Photos and report by Brian Hamill
U16B Football Championship Semi-Final
Aghagallon 5-10 Glenravel 0-6
Aghagallon produced a dominant first-half display to account for Glenravel and advance to the final of the U16B Championship, against Moneyglass.
The hosts settled quickly and opened the scoring through Cormac Walsh before Micheal Mulholland added a free. Full forward Liam Davy then struck the opening goal of the contest to give Aghagallon early control.
Although Glenravel got off the mark through Killian Cassidy , Aghagallon responded emphatically. Micheal Mulholland found the net from a free before Ciaran Grogan added another goal during a devastating spell. With centre back Finn Kerr also getting on the scoresheet, Aghagallon built a commanding lead.
The home side continued to dominate before the break and a second goal from Micheal Mulholland left them well placed at half-time with a 5-5 to 0-1 advantage.
To Glenravel’s credit, they produced a much-improved performance after the restart. Patrick J Kelly converted a two-point free and added another point from play, while Damian Laverty and Killian Cassidy also got on the scoresheet as the visitors battled hard throughout the second half.
Aghagallon remained in control, however. Finn Kerr added a further point, while Micheal Mulholland continued to keep the scoreboard moving. Substitute Tom, the bomb, Larkin made a positive impact from the bench with a well-taken point of his own.
Despite the defeat, Glenravel will take encouragement from the manner of their second-half display. Dylan McMullan was influential throughout and was at the heart of much of Glenravel’s best attacking play before being shown a red card with around ten minutes remaining. Midfielder Noah Mackle worked tirelessly in the middle third, while half-back Oliver Mooney impressed with his reading of the game and attacking play.
However, the Glenravel players and management will undoubtedly be disappointed with the outcome, having produced a much stronger performance when the sides met earlier in the league campaign. On that occasion, they matched Aghagallon far more closely, but were unable to reproduce that level over the full hour in this championship encounter.
Aghagallon’s clinical finishing in the opening half ultimately proved decisive. Their five-goal burst before the break laid the foundation for victory and progression to the next round, while Glenravel were left to reflect on what might have been after a much-improved second-half showing that highlighted their potential despite the setback of losing a player to a red card in the closing stages.
Aghagallon scorers
Micheal Mulholland 2-3
Liam Davy 1-1
Ciaran Grogan 1-0
Cormac Walsh 1-1
Finn Kerr 0-2
Ronan Hughes 0-1
Tom Larkin 0-1
Glenravel scorers
Patrick J Kelly 0-3 (including one two-point free)
Killian Cassidy 0-2
Damian Laverty 0-1
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