OB Construction Intermediate Football Championship
St Agnes’ 1-14 Aldergrove 2-18
PICS BY BERT TROWLEN
A spirited second-half revival by last year’s Junior Champions St Agnes’ fell just short at Woodlands on Saturday afternoon, as St James’ Aldergrove ultimately secured a 2-18 to 1-14 victory in their Group One Intermediate Championship clash. A decisive late goal from Ronan Hanna dashed the home side’s hopes of pulling off a massive upset, cementing a comfortable final margin for the visitors despite moments of real vulnerability.
The visitors started brightly, with Hanna fisting the ball over the bar for the opening point of the afternoon, but St Agnes’ quickly showed they were up for the challenge, however, as David McGaharan struck a beautiful equaliser in the fifth minute. The game settled into a rhythm with Cormac McGarry pushing Aldergrove ahead with consecutive points, followed by a quick exchange of scores between Barry McCrea and Seamus McGarry.
The momentum shifted firmly in Aldergrove’s favour when a disastrous home kick-out was intercepted by Eoin Gough who fed Seamus McGarry, who expertly drew the defence before slipping the ball to his brother Cormac for the game’s first goal. Conall Turley kept St Agnes’ in touch with two set-piece scores, including a well-struck two-pointer, but Aldergrove controlled the remainder of the half. A two-point effort from Hanna ensured the visitors carried a seven-point cushion into the break, though their nine first-half wides suggested they could have been further ahead.
The second period delivered a dramatic shift in momentum. St Agnes’ stormed out of the gates, firing four unanswered scores. Turley and McGaharan landed early frees before James Campbell energized the home support with a stunning two-point strike. The comeback gathered serious pace when a flowing move involving Kevin Floyd, Peter Lavery, and Cormac McBride resulted in a shot on goal. Although goalkeeper Shane O’Neill produced a brilliant fingertip save to deny McBride’s initial strike, substitute Colin Mallon was perfectly positioned to hammer the rebound into the net.
Suddenly, the heavy favourites were under intense pressure. Hanna and Ferghal Burke managed to steady the ship for Aldergrove with crucial points, but another spectacular two-pointer from Turley dragged St Agnes’ back to within a pair of points heading into the closing stages.
Just as a shock result looked possible, Aldergrove’s experience shone through. The McGarry brothers combined to stretch the lead to four, and substitute James Trowlen added his name to the scoresheet. The contest was finally put to bed when Hanna, ignoring shouts from the sideline to take a simple point, backed himself to rifle the ball into the top corner for Aldergrove’s second goal. Paudie Meehan managed a late free for St Agnes’, but the missed opportunities during their dominant spell proved costly.
Following the final whistle, Aldergrove captain Seamus McGarry acknowledged the fierce challenge presented by the home side. The result leaves Aldergrove with two wins from two ahead of their upcoming clash with Gort na Móna, while St Agnes’ will prepare to host Davitt’s in a fortnight’s time.
St Agnes’ – C Carroll, M McKillop, B McLarnon, P Carroll, C Gregory, C Turley, K McCormack, D Quigley, B McCrea, K Floyd, J Campbell, D McGaharan, P Lavery, P Meehan, C McBride. Subs C Mallon, K Grieve.
St James’ Aldergrove – S O’Neill, C Lagan, C Fogerty, L Fleming, C McVeigh, E Irvine, E Gough, R Owens, O Graham, C Hendron, S McGarry, G Malcon, R Hanna, F Burke, C McGarry. Subs – J Trowlen, S Fay, and D Gough
Referee – Ritchie Leahy
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