Casements  0 – 18 v   1 – 15  St Brigids

As the clock ticks into June, two clubs with championship aspirations later in the year went toe to toe for an hour at a wet O Cahan Park, at the end of which there was nothing to separate two teams who went on to serve up a thriller.

It was a game that ebbed and flowed as the lead changed hands numerous times but few in the crowd could argue with the result which really could have gone either way.

Patrick Finnegan showed his value to his club colours by featuring prominently throughout, starting off strongly with a driving run through the Casements defence to give the visitors an early lead. Paul Bradley doubled that lead a minute later and it was a full seven minutes before the home team could raise a flag, when it did it came from the trusty left boot of Ronan Kelly.

Conan McNicholl and JJ Higgins were lively throughout, this duo opened up the gap to four in favour of the visitors at the end of the first quarter. Casements in return were ponderous and slow to settle but they eventually found their rhythm  and when they did find their purple patch they would reel off seven scores in succession to go into the break five points to the good.

By finishing off the first half strongly maybe Casements thought the corner had turned but the city men had other ideas. Thirty seconds after the resumption Niall Duffy signalled intent when he fired over an excellent point and the next ten minutes belonged entirely to the visitors. A trio of Paul Bradley scores, a duo from James Smyth and valuable white flags from Rueben Carleton Darragh Quinn and Enda Downey completely turned this script on its head, and all momentum was with St Brigids.

Three long range two pointers from the superb Odhran Doherty did manage to keep Casements in the game though and as the contest edged towards its conclusion, and with the lively crowd on its feet any score at either end was to be critical.

Ruairi Hagan pointed from close to the sideline to put the hosts a point up, but almost immediately Enda Downey converted a free to draw level once more. With over 29 minutes played Aidan McAleese broke through for a superb solo effort to the acclaim of the home support who thought Casements were once again celebrating a last minute winner. Not to be though as with the game on the blow St Brigids showed excellent character and came again one very last wave. Referee Cloy Thompson ruled that Niall Duffy had been fouled on the ball, the result being the last action of the game fell to Enda Downey to tap over the equalising free and as they say, that was that.

In what was an absorbing competitive and fast paced game from the start, St Brigids were well served by Rueben Carleton and Aodhan McNicholl in defence, Patrick Finnegan in midfield, and up front where all the forwards looked lively, Niall Duffy, JJ Higgins, Conan McNicholl and Darragh Quinn particularly caught the eye.

Players who caught the eye for Casements include Ruairi Hagan, Aidan McAleese Niall McKeever, Niall Delargy and Paddy Kelly who made a valuable contribution when introduced late on.  They can also thank the accuracy of minor star Odhran Doherty who kicked four doubles and a single to keep Casements in the contest.

Referee Coly Thompson.

Scorers;

Casements; Odhran Doherty 0 – 9, Ronan Kelly 0 – 04, Aidan McAleese 0 – 03, Ciaran McAleese 0 – 01, Tom Duffin 0 – 01, Ruairi Hagan 0 – 01.

St Brigids; Paul Bradley 0 – 04, Darragh Quinn 1 – 00, Enda Downey 0 – 03, JJ Higgins 0 – 02, Conan McNicholl 0 – 01, Patrick Finnegan 0 – 01, Niall Duffy 0 – 01, James Smyth 0 – 02, Reuben Carleton 0 – 01,

Antrim Football League – Division One – Venue: Corrigan Park

St John’s 2-16 | Patrick Sarsfields 2-11

Pics by Philip of @pmc.jpeg

Wednesday evening saw a highly competitive and spirited encounter as Sarsfields made their first trip to Corrigan Park for a league game in over twenty years in Antrim’s top flight

The Paddies opened the scoring through a close-range free from Daniel Smyth following some intense early exchanges in the midfield area, but St John’s quickly responded, with Paddy McBride showing excellent awareness to punch the ball over the bar for an early equalizer.

The first goal of the game arrived when the Johnnies Conchuir Adams took aim for a two-point free. His shortened effort found Ryan McNulty lurking in the danger area, and the big forward confidently fisted the ball into the net to give his team an early boost. Paddy McBride then fired a tremendous effort over his shoulder in a crowded area, firmly putting the hosts in control. When the McBride struck once again, daylight began to appear between the sides and further points from Aaron Oliver and Christopher O’Neill further extended the Johnnies’ lead and put them in control.

However, Sarsfields responded emphatically when Gary Lennon pounced on a loose ball inside the box and lashed it beyond the St John’s goalkeeper. The Stewartstown side found their rhythm, and Jay Maguire added to their tally with a series of scores, including a two-point free that floated perfectly between the uprights despite the miserable, wet conditions.

Just before the break, referee Paddy Tumelty was forced to reduce both sides to 14 men after a player from each side became entangled in a disagreement before the half concluded with St John’s holding a narrow two-point advantage.

Second Half Drama

The competitive nature of the game carried into the second half. Despite both teams being a man down, the open space encouraged hard work and desire from both sides, though the opening four minutes remained scoreless.

Sarsfields broke the deadlock in spectacular fashion. A terrific pass from Conor Glenholmes found the oncoming Gary Lennon, who evaded his markers by brilliantly bouncing the ball over their heads to gain an extra step before lashing it into the roof of the net, drawing a massive cheer from the away contingent.

St John’s responded instantly. In a move mirroring their first-half success, Conchuir Adams passed to Ryan McNulty, who punched his second goal into the net.

The sides traded points, with Tomas Skillen curling a terrific effort over the black spot for Sarsfields, which was quickly answered by a well taken score from James Wilson. Sarsfields’ task grew harder when they lost another man, leaving them to fight an uphill battle with 13 men for the final 20 minutes.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Sarsfields battled admirably. Scores from Skillen and Smyth kept St John’s under pressure in the closing stages. However, the hosts eventually kicked on. Points from McBride, paired with a well-struck free from shot-stopper Brian ‘Bam’Neeson, breathed much-needed life into the home crowd.

Glenholmes added a point for the Paddies with help from McPolin, offering a glimmer of hope for a late comeback, but as the minutes waned, St John’s took control. James Wilson added a great point to stretch the lead, and goalkeeper Brian Neeson expertly wrapped up the game with two final points. His first came from a quickly taken free where he jinked past his defender, and his second was a precise strike off his right peg that kissed the upright, sealing a five-point victory.

For St John’s, it marks another strong victory over West Belfast rivals following their recent win over Rossa. They now head to Milltown, where St Galls await for another highly anticipated derby clash this weekend.

Team Lineups & Scorers

St John’s:

• B Neeson 0-3 (0-2F)
• M Darragh, O Jackson, L McCallin
• R Donnelly, C McEvoy 0-1, C O’Neill 0-1
• A Oliver 0-1, S McDonagh
• P McBride 0-6 (0-1F, 1xTP), C Adams, J Wilson 0-2
• O McAuley, R McNulty 2-2, C McGlade

Sarsfields:

• M Brady
• K Barry McArdle, C Laverty, M McPolin
• C Glenholmes 0-1, P McPeake, L Mitchell
• C Moley 0-1, C Murray
• D Smyth 0-3 (0-3F), J Maguire 0-4 (1xTPf), C McDonnell
• T Skillen 0-2, G Lennon 2-0, C McKernan

Senior Football League

Division One

Tír na nÓg 2-9 Dunloy 1-13

Wednesday 3 June

Brendan McTaggart reports from Whitehill, Randalstown

Dunloy recorded back to back league wins on Wednesday evening as they edged Tír na nÓg with just the minimum between the sides by the final whistle.  On a dirty, wet night that you wouldn’t put your dog out in, both sides were far from fluent.  The wet conditions meant handling errors were creating chaos but it was the Cuchullains who showed a little bit more composure when it mattered most.

Keelan Molloy was the star of the show.  Playing in his first football game for Dunloy since their Ulster club game against Newbridge, Molloy finished with nine points beside his name.  All but two of those coming from open play and somewhat fittingly it was he who hit the winning score of the game.

The visitors to Whitehill were dominant in the middle third with Eoin McFerran and Paudie McGilligan excellent.  Their ability to win breaking ball meant they controlled the game but with their shooting in front of the target letting them down, especially in the first half, the home side were always in the game.

Tír na nÓg were led superbly by Ciaran O’Neill at centre half back, his two pointer in the second half a highlight of the game.  He had plenty of assistance from Eamon McAllister and Darragh Fagan but the loss of Sean Duffin to injury at the start of the second half certainly hurt their challenge.

Live wire forward Caleb Smith grabbed the first of Tír na nÓg’s goals in the first half, the second coming in the last minute of the hour to tie the sides via Eamon McAllister and looked to have given Tír na nÓg a share of the league points on offer but Molloy had the final say at the other end of the pitch.

It was Molloy who got the opening score of the game before Oliver McAtamney and Emmet Murray took advantage of handling errors in the Dunloy defence to put the home side in front.

Dunloy were having the lions share of possession but weren’t converting that into points on the scoreboard in those early exchanges.  It was the 12^th minute before another score would come with Dunloy forward Donnach Laverty finding the back of the net.  It was a tidy, left footed finish from Laverty but it owed much to the initial run by Nigel Elliott.  Cutting in from the wing, Elliott lured the Tír na nÓg defence before passing to Laverty.  He would side step the first challenge before beating Sean-Paul McAtamney at his near post.

It was a further 11 minutes before either side would score again but the half finished with a flurry of scores.  Molloy with his second of the game came moments before Conal Cunning passed up the opportunity of scoring Dunloy’s second major of the game.  His effort blazing wide when it looked for the world that he would find the back of the net.

The Randalstown Blues responded to that with a brilliant two pointer from McAllister before Caleb Smith’s first goal of the game in the 26^th minute.  Sean Duffin delivering the ball high to the edge of the square where Fagan made life difficult for the Cuchullains defence.  The ball broke to Smith and he palmed to the back of the net.

Dunloy responded with points from Molloy and Elliott to tie the sides but Emmet Murray split the uprights for the last score of the half to give the home side a 1-5 to 1-4 lead at the interval.

Molloy and Fagan (’45) opened the scoring after the restart before Tír na nÓg and Fagan were denied by the crossbar.  The home side were awarded a free from a three man breach by Dunloy and whether by luck or by design, Fagan’s effort came crashing back off the crossbar with the Dunloy defence caught on their heels.

The Cuchullains would respond with points from substitute Barry McCloskey and Molloy but a quite brilliant two pointer form O’Neill edged the home side clear again.

It was Molloy who was causing all the damage for the visitors and his second free of the evening restored parity before his two pointer put Dunloy two clear.  Oisin McCamphill would add his name to the list of scorers with the Cuchullains going three clear going into the final quarter.

McAllister and Elliott would swap scores as Dunloy looked to control the game.  Scoring chances and the frenetic nature of the game had reduced with three between the sides but Tír na nÓg rolled the dice one more time.  O’Neill sending the ball high into the danger area once more where Fagan broke the ball for McAllister to fire home.

All eyes were on referee Darren McKeown to see how much injury time would be played but it was the Cuchullains who created that one more moment of quality as Molloy weaved his way into a scoring position to hit the winning score.

Tír na nÓg’s search for their first win of the season takes them to Ballymena on Sunday while Dunloy will host Portglenone on the same day.

TEAMS

Tír na nÓg Starting XV: Sean-Paul McAtamney; Ryan Crilly, Brandon McLarnon, Manus Smith; Daniel Martin, Ciaran O’Neill, Ciaran Logan; Oliver McAtamney, Sean Duffin; Emmet Murray, Eamon McAllister, Sean McKeown; Conor Hastings, Darragh Fagan, Caleb Smith

• Scorers: E McAllister 1-3 (1xTP), C Smith 1-00, E Murray 0-2, C O’Neill 0-2 (1xTP), O McAtamney 0-1, D Fagan 0-1 (1’45)

Dunloy Starting XV: Chrissy McMahon; Reece Cunning, Aaron Crawford, Sean Og Blaney; Aodhan McGarry, Ryan McGarry, James Scally; Eoin McFerran, Paudie McGilligan; Jack Martin, Conal Cunning, Oisin McCamphill; Donnach Laverty, Keelan Molloy, Nigel Elliott

• Scorers: K Molloy 0-9 (2fs, 1xTP), D Laverty 1-00, N Elliott 0-2, O McCamphill 0-1, B McCloskey 0-1

Referee: Darren McKeown (St Galls)

To see more of Brendan’s photos from the game, follow the link below….

https://myalbum.com/album/yQ9Nxs5qeDNGCK/?invite=269c223f-a798-4033-8049-7aa6e1b34112

ACFL Division 2

St. Enda’s 5-19 St. Teresa’s 1-8

A relentless second-half performance from St. Enda’s saw them restrict St. Teresa’s to a solitary point while racking up 3-10 to seal an emphatic 5-19 to 1-8 victory. The win ensures St. Enda’s maintain their top spot in ACFL Division 2 heading into the league split, while St. Teresa’s also progress into the top five despite the heavy scoreline.

St. Enda’s opened the match sharply, racing into a 0-3 to 0-0 lead by the sixth minute with points from Seán Neilan, Mickey Morgan, and Stephen O’Connor. Niall McCann responded with a brace of points for St. Teresa’s, but the league leaders hit back instantly through Padraig O’Hare, Morgan, and Odhrán Eastwood to lead 0-6 to 0-2.

The opening goal arrived in the 19th minute when Eastwood found the net for St. Enda’s. St. Teresa’s fought back through points from Anto Taylor and McCann, but St. Enda’s hit another purple patch. Points from Sean McBride, Padraig O’Hare, and Michael McKenna were followed by a brilliant solo goal from Mickey Morgan. A close-range goal from Niall McCann on 25 minutes threw St. Teresa’s a lifeline, and Anton Taylor added two further points to leave the halftime score at 2-9 to 1-7.

St. Teresa’s opened the second half with a point from Leo Morgan, but it proved to be their only score of the entire period. St. Enda’s completely took over, starting with two points from Eastwood. St. Teresa’s goalkeeper Philip Maguire made a fine save to briefly deny the hosts, but the pressure finally told on 14 minutes when Sean McBride surged through to score St. Enda’s third goal.

Eastwood added two more points—the second beautifully set up by McBride—before Padraig O’Hare struck a brace to extend the lead to 3-16 to 1-8 by the 22nd minute. St. Enda’s refused to take their foot off the gas in the closing stages. O’Hare notched another two points, substitute Fionn Nagle raised a white flag, and late goals from Seán Neilan and Zac Kyle capped off a dominant second-half display. A final point from the clinical Eastwood put the seal on a 23-point victory.

Naomh Éanna: (1) Sean Nagle, (2) Cillian Browne, (3) Diarmuid McNulty, (4) Eoghan O’Hare, (5) Ronan O’Neill, (6) James McAuley, (7) Sean McBride, (8) Padraig O’Hare, (9) Seán McCullagh, (10) Michael McKenna, (11) Stephen O’Connor, (12) Mickey Morgan, (13) Odhrán Eastwood, (14) Darragh Rooney, (15) Seán Neilan, (16) Fionn Nagle, (17) Zac Kyle, (18) Owen Kennedy,20 Ruairi McBride .

Naomh Teresa’s (1) Philip Maguire, (2) Philip Glennon, (3) Paul Johnston, (4) Ryan Mallon, (5) Conor Mallon, (6) Eoin Connolly, (7) Liam Connolly, (8) Darren McCann, (9) Seán Maguire, (10) Pierce O’Rawe, (11) Conor O’Rawe, (12) Anton Taylor, 14 Niall McCann, 15 Zac Morgan, 17 Leo Morgan, 18 Aodhan Dougan, 19 Diarmuid McTaggart

Referee: Paul McNally (Creggan)

TO VIEW MORE PICS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

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ACFL Division 1 Senior Football

Kickhams Creggan 0-24 | Naomh Gall St Galls 0-10

Venue: Creggan | Date: Wednesday, 3 June 2026

Match report: Gerard Kelly | Photos: Dominic Kelly

Kickhams Creggan produced a commanding all-round display to brush aside St Galls by fourteen points at a sodden Creggan on Wednesday evening, running out comfortable 0-24 to 0-10 winners in conditions that made flowing football a serious challenge. In heavy, persistent rain that never relented throughout the sixty minutes, Creggan’s accuracy, width of scoring threat and sheer work rate proved far too much for the visitors.

The hosts shared the scoring around with no fewer than thirteen different players raising white flags — a remarkable statistic on any evening, let alone one as testing as this. While St Galls competed gamely in the opening quarter, Creggan gradually tightened their grip and pulled clear with a dominant second-half showing that left no doubt as to the destination of the points.

Even Start Before Creggan Find Their Range

St Galls actually settled the quicker of the two sides, with Michael Pollock opening the scoring inside two minutes. Shea McCann replied for Creggan on 4, but Daniel Quinn and Pollock again had the visitors 0-03 to 0-01 ahead inside the opening ten minutes — an early sign that St Galls had travelled with intent.

Creggan, however, responded emphatically. Liam Quinn pointed on 10, and Ruairi McCann and Eunan McAteer followed to level matters. Kevin Small and Shea McCann edged the hosts in front, and from there the home side never looked back. Despite the greasy conditions underfoot, Creggan’s forwards moved the ball cleverly, and points from Sean Duffin (24th), Ruairi McCann (25th) and Conor Small (26th) had the hosts in a commanding position. Ruairi McCann’s two-point score on 28 and another Shea McCann point on 30 stretched Creggan’s lead to 0-12 to 0-05 at the interval — a deserved advantage given how thoroughly they had taken control after that early wobble.

Creggan Pull Clear After The Break

If St Galls harboured any hopes of a comeback in the second half, they were swiftly extinguished. Creggan came out with real purpose and simply overwhelmed the visitors. A brace from Jamie McCann in the 38th and 39th minutes set the tone, and Kevin Small added a point on 40 followed by a superb two-point score on 41 to push the gap into double figures.

St Galls, to their credit, kept battling, with Pollock and their number 13 doing what they could to stem the tide. But Creggan were relentless. Dominic McAteer pointed on 48, and the home side then produced their most eye-catching passage of the evening — Conor McCann landing a two-pointer on 50 before Shea McCann pointed almost immediately to leave Creggan out of sight.

The scores kept coming. Joe McAteer (56th), Conor Johnston (59th) and Mark Dougan (60th) all found the target late on as Creggan ran out fourteen-point winners, with substitute Conor Small and the introductions off the bench all playing their part in a thoroughly professional team performance.

The Verdict

This was about as complete a display as Creggan could have produced in such difficult conditions. The McCann contingent led the way — Shea (0-4), Ruairi (0-4), Jamie (0-2) and Conor (0-2) combining for twelve points between them — while Kevin Small (0-4) was equally influential. The spread of thirteen different scorers spoke volumes about Creggan’s collective threat, and their ability to maintain such accuracy in driving rain was hugely impressive.

For St Galls, Michael Pollock (0-4) and Daniel Quinn (0-4) carried the bulk of the scoring threat, but the visitors were ultimately second best in every sector and will have plenty to ponder ahead of their next outing. On this evidence, Creggan look every inch a side capable of challenging at the top end of Division One.

KICKHAMS CREGGAN: Oisin Kerr; Eunan McAteer (0-1), Liam McLernon, Fintan Close; Aidan Maguire, Ethan Carey-Small, Dominic McAteer (0-1); Kealan McCann, Jamie McCann (0-2); Sean Duffin (0-1), Kevin Small (0-4), Ruairi McCann (0-4); Joe McAteer (0-1), Liam Quinn (0-1), Shea McCann (0-4). Also used: Conor Small (0-1) for L. Quinn (inj.), Conor McCann (0-2) for P. McGuckian, Mark Dougan (0-1), Conor Johnston (0-1).

NAOMH GALL ST GALLS: Niall McCurdy; Christopher Hale, Gairech Mac Adhaimh, Eoghan McCurdy; John McCaffrey, Dubhaltach Mac Liam, Damien Ball; Manus McCrossan, ConorRyan; Conaill Murray, Daniel Quinn (0-4), Cormac Austin; [No. 13] (0-2), Padraig Jnr O’Muirigh, Michael Pollock (0-4). Also used: Louis McCormick, Michael Hopkins, Martin Murray, Niall Fallon, Aidan McDonagh.

TO VIEW MORE OF DOMINIC KELLY’S PICS CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

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