IFC Final- Dunsilly Saturday 7-00pm
Aldergrove v Naomh Eanna
Saturday night’s meeting of Naomh Eanna and St. James Aldergrove in the Intermediate Football Final is sure to attract a bumper crowd to the Antrim centre of excellence at Dunsilly.
Both sides are former winners of the Intermediate title with Aldergrove last crowned champions back in 2019 when they defeated Moneyglass in the final in Portglenone, the Crumlin side losing narrowly to St. Naul’s of Donegal in the Ulster championship quarter-final.
The St. Enda’s success came a year earlier and would see them go on to win Ulster before losing to a strong Kilcummin of Kerry in the All Ireland final in Croke Park.
The Glengormley side collected their first Intermediate title in their history when they defeated Gort na Mona in that year’s Antrim Intermediate football final at Corrigan Park but few could have envisaged just where this victory would lead them to in the months that followed.
Seamus McGarry and Ronan Hanna, potential match winners for Aldergrove
Under the guidance of former Antrim supremo, Frank Fitzsimmons, the Glengormley side had gained promotion to division 1 in 2017 and the sky seemed to be the limit for this multi-talented side.
A senior title was next the target but it failed to materialise as slowly a large number of that side departed and it wasn’t long before Naomh Eanna found themselves back in division 2.
Meanwhile St. James had established themselves as a division 1 side and were competing in the Senior Championship and while they didn’t set the division alight, they never the less remained there until last year when they were relegated to division 2 and Intermediate Championship.
Both sides had a good division 2 campaign this year and both find themselves back in division 1 in 2027 but it was the Hightown side who had the better season as they won all their 13 games to finish well clear of the pack.
Aldergrove were less spectacular, winning 8 and losing five with two of those defeats coming at the hands of Friday night’s opponents.
That’s unlikely to have much effect on the outcome of Friday night’s final and the Crumlin men will rightly go into it brimming with confidence and feeling they can overcome a St. Enda’s side who will start as slight favourites.
St. James have enjoyed an impressive championship campaign with group wins over Gort na Mona, St. Teresa’s, Davitt’s and Naomh Una to top Group 1 unbeaten.
Action from the St. Enda’s v Gort na Mona semi-final
It was a similar situation in Group 2 as league winners, Naomh Eanna carried their unbeaten league run into the championship with Naomh Muire Ahoghill, St. Joseph’s Glenavy, Naomh Comhghall and Naomh Pasdraig Lisburn suffering defeats at the hands of the Hightown side.
Both St. James and St. Enda’s carried that fine form into the semi-finals of the championship with wins over Gort na Mona and Ahoghill respectively but it was the Crumlin side’s win over Ahoghill at tonight’s venue that most impressed.
In a game that was expected to be close, St. James tore up the script to overrun the Cloney side in a performance that had everything.
Trailing by 0-3 after 11 minutes it was the superb Seamus McGarry who set the contest alight as he kicked four points on the bounce to give his side a lead they would maintain until the end.
McGarry would finish the game as top scorer but was only one in a superb St. James side where Emmet Ervine, Chris McVeigh, Eoin Gough, Ryan Owens, Conleth Hendron and Ronan Hanna excelled.
Managed by former Armagh player John Rafferty, quite a number of the 2019 winning side are still part of the St. James panel with Fergal Burke, who starred in that win over St. Ergnat’s making a cameo appearance at Dunsilly in the semi-final and getting his name on the score-sheet.
Naomh Eanna are a much changed side to the one who set Antrim, Ulster and indeed Ireland alive back in 2018 but still retain a number of prominent members of that side.
Conan Lyttle, James McAuley, Mickey Morgan, Kristian Healey and Odhran Eastwood remain in a side now managed by former Antrim chairman, Ciaran McCavana.
They had 9 points to spare over Gort na Mona in their semi-final victory in Glenavy in a free scoring and skilful display with James McAuley, Fionn Nagle, Padhraig O’Hare, Conor Eastwood, Kristian Healey, Fionn Nagle, Mickey Morgan and Odhran Eastwood all getting their name on the score-card.
It could all go down to what team finds it form on the night and both sides have players who can be potential match winners with Seamus McGarry for Aldergrove and Odhran Eastwood for St. Enda’s just two of the players capable of setting this final alight.
We could be in for a real thriller in this one with the action kicking off at 7-00pm at Dunsilly and Tir na nOg’s Cathal McDermott the man in the middle tasked with keeping the action flowing.
