CLICK ON THE PHOTO BELOW TO SEE THE MATCH REPORT AND PICS FROM THE 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP MEETING IN ARMAGH
Author / thesaffrongael
St. Brigid’s on target to retain their title
O’Neill’s ACFL Division 1
St Brigid’s 2-13 Glenravel 1-8
Last year’s division 1 winners, St. Brigid’s have made an excellent start to this year’s campaign and on Wednesday night they recorded their third win from three starts when they entertained Con Magee’s at Musgrave Park.
They looked well on their way to victory at the halfway stage when they led the visitors by 10 points although the men from the Glens improved after the break, they could never get to within striking distance.
St Brigid’s opened brightly with Paul Bradley fisting over in their first attack and while Conan McNicholl doubled their advantage as they took the game to Glenravel.
A superb kick-out by goalkeeper Declan Heery then found Bradley who placed Cathal Conway who split the posts before the visitors got off the mark through Aidan O’Donnell.
The reigning league champions responded with Bradley on target and Enda Downey converted a free before Shea Downey made a break through the middle, and placed Ryan Tweedy who had the easiest task of finishing to the empty net.
Glenravel hit back with a goal of their own just three minutes later as an excellent long ball was fetched by O’Donnell who put Declan Traynor in to finish low to the net.
Once again, St Brigid’s found a reply as Bradley kicked his third of the half and Tweedy grabbed his second goal in the space of seven minutes and this time, Dara Quinn was the provider as he cut in on the right and found his team-mate who made no mistake.
Quinn got a score of his own before Tweedy was denied a hat-trick of goals as Jonathan Fyfe made an excellent blocking save before Conor King added a point for the home side.
Glenravel ended a scoreless 17 minute spell from an O’Donnell free, but the hosts would have the final say of the opening period from a Heery 45 as they went in at the break with a very healthy 2-9 to 1-2 lead.
St. Brigid’s increased their lead to 11 early in the second half with Reuben Carleton firing over, but Glenravel enjoyed a decent spell with three brilliantly-taken points on the bounce as O’Donnell curled one either side of efforts from half-time substitute Rian Lennon.
The hosts steadied however as Tweedy and Conor McAleer added points to leave 10 between them heading into the final stages.
Glenravel were still battling hard and hit the next three points, Daniel McQuillan and Fergus Donnelly assisting O’Donnell, but Paul Bradley had the final score of the evening for the Musgrave Park side to leave them joint top with St. Gall’s, Cargin and O’Donnell’s who all have maximum points.
St Brigid’s: D Heery (0-1, 1×45); N Finnegan, C King (0-1), J McCarney; S Campbell, S Downey, R Carleton (0-1); C Conway (0-1), M Cummings; D Quinn (0-1), E Downey (0-1f), P Bradley (0-4); B Doherty, C McNicholl (0-1), R Tweedy (2-1).
Subs: E Sherry for S Campbell (12), C McAleer (0-1) for E Downey (26), F Meenan for S Downey (33), S O’Hare for C Conway (52), D Magee for D Quinn (56).
Glenravel: J Fyfe; D McAuley, E McCusker, R McCormick; E Ward, D McQuillan (0-1), C Henry; D Higgins, S Higgins; C Higgins, F Donnelly (0-1), J Martin; A O’Donnell (0-4, 2f), S McKay, D Traynor (1-0).
Sub: F Lennon (0-2) for D Higgins (HT).
Referee: Colin Thompson (St John’s)
TO SEE MORE OF DYLAN’S PHOTOS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
https://myalbum.com/album/pLsp2Nj2NqxsdY/?invite=4be01310-3d7d-4c64-b7ff-c45fe09dacdc
Saints Welcome Sam!
Sam Maguire made the journey from his present home in Armagh to Ballymena this week for a very special occasion – to help the All Saints club mark the start of their 50th anniversary celebrations. Formed in 1975 the Ballymena club has planned a series of events to mark the five decades since and this week’s guest appearance provided the perfect start to their programme.
Members representing the club’s various committees and teams were in attendance and photos were the order of the day for all as The Saffron Gael’s Bert Trolan patiently accommodated all. The club wishes to thank our former Orchard County native & G4MO player, Sinead Connolly, for organising the visit and looking after Sam on his travels. Thanks also to the Armagh county board for sharing a little piece of GAA royalty with the club in this, our special year.
TO VIEW MORE OF BERT TROWLEN’S PICS FROM THE NIGHT CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
Aldergrove maintain winning start with victory over Lámh Dhearg
O’Neills ACFL Division One
Aldergrove 2-13-1-12 Lámh Dhearg
Kevin Herron reports from Crumlin
Aldergrove made it three wins from their opening three games with a deserved 2-13-1-12 win over Lámh Dhearg at Crumlin on Sunday afternoon.
The hosts went in high on confidence with back-to-back wins under new boss John Rafferty, with Lámh Dhearg hoping to bounce back from defeat at Cargin last time out.
Aldergrove were off the mark within the first sixty seconds as Oisin Graham curled an angled shot inside the large posts, but Donal Martin levelled things up a few minutes later.
Martin nudged his side ahead with a splendid two-pointer and a converted Adam Murray free in the aftermath had the Lámhs 0-4-0-1 ahead.
The hosts cut the deficit through a fine Brian McQullian score and then Christopher McSteen linked up with Eoin Gough to reduce arrears to a single-point.
Conor Murray opened his account for the afternoon, popping the ball over from Evan Stanley’s pass, however Aldergrove hit the front midway through the half.
Caiden Lagan charged forward and played a one-two with Seamus McGarry before powering towards the net and finishing past Gerard Smyth to make it 1-3-0-5.
Scores were traded from the placed ball as Gerard Smyth came up to land a straight-forward 65’ and Seamus McGarry replied from a free – before the lead changed hands again.
Daniel Murray lined up a shot that goalkeeper Oisin McGarry spilled and it allowed Adam Murray a simple tap-in to give the Lámhs a 1-6-1-4 advantage.
Successive McGarry points- one from a free and the other from a 65’ tied things up again, with Ben Rice and McGarry trading points from play as the game ticked towards the break.
On the stroke of half time Aldergrove were reduced to 14-men for a ten-minute period after Referee Ray Matthews black-carded Corey Fogarty for a high challenge on Daniel Murray and in the last act of the half, Conor Murray swung over the resulting free to ensure his side held a 1-8-1-7 lead at the interval.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Aldergrove restored parity through a Sean Fay point and their second goal of the game arrived a few minutes later.
Lámh Dhearg thought that they had netted at the other end but a foul in the build-up lead to a free out and the hosts took full advantage when the ball was moved into the path of Seamus McGarry, and his low drive across the face of goal found the bottom corner to make it 2-8-1-8.
The deficit was reduced when Terry McCrudden’s dipping shot was pushed over the bar – though McGarry squeezed a shot inside the near post and superb two-pointer from Christopher McSteen followed.
Substitute Mark Finnegan replied from a converted free, but Ronan Hanna hit back from the same scenario.
The hosts were reduced to 14-men for the second time after Corey Fogarty was red-carded for an off the ball incident and it wasn’t the last of the afternoon as Aiden Irvine and Conor Murray were giving their marching orders for another flare up off the ball.
It was too little too late for the Lámhs to try and make the most of their numerical advantage as Aldergrove never really looked under any serious pressure of conceding a second goal that would have set-up a tense finish.
Mark Finnegan provided his sides late consolation scores from the placed ball with Seamus McGarry adding to his tally in the dying embers as Aldergrove ran out 2-13-1-12 winners at the conclusion to maintain their unbeaten start to the campaign.
Aldergrove: O McGarry, C Lagan (1-0), A Irvine, L Fleming, E Gough (0-1), C McVeigh, C Fogarty, B McQuillan (0-1), Conor Browning, S Fay , O Graham (0-1), C McSteen (0-3, 1×0-2pt), R McCarthy, R Hanna (0-1f), S McGarry (1-06, 0-2f, 0-1 65’). Subs: D Gough for C S Fay(34), C McGarry for C McSteen (46).
Lámh Dhearg: G Smyth (0-1 65’), Ross Murray, P Mervyn, M McGarry, N McGarry, D Lynch. E Stanley, C Murray (0-2, 0-1f), C Boyd, B Rice (0-1), T McCrudden (0-1), D Murray, D Martin (0-3, 1x02pt), P Fitzsimons, A Murray (1-1, 0-1f). Subs:C Fegan for D Murray (HT) M Finnegan (0-3f) for A Murray (43), S McCarthy for E Stanley (50).
Referee: Ray Matthews (Rossa)
Antrim stand their ground as they welcome Armagh to Corrigan
Ulster SFC Quarter-Final
Antrim v Armagh Saturday 12-30 (Corrigan Park)
Like most of you I suspect, I’m sick to the teeth of the ongoing debate about the redevelopment of Casement Park as one obstacle after another has been placed in the way of the promised new stadium.
My views on what has happened and what is likely to happen is for another day and might be better not put in print but the more recent bombshell that Antrim would have to concede home advantage to Armagh in the Ulster SFC Quarter-Final has added insult to injury.
Talk about kicking a man when he’s down! The timing of this announcement was even worse than the announcement itself. Antrim were fighting for division 3 survival when the announcement was made and it certainly proved a distraction as they lost their last two league games to suffer relegation to division 4.
To their great credit the Antrim players and management came out fighting with the announcement that if the game was not played at Corrigan they would not be playing it at all.
A standoff between the Saffrons and Ulster Council ensued as the ‘Corrigan or nowhere’ debate gathered momentum with the provincial body finally relinquishing their stance at the 11th hour.
Corrigan Park has proved an excellent venue since the Casement Park gates were closed back in 2013. A stand and terracing has been installed at the St. John’s ground and the Whiterock Road club have done a superb job in hosting county football and hurling games there.
As the Casement Park debacle continues to drag its feet it would make a lot of sense if the powers that be would provide further funding for the up-dating of terracing and any further development that would enhance the ‘Johnnies’ ground.
Meanwhile its business as usual! Andy McEntee and his Antrim team should be applauded for their stance. It feels a little bit like the Alamo and on Saturday that courage will be needed as they welcome the All Ireland champions to West Belfast. To be fair Armagh never got involved in the argument and their manager Kieran McGeeney appeared to back the Antrim cause.
We at the Saffron Gael have supported the Antrim stance and we will be there to cover Saturday’s David v Goliath encounter.
We call on Antrim fans to get behind their team and hopefully cheer them on to what would be a historic victory.
Come on Antrim!