JHC Group 1
Belfast Saints 1-13 Ardoyne Kickhams 7-19
Ardoyne Kickhams produced a clinical performance against Belfast Saints on a wet and punishing day on the lower slopes of the mountain, marching to a dominant victory driven by an unstoppable master-class from man of the match, Paddy Heaney. Despite a few brief flashes of fighting spirit from the Saints, Ardoyne controlled the midfield and ruthlessly punished their opponents from start to finish, in a game that was effectively meaningless as both teams exited the Championship at this stage..
Ardoyne wasted no time making their mark, with Padraig McGreevy firing over a pointed free in the second minute. While the Saints briefly responded through Robertson—who would go on to score five points—the opening seven-minute deadlock was quickly shattered.
As Paddy Heaney increasingly made his presence felt, Ardoyne clicked into top gear, rattling off five consecutive points before Fiontan Lagan turned the screws completely with a brilliant goal from play.
Saints’ McQuillan managed to interrupt the onslaught with a 15th-minute point, but by the end of the first quarter, the scoreboard read a commanding 1-08 to 0-04 in favour of Ardoyne.
With Moore and McKillen firmly ruling the midfield, Heaney began to dictate the entire flow of the game, ruling the roost throughout the forward line. Just before the break, Belfast Saints mounted a spirited comeback, throwing everything forward to secure two points from McGilligan and a much-needed goal from Clarke.
However, any hope of a Saints revival was instantly snuffed out. Lagan swiftly rifled over a point, and Heaney followed up by sending the sliotar crashing into the back of the net for Ardoyne.
Half-Time Score: Belfast Saints 1-07 Ardoyne Kickhams 4-15
Heaney picked up right where he left off before the interval, opening the second-half with a point from play. The Saints briefly showed their trademark fighting spirit, tagging on four unanswered points over the next five minutes, but it ultimately marked the end of their resistance.
The unstoppable Heaney went on to claim two more goals, while the in-form McGreevey added another green flag to emphasise the gulf between the sides on the day. Ardoyne held total dominion over the final ten minutes as rain slicked the mountain slopes. By the time the final whistle blew, both sets of players were glad to head for the dressing rooms, drawing the curtain on their respective championship campaigns.
Belfast Saints: Conor Grieve, Matt carlin, Niall Connolly, Philip Glennon, Adam O’Rourke, Robert Gallagher(0-5,3f), Shane McCafferty, Joseph McQuillan(0-01), Kieran Grieve, Niall McGettigan(0-04), James Sloan(0-02,1f), Conor O’Callaghan, Dylan Grieve(0-01), Conor McLean, Eoin Clarke(1-0), Caoimhin McNeill
Ciceam Ard Eoin: Conor O’Neill, Aran Stewart, Paul Baker, Emmet Corry, Christopher McShane, Dean Goodall, Paschal Clarke, Dan Moore(0-03), Matt McKillen(0-04,1f), Padraig McGreevy(0-05,2f), Fiontan Lagan(1-01),Micheál McGreevy, Paddy Heaney (3-04), Cormac Barnes, Cahal Clarke, Sean Searle, Pól Stanton, Enda Slattery (0-01), John Callinan (0-01), Stephen Hill
Referee: Brendan Toland (Lamh Dhearg)
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