Antrim Football League Division 3 at Cherryvale
St Malachy’s 2-09 O’Donnell’s 5-19
Cardinal O’Donnell’s delivered a commanding performance to secure a 5-19 to 2-09 victory over St Malachy’s at Cherryvale in Division 3 of the Antrim Football League on Wednesday evening. The win keeps their slim hopes of the Division 3 title alive.
Heading into the fixture level on points with Rasharkin at the top of the table, O’Donnell’s knew they had to win to keep the pressure on the St Mary’s side, and though they got the result they wanted, their south west rivals also won convincingly to to stay in pole position going into next week’s final games. The men from the Whiterock Road take on Pearses in their last game while Rasharkin face Eire Og.
The game began with early pressure from St Malachy’s, who opened the scoring on two minutes with a point from play by Peter Lavery. O’Donnell’s responded with a sturdy defence and consecutive points from Ciaran McKissock and Paul Moore. St Malachy’s struck back decisively on eight minutes when Ciaran Vernon found the back of the net, sparking a spell of dominance that yielded points under pressure from Jack McGivern and Vernon again. Following a brilliant two-point effort from Vernon that was subsequently ruled wide, Lavery and Padraig McKissock traded points from frees. Jack McGivern and Conor Walsh also exchanged points from placed balls before Vernon added another brilliant individual score. Carlos Sanha then had a shot saved that deflected over the bar. However, O’Donnell’s finished the half strongly with points from play by Stephen Seawright and Cailean Walsh, followed by a crucial goal from a rebound by Paul Moore just before the whistle, leaving O’Donnell’s in a strong position at the break.
O’Donnell’s completely took over at the start of the second half, effectively sealing the game with a rapid barrage of three goals. Paul Moore finished off a well-worked team move for his second goal, followed quickly by a point from Pearse Rice. Marc McKenna then hit the net following a vital midfield turnover. Rice continued his fine form with further points, while Cailean Walsh and Padraig McKissock kept the scoreboard ticking over. A substitute added another goal for O’Donnell’s around the twelve-minute mark, though Jack McGivern managed a team point for St Malachy’s amidst the onslaught. Conor Walsh and Fionnbar McKernan added further points for the victors, and while Carlos Sanha and McGivern grabbed late scores for the Cherryvale side, they could not stem the tide. Despite tiring late on, St Malachy’s fought until the bitter end in what was a highly entertaining encounter, but O’Donnell’s were undeniably the better team on the day, combining strong teamwork with exceptional individual performances to run out convincing 5-19 to 2-09 winners.
Cardinal O’Donnell’s: 1 Conor Murphy, 2 John Rafferty, 3 Stephen Seawright, 4 Kevin Kennedy, 5 Barra Corr, 6 Scott Thompson, 7 Ciaran McKissock, 8 Paul Moore, 9 Fergal McNerney, 10 Pearse Rice, 11 Cailean Walsh, 12 Padraig McKissock, 13 Conor Walsh, 14 Marc McKenna, 15 Fionnbar McKernan.
St Malachy’s: 1 Stephen Carson, 2 Pearse Hanna, 3 Daniel Quinn, 4 Colin Connolly, 5 Mark Connolly, 6 Daniel Gillespie, 7 Michael Hegney, 8 Ethan Orr, 9 Carlos Sanha, 10 David McErtain, 11 Gavin McManus, 12 John Paul Lagan, 13 Jack McGivern, 14 Peter Lavery, 15 Ciaran Vernon.
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