Northern Switchgear Senior Football Championship
Group Three
Cargin 2-15 St Brigid’s 0-18
Saturday 8 August
Brendan McTaggart reports from Toome
Cargin opened their account in the ‘Group of Death’ by securing the two points on offer, seeing off the challenge of St Brigids with three points to spare. It was a game that neither side really caught fire in but it was the Erins Own side who were well worth their margin of victory, if not more.
Second half goals from James Laverty and Ciaran Bradley went a long way in deciding the outcome of this contest and both coming at times when St Brigid’s looked like they were closing in on the home side.
Trailing by four points at the short whistle, the Musgrave Park men will rue that opening quarter of the second half where they were guilty of a series of missed opportunities and making the wrong decision. They came out undoubtedly with a gameplan to look for two pointers and take advantage of whatever breeze there was at their back but their execution let them down.
The winning of this contest despite the second half goals came in a 15 minute period of the second half where Cargin held St Brigid’s scoreless. The home side went to trailing by one point to building a five point lead and forcing errors from the visitors. Every error felt like it was punished almost immediately at the opposite end of the pitch and St Brigid’s struggled to get any footing.
Cargin were best served by Ciaran Bradley, Benen Kelly, James Laverty and Jack O’Neill while Mick McCann at full forward was always an outlet although St Brigid’s allowed Cargin to have a world of space in front of the Cargin man that the home side duly obliged in making the most off.
Paul Bradley was the main threat for St Brigid’s with most attacks going through him. He always looked capable of creating something in the second half while the work rate of Niall Duffy was exemplary. They couldn’t get enough ball into James Smith in the first half with the St Brigid’s man looking like he had the upper hand on Kevin McShane while Reuben Carleton, Patrick and Joseph Finnegan were in the thick of the contest.
Ronan Boyle saw red in injury time while it had little effect on the game, the frustration on Boyle’s face was there for all to see. Already on a yellow, he received a black card for an infringement at a kick out amongst a crowd of players.
Substitute Ronan McGrady gave a reminder of his kicking prowess, landing a brace of two pointers late on but it came to late in the game for the visitors who added seven points to their tally in the last nine minutes of the game.
The opening quarter saw both sides feeling their way into the game. Joseph Finnegan and Reuben Carleton firing over either side of a Benen Kelly point.
St Brigid’s had the first sniff of a goal chance after Duffy opened his account from a free. Smith seeing his effort come back off the foot of the upright but credit must go to the challenge put in by John McNabb. He hit a perfectly timed shoulder that rushed the St Brigid’s marksman and while he got his shot away, he didn’t catch it cleanly.
The home side were looking to play long into Mick McCann at every opportunity from the word go and it was paying dividends. They too had an early goal chance when Pat Shivers sent the ball long towards Mick and Tomas read the break. He spun onto his left but St Brigid’s goal keeper Declan Heery dived full length at McCann’s feet to deny him.
McNabb pointed the resulting ’45 before Higgins showed his pace and power at the opposite end of the pitch to fist over and restore St Brigid’s one point lead in the 18th minute.
That would be their last score until the last kick of the half however as Cargin took control. A superb two pointer from Pat Shivers was followed by points from Tomas McCann (free) and Conor Johnston before James Laverty struck over from outside of the 40 meter arc to take the home side into a five point lead in the 30th minute.
It wasn’t all one way traffic in that period of time but the visitors were guilty of making the wrong decision and a number of shots dropping short. St Brigid’s did have another goal chance, Shea Downey breaking the lines and while it looked like he was fouled in the buildup, Patrick Finnegan gathered his pass but swung his effort wildly to the right hand side of the posts.
St Brigid’s did have the final say of the half with a Paul Bradley free to leave the half time score 0-9 to 0-5 in the home sides favour.
Half time couldn’t come quick enough for St Brigid’s and when Jack Dowling split the uprights for a huge two pointer, it looked like they were well placed to reel in the Cargin lead. Those thoughts were quelled with the very next attack however with Laverty scoring the opening goal of the game. Ciaran Bradley and Tom Shivers combining in the build up to find Laverty, who originally started the move, and he made no mistake.
Despite the concession of that goal, St Brigid’s were enjoying their best spell of the game. They only had a point from Niall Duffy to show for their efforts however.
Tomas McCann and Pat Shivers fired over either side of a Paul Bradley free before Bradley landed a two pointer to leave just three between the sides in the 43rd minute.
But, just like when Dowling landed his two pointer, Cargin responded with another major. Cutting through the St Brigid’s defence with precision, Ciaran Bradley played a one-two with Tom Shivers before palming the ball to the back of the net.
McNabb dissected the posts for a two pointer free to stretch the home sides lead to eight going in to the final 10 minutes but St Brigid’s hit back. James Smith and JJ Higgins firing over either side of a McGrady two pointer to leave four between the sides once again.
Any St Brigid’s momentum was deflated with the concession of a soft free due to a three man breach, Tomas McCann converting as Cargin looked to control the closing stages.
St Brigid’s continued to look for two pointers while JJ Higgins took his tally to three points for the hour. Tomas McCann landed Cargin’s last score of the contest in the 60th minute while McGrady hit a huge two pointer with the last kick of the game.
Cargin will look to make it two from two when they make the short trip to Moneyglass on 22 August while St Brigid’s will host St Galls knowing that another defeat could end their hopes in this years championship.
TEAMS
Cargin Starting XV: John McNabb; Kevin O’Boyle, Kevin McShane, Cahir Donnelly; Benen Kelly, James Laverty, Jack O’Neill; Conor Johnston, Jamie Gribbin; Ciaran Bradley, Tomas McCann, Tom Shivers; Pat Shivers, Mick McCann, Paudie McLaughlin
- Subs: Paul McCann for P McLaughlin (41); Eunan Quinn for P McCann (47); Killian Scullion for C Bradley (54); David Johnston for C Donnelly (57); Gerard McCann for J Gribbin (60+1)
- Scorers: J Laverty 1-2 (1TP); T McCann 0-4 (3F); P Shivers 0-4 (1TP); J McNabb 0-3 (1’45, 1TPF); C Bradley 1-00; B Kelly 0-1; C Johnston 0-1
St Brigids Starting XV: Declan Heery; Peter King, John Morgan, Oran Downey; Shea Downey, Joseph Finnegan, Reuben Carleton; Jack Dowling, Patrick Finnegan; Ronan Boyle, Dara Quinn, Paul Bradley; Niall Duffy, James Smith, JJ Higgins
- Subs: Shay Campbell for O Downey (6); Ronan McGrady for D Quinn (44)
- Scorers: R McGrady 0-4 (1TP, 1TPF); P Bradley 0-4 (1TP, 2F); JJ Higgins 0-3; N Duffy 0-2 (1F); J Dowling 0-2 (1TP); J Smith 0-1; J Finnegan 0-1; R Carleton 0-1
Referee: Colm McDonald (St Galls)
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