Feaured image: David McGaraghan who scored 1-1 in the opening 7 minutes to give St. Agnes a four point lead

Ulster Junior Football Championship quarter-final

St. Patrick’s Donagh 2-11 St. Agnes 1-7

Despite a blistering start where they raced into a 1-1 to 0-0 lead after 7 minutes, St. Agnes first venture into Ulster would end in defeat when they were beaten by Fermanagh Champions, St. Patrick’s Donagh at Brewster Park on Saturday.

The Antrim champions were dipping their toes in the Ulster waters for the first time after completing a league and first Junior Championship in Antrim when they defeated Na Piarsaigh at Davitt’s Park a fortnight ago and for a time their fairy story looked like continuing.

David McGaraghan kicked them into an early lead direct from a ‘45’ and when the same player raced along the bye-line and placed his shot inside Shaun Montgomery’s left hand post the Woodlands travelling support were in fine voice.

At this early juncture in proceedings the ‘Aggies’ were dominating possession with Dan Turley and Patrick Mulgrew controlling mid-field and Conall Turley proving a handful with his strong running and smart distribution.

Significantly the Belfast side didn’t take advantage of their possession and were guilty of some poor finishing when they should have been further ahead and when Nathan Beattie opened St. Patrick’s account from a 30 meter free in the 12^th minute, the game began to change.

Mid-fielder, Johnny O’Reilly followed with a couple of excellent points and then a great movement, involving several players saw Thomas Cadden fire past Colum Carroll in the 22^nd minute to give the Fermanagh side a lead they would not lose.

Points from a Conall Turley 40 meter free and another fine effort from the same player had it all square by the 26^th minute but it was St. Patrick’s Donagh who would finish the half on top.

Colum Carroll had pulled of an excellent save to deny Cadden  minutes earlier but he was beaten all ends up three minutes later when Jimmy Tormey finished confidently and a point from Nathan Beattie had the Fermanagh side four in front at the break.

Both sides wasted opportunities as the second half got under way  but a point from Cormac McBride for the ‘Aggies’ closed the gap to a goal and when Donagh lost Sean Daly to a straight Red card after a high tackle on McGaraghan the tide looked to be turning in favour of the Antrim champions.

Instead it was St. Patrick’s who upped their game with Nathan Beattie moving them four ahead again from a free in the 12^th minute but St. Agnes were still fighting hard and Eoghan Curran saw his attempt come back of an upright before the excellent Turley cut the gap to three once more in the 16^th minute.

That would be as close as they got however as Donagh responded and the impressive Nathan Beattie raced clear at the other end with a good point.

Daire Tracey and Thomas Cadden added two more before Conall Turley responded at the other end but that was as good as it got and it was the excellent Tormey who would conclude the scoring with the game’s final point for the Fermanagh champions.

A disappointing end to the season for the Woodlands side but Martin Shortt’s side can hold their head high after a superb season where they recorded a first Antrim championship success and a division 3 league double.

They will reflect on some wayward shooting during an opening quarter where they dominated possession but will undoubtedly regroup and press forward next season where they will be playing their football in division 2 and competing in the Intermediate championship.

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Ulster JFC – 1.30pm Saturday Brewster Park

St.Patrick’s Donagh (Fermanagh) v St. Agnes (Antrim)

St Agnes make the trip to Enniskillen this Saturday in the first round of the Ulster Junior Football club championship where they will face Fermanagh champions, St. Patrick’s Donagh.

The Aggies have been in splendid form this season and completed a league and championship double when they beat Pearses in the Graham Tarmac JFC decider two weeks ago.

St Agnes’ clinched the Antrim Junior Football Championship for the first time in the club’s history with a 1-14-0-09 win over Pearses in the decider at Davitt Park.

Ahead 0-8-0-5 at the interval, an early second half goal from David McGaharan gave his side the platform to kick on for victory after the disappointment of losing last year’s decider to St Comgall’s. 

It’s been a great season for the Belfast club who won 12 of their 14 games to top division 3 and earn a place in division 2 next season and they went on to top Group 1 of the Junior Championship unbeaten with wins over Ardoyne, O’Donnell’s and St. Malachy’s to earn a semi-final meeting with Eire Og.

They won that one at Woodlands by 1-18 to 1-11 to earn a place in the final against an improving Na Piarsaigh where they finished 8 points winners to qualify for Saturday’s meeting with St. Patrick’s Donagh at Brewster Park.

Paddy Carroll and Conall Turley have been selected on the Antrim All Stars team for this year while Colum Carroll, Caoimhin Floyd, Cormac Flannery, Dan Turley, David McGaharan, Shea Madden and Ronan Gilligan will spearhead the Aggies challenge in County Fermanagh.

The Antrim champions face stiff opposition in the form of St. Patrick’s Donagh who defeated Newtownbutler in a tight Fermanagh final which was in the balance right to the final whistle.

The game had everything – Super scores hard challenges and two teams that refused to accept defeat.

The St. Patrick’s Donagh challenge will be spearheaded by Eamon Maguire (43), who gave a display for the ages which recalled his heroics in that great summer of 2004 when he and Mark Little of Lisnaskea dazzled Armagh in Croke Park as Fermanagh reached its first ever All-Ireland senior football semi-final.

Donagh showed character, courage, and heart in spades to come back from an early five-point blitz from a physically imposing Newtown side.

But they hit back with a great two-pointer from Cameron McBrien, and a superb solo goal from the lively Tiernan Wray brought St. Patrick’s right back into the picture.

Newtownbutler led by 1-9 to 1-7 at the break and by 1-10 to 1-7 on the resumption but two superbly finished goals from Brian McDermott and Jimmy Tormey in the space of four minutes gave Donagh the momentum to press on and take their first county title since 2021.

The record for Antrim clubs in this competition isn’t good though Naomh Comhghall came mighty close to causing an upset against the Donegal champions, St. Patrick’s Muff in Letterkeny last year.

A big crowd is likely to accompany the Woodlands side to Enniskillen on Saturday and a confident St. Agnes will feel they can buck the trend of first round losers in this competition and if they are at their best then they are capable of beating St. Patrick’s Donagh and advance to the next round.

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(Featured Image: Roy McLarnon proudly lifts the cup with his son Declan and his grandchildren)

Big Roy McLarnon wore a smile as wide as the stand he had just watched from as his beloved St. Agnes collected their first Junior Football Championship title at Davitt’s Park on Saturday past.

Beside him, in tears, his son Declan couldn’t hide his emotions. Declan, a member of Antrim Over 40’s side had made a cameo appearance as the ‘Aggies’ overcame the challenge of Na Piarsaigh in a final they never looked like losing.

Roy McLarnon has been a member of St. Agnes since 1963. When I spoke to him after the game he gave me an insight into the history of his club.

 “We were always in and around Division 4 but in successive years we won Division 4, Division 3 and were runners up in Division 2 and were promoted to Division 1.

We lasted only one year in the top grade and floated between Division 2 and 3 for a number of years. We played intermediate championship from 91 to 2006. We contested a number of Junior Championship finals over the years but lost to Cargin in 91, to Ahoghill in 2007, to O’Donnell’s in 2011, and to St Comgall’s in last year’s decider.

Big Roy has served St. Agnes through thick and thin as player, Treasurer 1977 to 1997, Chairman 1997 to 2008, county board delegate 1977 to and committee member through the highs and lows of the Woodlands club.

One of Antrim’s great GAA men, Roy McLarnon found time to serve his county and was assistant manager to Eamon Grieve from 1986 to 1990, a period in which Antrim contested a National League quarter-final where they lost to Kerry at Croke Park.

Roy was part of the Antrim minor management team from 1996 to 98 and was involved in various Antrim management teams under Aidan Thornbury, Lenny Harbison, Enda McGinley and most recently with Andy McEntee.

He was manager of the last Antrim U21 team to win an Ulster title in 1989 when they defeated Down in the final.

Like Roy his wife Maria is still involved with St. Agnes and Aine their daughter was a very good footballer and played for Antrim minors in both football and camogie, a real family affair!

It would be fair to say that Roy McLarnon has enjoyed contrasting emotions with his beloved St. Agnes, perhaps more lows than highs but he never once stepped away and was always there when the club needed him.

I asked Roy about the ‘Aggies’ manager, Martin Shortt and what he has brought to the side. Roy had high praise for the Tyrone native.

“Martin Shortt, has brought massive energy and enthusiasm to the side and all the lads have bought in and the level of organisation and belief he has brought to the side finally got us over the line”

On a weekend when Dunloy lifted their first Senior Football Championship title since 1936 when they defeated reigning champions Cardin and Moneyglass overcame the challenge of division 2 league winners, Sarsfield’s in the Intermediate decider it would have been easy to have overlooked the achievements of St. Agnes and Roy McLarnon but it would have been remiss of me to do so.

I’ve known Roy for most of my GAA life and even played against him on the old Hugomount pitch for All Saints. One of the games gentlemen and one of his club and county’s greatest servants.

Big Roy watched the game from the Davitt’s stand before joining his team and colleagues on the splendid Davitt’s Park surface as Dan Turley received the Cup from Antrim committee member, Ciaran McGraw, a life time of service finally rewarded!

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It’s Football Championship Finals this weekend and it looks like being an exciting programme for followers of the big ball game with deciders at Junior, Intermediate and senior level.

Junior Football Championship final

Davitt’s Park – Saturday 4-00pm

St. Agnes v Pearses

Both sides have impressed in the run up to Saturday’s final at Davitt’s Park where Naomh Una will start as slight favourites by virtue of their division 3 league winning campaign.

The ‘Aggies’ went through their league campaign where they won 12 of their 14 fixtures but one of their defeats came at the hands of Na Piarsaigh back in early July with the Antrim Road side edging it by a point in a high scoring 6-10 to 2-21 encounter.

It was a reversal of their round 1 league meeting where St. Agnes had two to spare over Saturday’s opponents. That one finished 1-14 to 0-15 so league form would suggest there is little to separate the sides.

Pearses league form was inconsistent though and they won only 6 and lost 7 of their league fixtures but as we have already seen this season, league form can count for little when it comes to the championship.

Despite losing prolific forward, Ronan Carroll to a serious injury earlier in the season St. Agnes carried their good league form into the championship and recorded a confidence boosting 1-20 to 0-13 win over Kickham’s Ardoyne, the other team to record a league win over them, and went on to beat Cardinal O’Donnell’s and a walk-over against St. Malachy’s meant that they topped Group 1 undefeated.

That form earned the ‘Aggies’ a direct passage into the semi-final where they met an Eire Og side who had defeated O’Donnell’s in the quarter-final and came into the semi-final at Pairc Una on a good run of form.

Division 3 league winners, St. Agnes took advantage of a home fixture, the prize for topping their group, to defeat Eire Og in a competitive Junior Football Championship encounter.

They didn’t get it all their own way against an Eire Og side who were still in contention late in the game when Mark Graham finished to the net from close range to close the gap to four.

As they had done throughout the game, the Aggies were always able to respond and the league winners finished strongly to win by seven in the end and book a place in the final against Na Piarsaigh.

A goal from James Campbell in the 15^th minute gave them a lead they would not subsequently lose.

Aggies wing-back, Caomhin Floyd’s shot looked to be going over but came back of the upright and Campbell gathered the rebound before dispatching his effort low and into the bottom corner.

The same player followed up his major with a point to pile on the pressure as the Aggies began to take control and David McGaharan added another from out on the wing, much to the delight of the Aggies support.

Conall Turley was excellent for the Woodland’s side and finished the game with 7 points as St. Agnes ran out 1-18 to 1-11 winners.

Their opponents in Sunday’s final, Na Piarsaigh have put indifferent league form behind them and seem to have peaked at just the right time coming into the championship and defeated Wolfe Tonnes and Eire Og in the group stages but lost to Laochra Loch Lao.

They beat a strong Kickham’s Ardoyne in the quarter-finals and produced, possibly their best performance of the season to reverse that defeat to Laochra Loch Lao in the semi-finals and will fancy their chances on Saturday in West Belfast.

Liam Deegan, Philip Murray, Sean Moreland Fion Grew, James Smyth, Ruairi Bannon, Piaras Donaghy and Thomas McFarlane will lead the Na Piarasaigh challenge as they aim to claim their second Junior title in recent years.

St. Agnes will look to Colum Carroll, James Campbell, Ryan Reilly, Cormac Flannery, Caoimhin Floyd, Patrick Mulgrew, Shea Madden, Conall Turley, David McGaharan and Colin Clarke to lead them to a league and championship double at Davitt’s Park and they might just have enough to see them through.

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JFC Semi-Final

Laochra Loch Lao 0-7 Na Piarsaigh 2-11

Na Piarsaigh overcame the challenge of a Laochra Loch Lao side, strongly fancied in some quarters, in this Junior Football Championship semi-final at Colaiste Feirste on Saturday to set up a place in the final against St. Agnes in two weeks-time.

Saturday’s opponents had met in the group stages a few weeks back at Pairc Naomh Una and on that occasion it was the Irish Language side who came out tops and by virtue of that win they would have went into Saturday’s semi-final strongly fancied.

Na Piarsaigh have shown marked improvement from that defeat however and their quarter-final win over Ardoyne suggested that they were running into form just at the right time and so it proved to be.

The Antrim Road side edged an easily forgettable opening half to lead by three at the interval with their defence sweeping up everything that Laochra could muster and pushed on to dominate the second half with goals from Fion Grew and Sean Moreland seeing them coast home.

Liam Deegan for Na Piarsaigh and Kevin Devine for the home side exchanged early points but further white flags raised by Philip Murray and a Sean Moreland free had the visitors two in front by the 13^th minute of a low scoring opening half.

Cathal O’Ceallaigh raised Laochra Loch Lao’s second point of the half in the 20^th minute but it would conclude their first half scoring as the Na Piarsaigh defence dealt with everything that came their way and it would be Murray and Moreland who would conclude the first half scoring with Pearse’s points.

Half Time  0-2 TO 0-5

Laochra Loch Lao got little change from a well organised Na Piarsaigh defence in the first half and it was imperative that they got off to a good start in the second if they were to swing this game in their favour but in truth it never looked like happening.

Instead it was Na Piarsaigh who stepped it up a notch on the resumption and Fion Grew followed up on a great save by the Laochra keeper to fire over after 20 seconds to extend their lead to four.

Daire McMenamin had it briefly back to three with a point in the 4^th minute but Na Piarsaigh struck decisively with a goal from Fion Grew, two minutes later and even at that early stage, it looked like being an uphill struggle for the hosts.

It never looked like materialising as Daire McPilib’s point for the home side was quickly cancelled by a Liam Deegan pointed free at the other end and when Sean Moreland punished a poor kick-out, with his side’s second goal in the 11^th minute it was as good as over.

The North Belfast side continued to turn the screw with James Smyth striking a fine point and at the other end Eamon McKenna brought off a good save as Laochra tried to respond.

The excellent Liam Deegan from a free and another great effort from play put the game well beyond the reach of the opposition with seven minutes of normal time remaining before Laochra’s best player, Cathal O’Cealliagh replied with a 2 pointer at the other end.

At this stage it was merely consolation as Liam Deegan for the men in Green and PJ O’Prey exchanged late points to conclude the scoring and confirm Na Piarsaigh’s place in the final in two-week’s time.

They will face league winners, Naomh Una in that decider and the Woodlands side will probably start that one as favourites but they will have to be at their best to beat this Na Piarsaigh side who have shown great improvement at the business end of the season and will fancy their chances.

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