JFC Group 2

Eire Og 3-9 Wolfe Tones 1-4

Eire Og put themselves back in the hunt for a play-off place in the Antrim Junior Football Championship with a good win over a battling Wolfe Tones at MacRory Park on Saturday evening.

The Doire Achaidh side were in control for much of the contest but were made to fight all the way by a Wolfe Tones side taking part in only their second year of championship football.

The opening exchanges were close enough as James McClory pointed Eire Og ahead before Martin Connor replied from a 6^th minute pointed free for the Greencastle side to level the contest.

With Niall Ward orchestrating matters from around mid-field Eire Og slowly got on top as Mark Graham and Peter James Toal moved them two in front by the 16^th minute and then Tones keeper, Danny McIvor pulled off a splendid save to deny Kevin Clarke from close range.

Toal added a point for the Og’s before Martin Connor replied from a second free for he Greencastle side and the goal that had been threatening duly arrived when Niall Ward fired home in the 22^nd minute.

Eire Og would push on to lead 1-6 to 0-2 at half time with further points from Kevin Clarke and Peter James Toal and Wolfe Tones looked to have plenty to do to get back into contention as the sides headed to the MacRory Park dressing rooms.

The Greencastle side’s best player got them off the mark for the second half with his third pointed free of the afternoon but Eire Og responded through Mark Graham and Daniel Campbell to move 8 ahead by the 10^th minute.

With Kevin Clarke moving out field and Mark Graham on the edge of the square the space was beginning to open up for the Doire Achaidh side and Daniel Campbell struck an excellent goal in the 13^th minute following a defence splitting build-up.

Eire Og then lost Gavin Donnelly to a Black card and Wolfe Tones were handed a lifeline when they were awarded a penalty which Martin Connor confidently fired past Mark Hamill to give his side a glimmer of hope.

That hope was soon dashed however as a great move from deep in defence saw Eire Og move the ball with precision and Stephen Erskine struck a superb goal to put the contest beyond reach.

Gavin Donnelly fired over the final point of the game to see his side safely home and with St. Malachy’s falling heavily to Naomh Comhghall at Lamh Dhearg, Eire Og will have the opportunity to climb to second place if the can beat the men from the ‘Markets’ in their final game on the 30^th August.

Eire Og: 1 Mark Hamill, 2 Ryan Clarke, 3 Jarlath Devlin, 4 Ciaran Rice, 5 James McClory, 6 Conor McKenna, 7 Shane McEvoy, 8 Peter James Toal, 9 Ronan Donnelly, 10 Stephen Erskine, 11 Mark Graham, 12 Gavin Donnelly, 13 Daniel Campbell, 14 Kevin Clarke, 15 Niall Ward

Subs: Joseph Melarkey, Oran McMenamin

Wolfe Tones: 1 Danny McIvor, 2 Fergal Quinn, 22 Matt McCann, 4 Eamon O’Sullivan, 5 Chris Dawson, 6 Jack Parke, 7 Joseph Carmichael, 8 Kieran Maloney, 9 Martin Connor, 10 Jamie Carberry, 11 Aaron McAllister, 12 Aodhan Maloney, 13 Declan Madden, 14 Gerard McDonnell, 15 Declan O’Neill

Subs: 3 Phil Walsh

Referee: Seamus Shannon (Rossa)

https://myalbum.com/album/tVMVyCjgh7PmcH

Junior Football Championship – Round Robin 2

Pearses 2-11 O’Donnell’s 0-09

A totally dominant second half saw Pearses come from behind to beat O’Donnell’s in Friday evening’s Junior Football Championship Round 2 game at St Agnes. At the end of the opening quarter O’Dees appeared to be in a strong position when they led by three points, but two goals in as many minutes for Pearses turned the game on its head as Pearses pushed on to lead by 2-05 to 0-08 at half time.

After the change of ends the 2022 winners took full control conceding just one more point while adding six of their own to win by eight in the end, and move above O’Donnell’s in score difference in the group.

With a stiff breeze behind them in the first half O’Donnell’s went three ahead inside eight minutes with points from Pearse Rice, John Rafferty and Johnny O’Donnell, who fisted over from close range. Two points from Pearses centre forward Stephen Fitzsimons cut the gap back to a single point, but O’Dee’s responded well and points from Joe Rafferty and Pearse Rice stretched the gap out to three again at the end of the opening quarter.

The gap was still at three with eighteen minutes gone, but Pearses hit back with two goals and a point in quick succession, man of the match Fitzsimons getting the first goal and adding a point immediately afterwards, while corner forward Sean Moreland got the second goal a minute later.

Padraig McKissock and Johnny O’Donnell came back with two for O’Donnell’s but Fitzsimons and Moreland ended the half strongly for Pearses to give them a 2-5 to 0-08 lead at the interval.

Liam Deegan stretched the Pearses lead to four in the first minute of the second half, and though O’Donnell’s came back with one at the other end soon afterwards it was to be their last score of the game. With the wind behind them there was no stopping Pearses and with the excellent Fitzsimons adding four more points and Moreland and Pater Johnston also getting in on the score act, they pushed on to win with a bit to spare.

for more pics from this game click on the link below

https://myalbum.com/album/JcXz2snUigDWM9

Junior Football Championship-Group 2

Eire Og 0-3 Naomh Comhghall 1-13

Division 3 league winners, Naomh Comhghall took the first steps towards what they hope will be a league and championship double when they recorded a resounding victory over Eire Og at Woodlands on Friday night.

Tom Patchett led the ‘Town’ charge and would finish the game with a personal total of 1-5 and scored the opening three points of the game as the Antrim side moved three clear by the 9^th minute.

Stephen Erskine got the City side off the mark with a point in the 10^th minute but it would be their only score of the opening half as wayward shooting and the concession of silly frees contributed to their demise.

Ryan Clarke was on hand to take advantage of those concessions with points in the 13^th and 14^th minute to move Naomh Comhghall four ahead and two more from the deadly duo, Patchett and Clarke had the Antrim town men 0-7 to 0-1 ahead at the break.

The same pair added two more on the restart with Patchett fisting over and Clarke following with another to move the South West side eight ahead by the 5^th minute.

Mark Hamill in the Og’s goal pulled off a great save as Naomh Comhghall threatened to over run their opponents and this save brought a response from his Eire Og colleagues.

Peter James Toal replied with a point at the other end in the 13^th minute and the same player converted a 15^th minute free to close the gap to six and hand his side a glimmer of hope.

That hope would be quickly extinguished however as Colm Logue and James McClory fired over points at the other end and when the superb Tom Patchett finished to the net in the 28^th minute it was well and truly over.

Ryan Clarke and Louis Higgins would conclude the scoring with late points for an excellent Naomh Comhghall who on this performance, look certain to top a Group 2 which includes St. Malachy’s and Wolf Tones

Eire Og: 1 Mark Hamill, 2 James McClory, 3 Jarlath Devlin, 4 Ciaran Rice, 5 Ryan Clarke, 6 Conor McKenna, 7 Niall Doherty, 8 Conor Erskine, 9 Conall Smyth, 10 Daniel Campbell, 11 Peter James Toal, 12 Eanna McNulty, 13 Stephen Erskine, 14 Gavin Donnelly, 15 Ronan Donnelly.

Naomh Comhghall: 1 Peter McAuley, 2 Shane Og Gribben, 3 Cathal Donnelly, 4 Stephen Sloan, 5 Dannan O’Hara, 6 James McCabe, 7 Michael McCabe, 8 Louis Higgins, 10 Patrick O’Connor, 11 Shane Hinfey, 12 Joseph Webb, 13 Ryan Clarke, 14 Miles Devine, 15 Tom Patchett.

Subs – 16 Caolan McKeown, 19 Colm Logue, 24 Aaron Murray.

Referee: Chris Brown

FOR MORE OF BERT TROWLENS PICS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/hL7cEZFfVWUAHb/

JFC Group 1

St. Agnes 1-15 Pearses 0-12

St. Agnes turned in a polished performance to overcome the challenge of Na Piarsaigh in this Junior Football Championship, Round 1 encounter at Fennell Park on Friday night.

Superbly organised in defence and with Conall Turley pulling the strings at mid-field, the Aggies controlled the opening half and aided by a somewhat fortunate goal in the 29^th minute, they led by five at the halfway stage.

Na Piarsaigh got close on a number of occasions during the second half but every time they did the Aggies were able to respond as they pushed on to win by six in the end to get their championship campaign up and running.

It was Eamonn Connor who pointed Pearses into an 8^th minute lead following a cagey start by both side but it didn’t last long as Conall Turley fisted over at the other end.

Sean Moreland restored the North Belfast sides lead but David Quigley replied for the Woodlands side to tie the score for the second time before Ronan Carroll gave St. Agnes the lead for the first time.

The men in black were starting to get on top as they built methodically from the back and their support play began to open up the opposition defence and Eamon McKenna in the Na Piarsaigh goals pulled of a smart save to deny James Halleron.

David Quigley was denied on the follow up with David McGaharan pointing the resulting ‘45’ and as the Woodlands side continued to call the shots Ronan Carroll moved them 0-5 to 0-2 ahead by the 19^th minute with an excellent point.

Sean Moreland pulled one back for Pearses but the Antrim Road side were struggling to find a way through a well organised St. Agnes defence where Mark Caldwell, Paddy Carroll and Cormac Flannery were giving nothing away.

Ronan Carroll and Stephen Fitzsimmons exchanged further points before a shot from David McGaharan dipped below Eamon McKenna’s cross bar to put the Aggies into a comfortable 1-7 to 0-5 half time lead.

Sean Moreland had kicked the final score of the half for Pearses and when Aodhan McCavana kicked another in the opening minute of the second half the lead had been reduced to four.

Each time Na Piarsaigh score the opposition were able to reply with Ronan Carroll and James Campbell responding for St. Agnes and McCavana again raising a white flag for the opposition.

A point from Ronan Gilligan for St. Agnes and two in reply from Aidan Bannon  and Stephen Fitzsimmons for Pearses had it back to four once more before Carroll moved St. Agnes five ahead at the end of the third quarter.

The Antrim Road side were giving it everything but were finding it difficult to negotiate a well organised St. Agnes defence where Mark Caldwell’s reading of the game was proving vital.

Substitute Paul McClenaghan, Conall Turley and Ronan Carroll concluded the Aggies scoring with Pearses only response coming from converted frees from Liam Deegan and Stephen Fitzsimmons.

A great start to their championship campaign for the Woodlands side and thoroughly deserved and in this form they could well qualify for the knockout stages in a group that includes strong opposition in O’Donnell’s and Laochra Loch Lao.

St. Agnes: 1 Colum Carroll, 2 Paddy Carroll, 3 Cormac Flannery, 4 Mark Caldwell, 5 David Quigley, 6 Ronan Gilligan, 7 Conor Gregory, 8 Conall Turley, 9 James Halleron, 10 Colin Clarke, 11 Ronan Carroll, 12 James Campbell, 13 Neill Gillespie, 14 David McGaharan, 15 Cormac McBride

Subs Used: Paul McClenaghan, Declan McLarnon, Patrick Mulgrew, Matthew Corr.

Pearses: 1 Eamon McKenna, 2 Nathan Gorman, 3 Cormac O’Neill, 4 Marcus Kelly, 22 Piaras Donaghy, 6 Aidan Bannon, 7 Aodhan McCavana, 8 James Smyth, 9 Thomas McFarlane, 10 Phil Murray, 11 Stephen Fitzsimmons, 12 Sean Moreland, 13 Fionn Grew, Liam Deegan, 15 Eamonn Connor

Subs used: Peter Johnston, Daniel Magee, Paddy Nolan

FOR MORE PICS FROM THIS GAME JUST CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/HcR9hiL5A9ut82