O’Neill’s Sportswear Antrim Football League Division Three

Éire Óg 1-13 St Malachy’s 3-3

PJ Toal was the difference in the end as Eire Og pipped St. Malachy’s in an entertaining and keenly contested game to deny the ‘Mals’ their first points in division 3 this year.

Mid-fielder Toal hit 0-7 on the evening as his side won by the minimum in this Belfast derby at Woodlands on Wednesday evening.

Both sides had early chances but it took a few minutes for the opening score to arrive and it proved to be a huge boost for the visitors as a long ball was broken down to James McGivern who burst in on the left and thumped high into the net.

Éire Óg responded well as PJ Toal opened his account for the night from a free and Ronan Donnelly sent a long range effort between the uprights.

It was end to end at this stage as Patrick McDiarmid guided over for the South Belfast men, but Eire Og were growing into the game as as PJ Toal landed another free and then Stephen Erskine intercepted a pass before feeding Conor McKenna who shrugged off a challenge and finished to the net.

Toal added a point from play, but on 17 minutes the sides were level once more as Anthony Dobbin was tripped inside the area when trying to get onto a long ball and a penalty was awarded that was well finished to the corner by team captain Ciaran Vernon.

St Malachy’s failed to build on it however as Éire Óg came strong in the period leading up to the break as Mark Graham and Conall Smyth found their range in-between a pair of  PJ Toal frees to put their side into a 1-8 to 2-1 lead at the break.

St Malachy’s made a good start to the second half as Anton McGreevy got his hand to a dropping Vernon free to guide the ball over, but Conor McKenna hit back and then with his first touch since being introduced, Conor Erskine clipped over to push the gap to five.

That remained the difference after Vernon and Toal swapped points as the game was becoming disjointed with plenty of hits going in but little by way of flowing play.

It appeared to suit St Malachy’s who were pressing up in numbers in an attempt to get themselves back into the game and they were rewarded in the 55^th minute from a turnover as Vernon put McDiarmid away to finish low to the corner of the net and leave two between them.

This was as close as they would get as late points from Ronan Donnelly and Toal’s seventh of the night sealed the points for Éire Óg as St Malachy’s continue their search for their opening points of the season.

ÉIRE ÓG: C McMenamin; C Rice, P Loughran, R Clarke; J Devlin, C McKenna (1-1), S McEvoy; C Smyth (0-1), PJ Toal (0-7, 5f); D Campbell, R Donnelly (0-2), E McNulty; S Erskine, M Graham (0-1), C Carberry.

Subs: C Erskine (0-1) for C Carberry (36), E Holmes for E McNulty (44), D Doonan for S McEvoy (58)

ACFL Division 3

Naomh Comhghall CLG 3-13 v Na Piarsaigh 0-6

Naomh Comhghall got their division 3 campaign under new manager Barry Burns off to an emphatic start and the former St. Paul’s player had his side well set up for what turned out to be a fairly comfortable victory.

St Comgall’s and Patrick Pearses GAC took to the field for their first match of the season on Saturday. From the start both sides approached the game in a positive mode and the while the final score was definitive both sides deserve credit for their efforts.

Naomh Comhghall moved the ball at pace and their finishing was impressivedespite a very soft and wet pitch which hampered efforts at times.

Barry Burns will be happy with his side’s first performance under his guidance but it is early days yet. If the Antrim town team can bring the commitment that they are certain to get from their new manager then they are quite capable of competing for honours this season.

ACFL Division 3

Rasharkin 8-14 Eire Og 0-4

There was an inevitability about this one from the time Eammon McNeill fired home Rasharkin’s opening goal in the 6^th minute and the big crowd who turned up at Dreen to see their side crowned division 3 champions were not disappointed.

The home side finally received confirmation that they were to be awarded the points when St. Agnes were unable to field early in the season so the mathematics were simple, win this one and Rasharkin are league champions. Loss or even draw and O’Donnell’s could pip them for the title.

To their credit Eire Og arrived at Dreen with nothing to play for but pride and despite suffering a heavy defeat in the end, they played some good football at times.

The visitors lacked a cutting edge in attack and surprisingly failed to use the long basll to their advantage in the opening half when they had a strong wind at their backs.

Playing into the wind, Rasharkin played some delightful football as they moved the ball around at speed through the hands and continuously created openings which inevitably led to scores.

They led 1-2 to 0-1 after six minutes with Oran McMullan and Fergus Quigg getting them on their way before Eammon McNeill finished clinically to the net.

Conall Smyth got the Og’s on their way with a good long range point but the visitors continued to play the possession game and were inevitably turned over as McNeill added a couple of points before Oran McMullan got in for Rasharkin’s second goal at the end of the opening quarter.

Adam McKenna raised the visitor’s second flag when he pointed a free in the 16^th minute but Eammon McNeill replied with a point before firing home his second and his sides third goal with 8 minutes remaining to the break.

Tiernan O’Boyle fired a ‘45’ majestically between the posts into the wind and Thomas ‘Tucker’ McMullan raised a cheer of approval from an appreciative home crowd when he fired to the net in the 27^th minute.

A minute later young mid-fielder O’Boyle got in for his side’s fifth goal and with the wind to face in the second half, it looked like an exercise in damage limitation for the city side.

It didn’t get any easier for Eire Og as matters got underway again with Eammon McNeill completed his hat-trick with a goal in the 2^nd minute and Ryan Lynch added a point before the excellent Thomas McMullan added his second goal and his side’s seventh in the 12^th minute.

To their credit Eire Og never gave up or resorted to foul tactics as they continued to play a possession game with limited success and they did break forward on several occasions but were unable to apply the finish.

A minute after McMullan’s goal, Ryan Lynch fired home their 8^th and it would be their last as the Rasharkin management gave game time to their bench.

Killian O’Boyle, Eammon McNeill and Oran McMullan added points for the home side before Eire Og’s were finally rewarded for their efforts as Brendan Shannon fired over their third point in the 20^th minute.

Ryan Lynch and substitute, Jack Quinn replied for the home side but Eire Og were still battling against impossible odds and were rewarded with a point from Conall Smyth.

The Dreen side would finish as they had started however with Ryan Lynch and Killian O’Boyle concluding the scoring with late points before the big home crowd joined their heroes on the field for the celebrations.

County committee member, Barney Herron was there to present the cup to a delighted Rasharkin captain, Thomas McMullan and afterwards the youngsters from the club joined in the celebration photograph

Rasharkin: 1 – Andrew Hasson, 2 – Pearse Kelly, 3 – Daniel Doherty, 4 – Conor Higgins, 5 – Colm Kennedy, 6 – Conor Hasson, 7 – Fergus Quigg, 8 – Cathal Mooney, 9 – Ruairi O’Boyle

10 – Oran McMullan, 11 – Thomas McMullan, 12 – Oisin Casey, 13 – Tiernan O’Boyle, 14 – Eammon McNeill, 15 – Ryan Lynch

Eire Og: 1 Mark Hamill, 2 Jarlath Devlin, 3 Eanna mcNulty, 4 Oran McMenamin, 5 Stephen Erskine, 6 Alexander Dixon-McNight, 7 Adam McKenna, 8 Conall Smyth, 9 Ronan Donnelly, 10 Gavin Donnelly, 11 Brendan Shannon, 12 Kevin Comber, 13 Joseph Melarkey, 14 Stephen Mullin, 15 Christopher Carberry

Referee: Richie Leahy.

Antrim Football League – Division 3

St Malachy’s 0-6 Rasharkin 2-14

Rasharkin got their Division 3 promotion hopes back on track after last week’s defeat to O’Donnell’s when they travelled to Cherryvale on Wednesday evening and beat St Malachy’s

The Dreen men were slow getting started and were 0-4 to 0-0 behind in the early stages but once they found their feet there no stopping them and they turned up the pace in the second half to win in the end by fourteen points.

St Malachy’s had the better of the early exchanges and scored the first four points of the game through Jack McGovern Paul Divine, Ronan Maneely and Ciaran Vernon. Rasharkin were creating plenty of scoring chances, but wayward shooting, and a couple of smart saves by the Mal’s keeper Sean Turley were keeping the Dreen men at bay.

However once they finally found the target through corner forward Tiernan O’Boyle the score began to flow and further points from Eamon McNeill (2), Ryan Lynch and Conor Higgins had them 0-5 to 0-4 ahead at the break.

They stretched their lead to four early in the second half as Eamon McNeill, Ruairi O’Boyle and Tiernan O’Boyle added points, but Shea Lynch pulled one back for St Malachy’s to leave just three between the sides. McNeill and Ruairi O’Boyle pushed Rasharkin five ahead and when man of the match McNeill got in for a goal there was no way back for the Mal’s.

Ronan Maneely pulled one back for the home side but it was to be St Malachy’s final score and Rasharkin added a further 1-4 without reply, the goal coming from Cathal Mooney to run out winners by 14 points in the end.

ACFL Division 3

St. Mary’s Rasharkin 0-10  O’Donnell’s 1-12

Photographs: Mark Hasson

It should have been a night of celebration at Dreen on Wednesday night. A win for Rasharkin would have moved them three points clear in the league with a game in hand but O’Donnell’s spoiled the party.

The MacRory Park side arrived at the South West venue having suffered only one defeat throughout the league (to last night’s opponents) and knowing that only a win would suffice if they were to maintain a realistic chance of winning the league and that is just what they achieved.

The unbeaten league leaders were first on the scoreboard when Oran McMullan pointed them ahead after 21 seconds but O’Donnell’s came back with a point from Patrick Meenan to draw level.

The home side suffered an early blow when Emmet McFerran was shown a Black card in the third minute but moved ahead once more as Oran McMullan fired over his second point of the contest.

Back came the O’D’s as Scott Thompson fired over but Eammon McNeill edged the Dreen side ahead again before the visitors hit the front for the first time with points from Sean Pat Donnelly and Marc McKenna with 20 minutes gone.

Once again Rasharkin rallied and Oisin Casey kicked a couple of good points from play but as game swung from end to end it was the Whiterock Road side who came back again.

Centre Half, Connor Walsh got forward for a good score and Sean Pat Donnelly added another to nudge their noses ahead once more but the final score of the half fell to Eammon McNeill whose late point saw the sides head to the dressing room level at 0-06 each.

With all to play for, the sides returned to the action and Donagh Quigg pointed in the 5^th minute to restore the Rasharkin lead following a great run from corner-back, Donagh Aka Quigg.

Things appeared to be turning the way of league leaders St. Mary’s when Eammon McNeill, Ryan Lynch (f) and Oran McMullan hit three on the bounce to move them four ahead after 16 minutes and it looked a long way back for O’Donnell’s.

The MacRory Park side were not about to throw in the towel and they showed just why they are serious challenge for the league title as they came back to dominate the final qwuarter, holding their opponents scoreless for the remainder of the game.

They opened their second half account with a point in the 17^th minute and when the excellent Patrick Meenan followed with a goal, two minutes later they had drawn level and Rasharkin looked shell shocked.

The O’D’s now had the wind in their sails as they sensed victory And Sean Pat Donnelly edged them ahead with a point in the 23d minute and they might have followed with a second goal but Conor Hasson pulled off a great block to deny Scott Thompson, who collected to send over.

Hasson’s heroics failed to lift his colleagues however and O’Donnell’s were now in full flight as they added three more points going down the home straight with Gearoid McKernan, Patrick Meenan and Marc McKenna adding late points to leave the visitors convincing six point winners in the end.

This excellent win sees O’Donnell’s move to the top of the league with 29 points from 16 starts, one above Rasharkin who now sit n 28 points from 15 starts and the race for the title is likely to go down to the final day.

O’Donnell’s have Pearses at home and St. Malachy’s away in their remaining games while Rasharkin travel to St. Malachy and finish with a home game against Eire Og with their fate still very much in their own hands.

Rasharkin: 1 – Andrew Hasson 2 – Pearse Kelly 3 – Emmet McFerran 4 – Donagh Quigg 5 – Fearghal Kennedy 6 – Conor Hasson 7 – Fergus Quigg 8 – Cathal Mooney 9 – Ruairi OBoyle 10 – Oran McMullan 11 – Thomas McMullan 12 – Oisin Casey 13 – Tiernan O’Boyle 14 – Eammon McNeill 15 – Ryan Lynch

O’ Donnell’s: 1 Conor Murphy, 2 Joseph Rafferty, 3 Stephen Seawright, 4 David Mackle, 5 Kevin Kennedy, 6 Connor Walsh, 7 Gearoid McKernan, 8 Fearghal McNerny, 9 Joe Wilson, 10 Keelan Loughran, 11 Sean Pat Donnelly, 12 Scott Thompson, 13 Patrick Meenan, 14 Cailean Walsh, 15 Marc McKenna

Referee: Gregory Walsh (Aghagallon)