well-worked team point right on the 30-minute mark to leave the half-time score at 0-10 to 0-06 in favour of the home side.
Turning around to face the wind, St. Brigid’s grabbed an early second-half score through Donncha McGurk to extend their advantage. Creggan, however, began to utilize the elements. Joe McAteer fired over a point from play, and Sam Maguire followed suit to close the gap. The defining moment of the match arrived 17 minutes into the second half. St. Brigid’s were reduced to 14 men when a St Brigid’s player received a black card for a deliberate pull-down inside the square. The referee immediately awarded a penalty, and Shea McCann made no mistake, burying the ball in the back of the net to completely shift the momentum.
Creggan ruthlessly exploited their 10-minute numerical advantage. With St. Brigid’s scrambling, McCann immediately added another point from play. The Kickhams pushed forward in waves, resulting in a string of scores. Full forward Conor Small added a good individual point, and Kevin Small split the posts again to stretch the lead. St. Brigid’s battled fiercely, returning to their full complement of 15 players for the closing stages. JJ Higgins managed to register a hard-earned point under immense pressure to keep the home side’s hopes alive. However, Creggan had the final say, with Joe McAteer launching a brilliant long-range effort in the 29th minute to seal the victory. The final whistle confirmed a 1-13 to 0-13 win for Creggan Kickhams, showcasing their championship credentials as they survived a thorough test in South Belfast to remain perched at the top of the Division 1 standings.
St. Brigid’s: 1 Declan Heery, 2 Aodhan McNeill, 3 Conor King, 4 Finn McKiernan, 5 Brian McGurk, 6 Peter King, 7 Reuben Carleton, 8 Jack Dowling, 9 John Toner, 10 Joseph McCarney, 11 Niall Duffy, 12 Paul Bradley, 13 Conan McNicholl, 14 James Smith, 15 JJ Higgins.
Creggan Kickhams: 1 Oisin Kerr, 2 Adhamhnan McAteer, 3 Aidan Maguire, 4 Fintan Close, 5 Sam Maguire, 6 Ethan Carey-Small, 7 Dominic McAteer, 8 Kealan McCann, 9 Jamie McCann, 10 Shea McCann, 11 Kevin Small, 12 Ruairi McCann, 13 Joe McAteer, 14 Conor Small, 15 Conor Johnston
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