Northern Switchgear Senior Football Championship
Cargin 2-17 Creggan 0-14
Friday 18 September
Brendan McTaggart reports from Quinn Park, Ballymena
As the old saying goes, form is temporary and class is permanent. Cargin may have stuttered their way through the ‘group of death’ but on Friday night they put in their best performance of the championship to defeat Creggan and seal their place in the last four.
On a rainy, wind swept Quinn Park, the Toome men held a five point lead at half time and while it felt precarious given Creggan had the elements in their favour after the restart, Cargin were simply too good.
A mix of patience and controlled aggression with moments of brilliance, Cargin put Creggan to the sword in the second half with James Laverty’s thunderbolt of a major all but ending the game midway through the second half. It signalled a period of Cargin dominance that took the game away from the Kickhams, landing 1-4 without reply in the space of less than 10 minutes.
Conhuir Johnston was at his imperious best for the Erin’s Own men, landing two two-point frees in the first half and raising the white flag another four occasions after the interval. Jack O’Neill scored his goal in the first half in another top performance while Fiontan Hardy, Kevin O’Boyle and Tom Shivers all excelled.
Creggan lost their way at the start of the second half. The half time lead was far from insurmountable but Cargin’s intensity in the tackle and control was on point. Conor Small top scored for the Kickham’s with six points, two two-point frees coming late in the game while Kevin Small finished with four points but they looked shot-shy and struggled to breakdown a watertight Cargin defence.
Electing to play against the wind after winning the coin toss, Creggan and Conor Small opened the scoring in the second minute. It wasn’t long before Cargin took advantage of the elements with three two-pointers in less than two minutes. Conhuir Johnston, Jamie Gribbin and Pat Shivers all raising the orange flag.
Creggan were looking to control the game by holding possession and patiently looking for chances. Managing the game while against the elements. They reduced the Cargin lead to four with a point from Keelan McCann but the Toome men found the back of the net soon after to take a seven point lead. John Carron sending the ball high towards Conhuir Johnston and while he was well tackled, the ball fell towards Jack O’Neill and he found the back of the net with a superb first time shot.
With the game turning feisty, it threatened to boil over in the 15th minute but referee Colly Thompson did well to regain control. Pat Shivers was given a black card for his involvement and while John Carron did score the next point of the game, Creggan took advantage of their numerical advantage.
The Kickhams men landed five unanswered points from Conor Small (two), Kevin Small, Conor Johnston and Jamie McCann to leave the score 1-7 to 0-7 going in to first half injury time.
Cargin and Conhuir Johnston had the final say of the half when he split the uprights from outside the 40 meter arc to give the Erin’s Own side a five point lead at half time.
The game was finely poised and with Creggan’s ability to land two point scores, five points was far from a big lead.
Cargin and Michael McCann opened the scoring in the second half before Ethan Carey-Small replied for Creggan. Cargin keeper John McNabb split the uprights with a brilliant two point free to extend the Cargin lead before Kevin Small did the same for Creggan.
Small’s score would be Creggan’s last for 19 minutes though as Cargin took control. James Laverty’s goal came in the 44th minute and came at the end of a period of patient Cargin play before Laverty was found in space. Laverty took aim from 20 yards out and hit a thunderbolt to the back of Oisin Kerr’s net and give Cargin an eight point lead.
Points followed from Conan Johnston and a trio of white flags from Conhuir Johnston (one free) put further gloss to the scoreline for the Erin’s Own men as they controlled the game.
Conor Small hit a brace of two-point frees either side of a free from Conhuir Johnston in injury time at the end of the game but this contest was over long before Colly Thompson sounded for full time.
The Erin’s Own men roll on to the semi finals once again.
TEAMS
Cargin Starting XV: John McNabb; Kevin O’Boyle, Kevin McShane, Fiontan Hardy; Conan Johnston, James Laverty, Jack O’Neill; John Carron, Pat Shivers; Ciaran Bradley, Conhuir Johnston, Tom Shivers; Paul McCann, Michael McCann, Jamie Gribbin
- Subs: Gerard McCann for J Carron (56); Paudie McLaughlin for P McCann (58), Cahir Donnelly for J O’Neill (58); David Johnston for C Bradley (60+2)
- Scorers: Conhuir Johnston 0-8 (2xtpf, 2f); J Laverty 1-00, J O’Neill 1-00; P Shivers 0-2 (1tp); J Gribbin 0-2 (1tp); Conan Johnston 0-1, J O’Neill 0-1
Creggan Starting XV: Oisin Kerr; Liam McLernon, Ricky Johnston, Fintan Close; Eunan McAteer, Ethan Carey-Small, Dominic McAteer; Keelan McCann, Jamie McCann; Shea McCann, Kevin Small, Ruairi McCann; Joe McAteer, Conor Small, Conor Johnston
- Subs: Liam Quinn for J McAteer (33); Conor McCann for K McCann (45); Tiarnan McAteer for C Johnston (49)
- Scorers: C Small 0-6 (2xtpf, 1f); K Small 0-4 (1tp); C Johnston 0-1, J McCann 0-1, K McCann 0-1, E Carey-Small 0-1
Referee: Colly Thompson (St Johns)
TO SEE MORE OF BRENDAN’S PHOTOS FROM THE GAME, FOLLOW THE LINK….
https://myalbum.com/album/urdzyPKDDLRqrr/?invite=a13bdda3-e098-487b-aa06-683b48bf954e
