P.Graham Tarmac Junior Football Championship – Group 2 Round 2
Friday 21st August 2026
Report by Niall Kelly
Cardinal O’Donnell’s 0-11 Éire Óg 0-13
Éire Óg overcame the dogged resistance of O’Donnell’s at Coláiste Feirste on Friday evening with just two to spare to claim the same number of points in Group Two. Indeed, ‘two points,’ or rather, ‘two pointers’ were the headline act in this tight tussle. It was the Dixons who did the damage for the Derriaghy side. Conor Dixon, operating in the inside forward line, hit five of his team’s total with his namesake, Eoin, proving ominous from range, converting three two-pointed efforts which proved the deciding factor when Kevin McParland sounded his final whistle.
Having covered quite a few of their encounters before, when these pair lock horns, there is never much between them, and Friday’s encounter didn’t break the mould. When Dixon hit his third two pointer mid-way through the second half, it established a five-point margin and it seemed as though the stuffing may well have been knocked out of their opponents. However, typically, O’Donnells refused to go quietly as they hit the next four scores in a row to set up a grand-stand finish. Try as they might though, they just couldn’t get that all elusive goal in the dying embers as the Éire Óg rearguard stood resolute with keeper Jamie King in superb form.
It was Éire Óg who drew first blood after three minutes with Conor Dixon’s cultured left foot providing the source. Moments later, their opponents would level matters as Fearghal McNerney was on hand to finish a flowing move involving Paddy Matthews and Geároid McKernan.
As both teams tried to find their rhythm, it was the Ógs who gained the early ascendancy with the Dixons pouncing again. Conor was at the end of a fast-break to fist over from close range before Eoin illustrated his prowess from beyond the arc as he pinged a two-pointed free from off the deck.
Conall Smyth and Sean Pat Donnelly then traded scores before O’Ds started to purr. A patient, probing move was recycled back to Fearghal McNerney in space who expertly despatched under pressure to double his tally. Fionnbar McKernan then finished off his left boot from a tight angle to narrow the gap to a single point midway through the half.
The pendulum was really swinging to and fro now as both sides looked dangerous when on the front foot. The Whiterock side were menacing when they moved the ball through the hands at pace but their efficiency in front of the posts just lacked a little composure as they were left to rue a few missed chances.
Mark Graham split the posts for the Ógs before Conor Dixon would then come to the fore again as his proficiency in front of the sticks was never in question, hitting the next three unanswered scores. The pick of the bunch was the final of his trifecta, selling a beautiful fist pass and bonce dummy before blasting over off his weaker foot.
With the interval now fast approaching and a four-point margin to negotiate, O’Donnell’s responded in style as Marc McKenna fired over a lovely effort as again the O’s demonstrated what they were capable of when advancing with pace. Moments before the short whistle, Sean Pat Donnelly must’ve thought he’d done enough to raise the first green flag of the evening but his rasping effort ricocheted off the crossbar as the dynamic centre-forward had to settle for a point instead. With the scores, 0-08 to 0-06 at the break, this one was finely poised for an intriguing climax.
SP Donnelly opened the scoring two minutes after the restart from the placed ball to narrow the gap to the minimum, but scores were harder to come by in this half, making them all the more crucial. Both teams struggled with their distribution as loose passes made it hard to reestablish their flow. However, when opportunities presented themselves, it was Éire Óg who were the more economical as Eoin Dixon’s long-range abilities was to be O’D’s nemesis yet again. With the game entering the final quarter, the talented midfielder hit two sensational two-pointed efforts. The first came from another free from the ground as he judged the now-stiffer breeze to perfection before minutes later exchanging a quick one-two with Dermot Burns and unleashing a towering effort from an acute angle on the right flank to trigger a deafening roar from the Ógs sideline.
Both keepers were then tested as Éire Óg looked to fully capitalise on their momentum, but Conall Smyth was thwarted thanks to a fine stop from Conor Murphy. The introduction of Padraig McKissock had an instant impact as the O’D’s forward was straight into the action only to be denied by Jamie King thanks to a superb block at point-blank range from the Óg’s number one. McKissock would then open his account on the 49th minute courtesy of a close-range free.
With the stakes high, tempers began to fray as an off the ball altercation was the trigger for a melee of players from both sides. The postmortem would see O’D’s lose two men to a red-card and black card which hindered their hopes of a fightback.
With their backs firmly against the wall, it was now or never for the MacRory Park side and in the final ten minutes, despite their numerical disadvantage, they launched attack after attack. Donnelly was on hand again to nudge them a point closer thanks to a fisted effort from close range before Marc McKenna angled his effort off the left flank to perfection on the 55th minute. With O’Ds coming forward in their droves, tackles were flying in and Éire Óg were then hit with a red card of their own thanks to a second yellow as it now appeared momentum was on their side.
However, Conor Dixon proved vital for his side yet again, as he smartly fisted over from close range two minutes into added time to increase the gap to three yet again giving his side a crucial insurance point.
O’Donnell’s wouldn’t be silenced though as they threw bodies into their opposition’s rearguard. With the final kick of the game, Marc McKenna threaded an inviting ball in towards the square which Fearghal McNerney jumped highest to claim. However his fisted effort just had too much purchase on it as it narrowly grazed over the bar rather than under it and proved the last action of an absorbing affair.
The jubilant scenes on display from Éire Óg illustrated just how much this one meant to them. They are now perched at the top of Group Two with two wins from as many games, booking their place in the knockout rounds. Their improvement in recent years has been there for all to see and perhaps now they will surely be looked at as one of the potential victors for this year’s title. For O’Donnell’s, they will no doubt be disappointed but will welcome back a number of key players when they visit Cloughmills in two weeks. When they have their full complement back, they know they can still have a huge say in who the Junior Crown will go home with this year.
Teams:
O’Donnells:
Conor Murphy; Kevin Kennedy, Connor Walsh, Sean Smylie; Jonny McKenna, Cailean Walsh, Geároid McKernan; John Rafferty, Fearghal McNerney (0-03;) Paul Moore, Sean Pat Donnelly (0-04,) Ciaran McKissock; Fionnbar McKernan (0-01,) Paddy Murray, Marc McKenna (0-02)
Substitute Scorer:
Padraig McKissock (0-01)
Éire Óg:
Jamie King; Barry McDaid, Brian O’Malley, Karl McKenna; Conor McKenna, Stephen Erskine, Ciarán Rice; Ronan McKeown, Eoin Dixon (0-06 – 3tps;) Patrick Maxwell, Lorcan McIlroy, Gavin Donnelly; Conor Dixon (0-05,) Mark Graham (0-01,) Conall Smyth (0-01)
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