Latharna Og travelled up the A8 to Mallusk to play Loch Mór Dál gCais. After late changes with the match being put back to 8pm and a reshuffle of the team, as only 14 Loch Mór Dál gCais players were available, the girls put the confusion behind them and put their head in the game. After a slow start and a very physical game, they soon got composure and shape throughout the team. It didn’t take long to get into their usual swing of things and they started to tick the scoreboard over nicely. A great scoring exhibition from Beth McCauley and Erin Petticrew getting back into the form of last year. Good to see Bronagh Shields and Holly Gillan consistently getting the scores in again, with Ellie McKinley and Colleen Duffy adding further points to the tally. A lot of debut starts for girls – and what a performance they put in, they didn’t shy away from any action and they will for sure give management headaches. Again the girls are asked to show up and do the best they can whoever the opposition and that they did! Management can only speak highly of them when chatting about the girls “from training session and matches – the enjoyment is the key factor which makes it all click to get the right performance – they are credit to mentor” Well done to Emma McConkey (debut) Ellie McKinley and Alice Gillan for standout performances. Beth McCauley for the continued Scores Good luck to Loch Mór Dál gCais in their remaining fixtures
Thanks again to @paulmcilwaine for the great photos
As Vincent Boyle blew the whistle and threw the ball in, the rain was pelting down and conditions were poor with light fading. Both sides started the contest battling for every ball and nothing really separated the teams bar the ability of both their goalkeepers – Rossa’s Sophia Erskine and Creggan’s Fiona Maguire were both outstanding making brave saves, clearing their line and pucking the ball out with pinpoint accuracy. The home side had a 4 point lead with 10 minutes to go and the visitors threw everything at them but they couldn’t close he gap.
Mary Murray got the Staffordstown side up and running with a clever point 3 minutes in. County Player Eavanne Martin added the next 2 points – 1 from play and 1 from a free. Rossa’s response was a quick point from Caoimhe McNeice and a goal minutes later from Lois Lynch to put the visitors 1 point up but this was Rossa’s last score until the 28th minute when Deborah Lees was on target from close range after several unsuccessful attempts. As we approached half time, Rossa were guilty of some poor finishing and bad luck. Creggan, on the other hand, had Eavanne Martin in top form adding 2 further points from the placed ball while her colleague Mary Murray doubled her tally with the last point of the half to leave Creggan 2 points ahead at the break
HALF TIME SCORE: Creggan 0.07 v Rossa 1.02
It took 10 minutes of second half action before a white flag was raised. Both teams battled intensely around mid-field and the ball and that is where the majority of the exchanges were concentrated.
Rossa’s Natalie McGuinness, Lois McMullan and Lois Lynch fought intensely with Creggan’s Aoife McAteer, Ella McAteer and Rubymarie Rice ensuring that scores would be at a premium. Eavanne Martin increased her tally by adding another pointed free while her team mate Mia Quinn got her name on the score board toextend the Creggan lead 12 minutes into the game.
As the tussle continued with players managing to break out of midfield, it was now the job of both the talented goalkeepers to keep the respective sides within touching distance. Sophia Erskine and Creggan’s Maguire both produced superb saves given the terrible conditions.
Rossa had a great opportunity with12 minutes to go from a 20m free to narrow the gap as Emily McGurk lined up to take the free. The signal came from the dugout to go low striking the ball directly at Creggan’s Maguire who stopped it dead before launching it out to be intercepted by Aoife McAteer who duly dropped it over the bar.
The visitors’ failed attempt on goal only encouraged their intensity. Their defence worked tirelessly – Clodagh McMenamin, Deborah Lee and Jade McKnight – held firm to keep the Creggan advance from over running their goal. The visitors became increasingly desperate to close the 3 point gap and they put the Creggan backline under overwhelming pressure – the experienced Kelly Mulholland, Emma McAuley and Rose Carey Small were superb in defence.
The Rossa push forward left their defence vulnerable and Creggan’s substitute Ciara McCollum, Susan McIlwee and Eavanne Martin were unlucky as the ball drifted low and wide twice with 5 minutes to go. The home side finally got through for the goal that their pressure deserved however and vulnerable and Eavanne Martin finished the action for the day with a goal on injury time.
CREGGAN: No.1 Fional Maguire No.2 Emma McAuley, No.3 Kelly Mulholland, No.4 Rose Carey Small, No.5 Caoimhe McAteer, No.6 Megan Nelson, No.7 Sile Murray, No.8 Aoife McAteer (0.01), No.9 Ella McAteer, No.10 Eavanne Martin (1.06), No.11 Rubymarie Rice, No.12 Mia Quinn (0.01) No.13 Cerys O’Neill, No.14 Susan McIlwee, No.15 Mary Murray (0.02,) No.16 Maria Gately, No.17 Ciara McCollum, No.18 Neva Chauhan, No.20 Aine Colgan, No.21 Megan Darragh, No.22 Laura McCann.
Games between these sides are always open and entertaining and Sunday’s meeting in Ballymena was no different as All Saints and St. Joseph’s Glenavy served up a thoroughly entertaining hour’s football. There was little between the sides during a rather cagey opening half with a Ronan McKillop goal for All Saints separating the sides at half time and the score standing at 1-5 to 0-5.
New All Saints manager, Liam ‘Baker’ Bradley has certainly given youth its chance since taking over at the start of the season, some of the changes forced by the unavailability of his more experienced players and he will have been pleased by the development of some of these players while consistency has been a problem.
His youthful charges certainly stepped up to the mark in this encounter as play opened up and swung from end to end during the second half and a skilful Glenavy playing its part on keeping an appreciative audience entertained.
Shea O’Brien who scored 0-3 for All SaintsJames mcDonnell who was solid in the All Saints defence
Brendan McDonnell and Conell Lemon led the All Saints attack and their pace and finishing power was vital as the home side maintained their three point lead to the end with McDonnell bringing his personal tally to 0-4 and Lemon getting All Saints second goal.
The visitors gave it everything with Fiontan O’Boyle and Ryan Phillips getting their two second half goals and Paddy Gallagher and Oisin Hamill strong in defence while Fergal Henry and Niall McCann were a handful in attack.
Shea O’Brien contributed 0-3 from midfield for the home side and youngsters Cal O’Brien, Shaun O’Callaghan and the recently returned Cormac Lemon caught the eye for a fast and skilful home side.
All Saints: 1. Niall Shannon 0-1 2. James Gillian 3. Cormac Lemon 4. James McDonnell 5. Ciaran McGarry 6. Rhys OMullan 7. Joe Rafferty 8. Emmet Killough 9. Shea OBrien 0-3 10. Cal OBrien 0-1 11. Oisin Connolly 12. Shaun OCallaghan 0-2 13. Brendan McDonnell 0-4 14. Connell Lemon 1-1 15. Ronan McKillop 1-0 Half time was 1-5 All Saints 0-5 glenavy
St. Joseph’s: G Collins, M Fox, L Henry, D Doherty, P Gallagher, O Hamill, M Lawlor, F O ‘Boyle, C Loney, R Phillips, N McCann, S O’Neill, F Cunningham, M Doherty, F Henry
A Conor Hasson goal, four minutes into injury time secured a draw for a battling Rasharkin against high flying Davitt’s at Davitt’s Park on Sunday. The sides were level at 0-5 to 0-5 at half time but Sean McKenna’s side looked to have secured the points when they led by three with time almost up.
The Dreen men had battled all the way to stay in contention however but their efforts looked to have been in vain when Hasson got on the end of one last attack and finished to the net.
It was the home side who made the better start as Caomhin Slane fired over a couple of early points before Seamus Ellis opened the visitors account with a point in the 11th minute. Padraig McPartland edged the home side two in front once more but St. Mary’s came back strongly to hit the next three points of the game through Shane Hasson and two from Eammon McNeill to take the lead with 22 minutes gone.
Aaron Slane came up field from goals to fire over the equaliser in the 25th minute but Rasharkin were playing some excellent football and Ryan Lynch edged them in front once more as the game edged into first half injury time.
Shane Hasson who’s injury time goal earned Rasharkin a draw at Davitt’s
Davitt’s certainly knew they were in a game but they finished the half strongly and Gerard Slane sent over an injury time free to leave the contest all square at the short whistle and all still to play for in the second half.
There had been nothing to separate the protagonists during a keenly contested opening half and the game remained evenly balanced during the third quarter with Jack Scally edging Davitt’s ahead with a point in the third minute and Eammon McNeill responding with a point for the South West side to tie thew contest yet again.
It would be another nine minutes before Davitt’s would add to their second half account as Tony McGrattan edged them into the lead again and then Padraig McParland added another to put them two in front with 17 minutes of the second half gone.
Rasharkin found a reply almost immediately as the excellent Shane Hasson fired over before Aaron Slane stepped out from his goalkeeping berth to restore his side’s two point advantage as both sides battled to gain supremacy.
Ryan Lynch pointed a free in the 23d minute to keep the visitors in touch but Davitt’s efforts seemed to have finally paid off when Padraig McParland pointed a in the 25th minute and added another as the game moved into time added on to put the city side three in front.
It looked over at this stage but the battling qualities that have been a feature of St. Mary’s this season saw them grab an injury time goal from Conor Hasson to give them a valuable point.
Rasharkin: 1 – Tiernan O’Boyle 2 – Daniel Doherty 3 – Emmet McFerran 4 – Pearse Kelly
A virtuoso display by All Saints full-forward, Diarmuid ‘Mitch’ McNally helped All Saints to a deserved ten point victory over St. Mary’s Ahoghill in the opening game of the ACFL Division 2 Reserve league at Quinn Park tonight.
The number 14 was unplayable over the hour and finished the game with a personal total 0f 2-6 in a game where the home side always looked like winning after a cagey opening quarter where the visitors led by 1-2 to 1-1.
It was corner-back Shea Neeson who got forward for an early goal for the visitors but when Mitch McNally redirected an Enda Kennedy shot with a flick of his wrist to the net in the 10th minute to level matters at 1-1 apiece the Ballymena side never looked back.
Enda Kennedy, Diarmuid McNally, Niall Quinn, McNally again and Joe Rocks added unanswered points by the 23d minute to move the home side five ahead and the strong running and pace of the All Saints attack was stretching the Ahoghill men.
‘Mitch’ McNally took an astute pass from Owen Walsh to extend the home side’s lead with a good point on the restart and points from Niall Walsh and McNally again moved All Saints 8 in front and they were threatening to run away with it at this stage.
Diarmuid ‘Mitch’ McNally who scored 2-6 for All Saints in their win over St. Mary’s Ahoghill
Ahoghill began to use the long ball into the danger area however and it paid dividends as Ryan Keenan and then Ryan McPeake capitalized on panic in the Ballymena defence with two quick goals that left them trailing by just two points at the end of the third quarter.
All Saints regained their composure and the initiative as McNally fired a daisy cutter to the corner of the net and when Niall Walsh got his side’s third major with ten minutes remaining it looked all over. Ciaran Campbell, McNally, Charlie Metrustry 0-2 and Aidan Scullion all added points to move their side out of site.
To their credit the Cloney men never gave up and were rewarded with a penalty after Shea Neeson was fouled in the small square and the corner back picked himself up to beat Daniel McCoy from the spot to conclude the scoring.
Shea Neeson, who scored 2-0 for Ahoghill at Quinn Park
All Saints: 1 Daniel McCoy, 20 Jude Casey, 3 Jack Agnew, 4 Paddy O’Brien, 5 Michael Read 6 Dara Walsh, 7 Conal Killough, 8 Luke O’Rawe, 9 Joe Rocks, 10 Niall Walsh, 11 Eoin Walsh, 12 Darragh Mussen, 13 Charlie Metrustry, 14 Diarmuid McNally, 15 Enda Kennedy.
