Under 16B Football Championship – Preliminary round
Glenravel 2-12 Rasharkin 1-08
Glenravel Con Magees secured a hard-fought seven-point victory over St Mary’s Rasharkin in the Antrim Under 16 B Football Championship preliminary round at Fr Maginn Park. The home side weathered a second-half comeback from the visitors, ultimately finishing strongly to claim a 2-12 to 1-08 win.
The hosts burst out of the blocks, with Cormac Higgins registering an early two-point score just five minutes in. Two minutes later, Cillian Cassidy found the net for Glenravel, firing a low, left-footed strike to establish early dominance. Rasharkin responded immediately with a sweeping team move; though the Glenravel goalkeeper made an initial save, the brilliant Conor McGaughey pounced on the rebound to crash the ball into the net. McGaughey quickly added a free, but Cassidy and Higgins kept the scoreboard ticking over for Glenravel. Glenravel’s goalkeeper Cillian Cree proved instrumental, producing a stunning save to deny a one-on-one certainty and maintain the lead. Further scores from Cassidy, Oisin Mac Fadden (assisted by John Og Darragh), and a fine effort from play by Darragh himself left Glenravel commanding a 1-08 to 1-03 advantage at the break.
Rasharkin started the second period brightly through another McGaughey point, but Glenravel struck a decisive blow six minutes after the restart. Dara Ward cut sharply along the endline and unleashed a left-footed drive into the net, pushing the home side seven points clear. Unfazed, Rasharkin clawed their way back into the contest. McGaughey remained their talisman, converting frees and forcing the Glenravel keeper into another sharp save that yielded a 45. With Rasharkin’s Daniel Belton0 also finding his range from placed balls, the gap was reduced to just three points with twelve minutes remaining.
However, Glenravel showed tremendous composure to close out the game. Dylan McMullan stepped up when it mattered most, hammering over a point that could easily have been a goal, before swinging over a beautifully struck 30 metre free to seal the 2-12 to 1-08 triumph.
Glenravel
1 Cillian Cree, 2 Owen Reid, 3 Patrick Kelly, 4 John Black, 6 Cormac Higgins, 7 Oisin McFaddem, 8 Noah Mackle, 9 Dylan McMullan, 10 Killian Cassidy, 12 Ollie Mooney, 13 Callun O’Neill, 14 Harry Wilkinson, 15 Dara Ward, Subs – 17 Odhran Higgins, 18 Ollie Mullan, 19 Sean Doherty, 20 Harry Blaney, 21 Damian Laverty, 22 Ewan Fyfe, 23 Connlaodh Clarke, 24 Cillian Cree.
Rasharkin
1 Bernard Feeney, 2 Oisin McKay, 3 Patryk Stalka, 4 Ronan McCamphill, 6 Jude Casey, 7 Matthew Higgins, 8 Sean Casey, 9 Ruairi Doherty, 10 Daniel Belton, 11 Liam Kearney, 12 Ronan Doherty, 13 Conor McGaughey, 15 Jude McCart, 16 Eoin McMullan, 17 Aodhan Casey, 18 Denis Ekups, 19 Harry Etherson, 20 Conor McTaggart, 21 Connor McWilliams, 22 Brendan O’Boyle.
Referee – Chris Brown
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