Antrim Football League – Division 1

Sarsfields 1-12 Sarsfields 3-19

Moneyglass delivered a commanding performance to defeat Sarsfields in their Antrim Senior Football League Division 1 encounter at the Bear Pit. With both sides having been promoted from Division 2 last year and sharing a victory apiece in that league campaign, this fixture promised to be fiercely contested. Moneyglass also brought the psychological edge of having beaten their hosts in the Antrim Intermediate Championship, and they reinforced that dominance with a comprehensive 3-19 to 1-12 victory on Sarsfields’ home turf.

The home side could not have asked for a better start, shocking the visitors within the opening twenty seconds when midfielder Cormac Murray found the back of the net for an early goal. Moneyglass quickly settled their nerves, however, with Collum Duffin opening their account with a point in the second minute. Sarsfields maintained their early pressure, adding a point through Garry Lennon after ten minutes. The visitors soon found their rhythm, with Sean Boyd registering a double-score on the twelve-minute mark to close the gap. Daniel Smyth, operating in the number 10 role for Sarsfields, added a point on seventeen minutes, but Boyd immediately cancelled it out with a point of his own a minute later.

The turning point of the first half arrived in the twenty-second minute when Sean Boyd breached the Sarsfields defence to score a crucial goal for Moneyglass, shifting the momentum firmly in their favour. This sparked a strong finish to the half for the visitors. Caolan Boyd and Conor O’Kane added consecutive points to extend the lead. Although Garry Lennon managed to pull one back for Sarsfields with his final point of the half in the twenty-seventh minute, Collum Duffin finished the period strongly for Moneyglass, firing over two consecutive points just before the whistle to leave the halftime score at 1-8 to 1-3 in favour of the away side.

Sarsfields emerged for the second half determined to eat into the deficit, with Smyth pointing in the very first minute. Moneyglass responded swiftly, demonstrating their attacking depth as Caolan Boyd and Tyler Cassidy slotted over points in the third and fourth minutes respectively. While Fionn Jemfrey and Smyth kept the scoreboard ticking over for the hosts with points soon after, the Moneyglass attack began to click into a higher gear. Scores came from all angles, with defenders and forwards alike joining the fray; Callum Murray, Connlagh McCann, and Cassidy all raised white flags to keep Sarsfields at arm’s length midway through the half.

As the game entered the final quarter, the visitors’ dominance became undeniable. Despite further points from Smyth and Jemfrey for the home team, Moneyglass dictated the tempo. Tyler Cassidy, Collum Duffin, Dermot McErlaine, and Seanachan Duffin all added points in a blistering scoring spell. Any lingering hopes of a Sarsfields comeback were extinguished in the twenty-fifth minute when a Moneyglass substitute Conor O’Kane found the net for their second goal of the day. Cassidy added another point shortly after to pile on the misery. Smyth fought valiantly for Sarsfields until the bitter end, registering two late two-point scores, but Moneyglass had the final say. In the dying moments of the match, Dermot McErlaine crowned a stellar team performance with a third goal, cementing a highly impressive 3-19 to 1-12 win for Moneyglass.

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Featured Image: Colla McDonnell whoes hat-trick helped St. Mary’s Ahoghill to an important win over St. James’ Aldergrove in Crumlin

St. James’ Aldergrove 2-15 (21) — 4-15 (27) St. Mary’s Ahoghill

St. Mary’s Ahoghill kept their promotion hopes firmly on track with a high-octane away victory over fellow contenders St. James’ Aldergrove. In a remarkable ACFL Division 2 clash that produced six goals, the visitors’ blistering first-half performance and hat-trick heroics from Colla McDonnell proved to be the difference.

First-Half Blitz
Ahoghill signalled their intent from the off, racing into a commanding 2-11 to1-03 lead by the half-time whistle. Colla McDonnell was the tormentor-in-chief, netting both of Ahoghill’s first-half majors. Their point-taking was equally sharp, with James O’Connell (0-4) and Dan O’Neill (0-3) leading the way, supported by white flags from Noel Crossey, Patrick Graham, and CollaMcDonnell. Aldergrove stayed in touch during the opening period thanks to a Conor Browning goal and points from Ryan McCarthy (0-2) and CormacMcGarry.

The Grandstand Finish
The game transformed into a wide-open shootout after the break. Aldergrove emerged with renewed vigour, and when Ryan McCarthy found the net in the 9th minute of the half, a massive comeback looked on the cards. The home side hit a purple patch with points from Conor Browning, Fergal Burke, Brian McQuillan, and Ryan Owens, threatening to overhaul the heavy half-time deficit.

However, Ahoghill’s clinical edge returned just in time to quell the rebellion. James O’Connell calmed nerves by smashing home a penalty in the 23rd minute, followed by a clinical finish from Colla McDonnell in the 28th minute to complete a spectacular hat-trick. Late points from Patrick Dougan, Patrick Graham, and James O’Connell ensured the Clooney men stayed out of reach. The result keeps Ahoghill within touching distance of league leaders NaomhÉanna.

Antrim Football League – Division 1

St Brigid’s 1-17 All Saints 0-08 at Musgrave Park

St Brigid’s secured a convincing victory over All Saints Ballymena in this Antrim Football League Division 1 clash at Musgrave Park. While St Brigid’s were the dominant force overall and well-deserved winners, the final 1-17 to 0-8 scoreline belies a spirited second-half performance from Ballymena. Had the visitors been more accurate in front of the posts, the contest could have been a lot closer.

St Brigid’s flew out of the traps, establishing control in the opening minutes with a flurry of points from play. Donal Harrison opened the scoring just 45 seconds in, followed by a point from Patrick Finnegan at the three-minute mark. Niall Duffy added an excellent individual point shortly after, and Brian Mc Gurk further extended the advantage after eight minutes. Ballymena finally got on the board at the 12-minute mark with a well-worked team point finished by Brendan McDonnell. Any momentum shift was quickly halted, however, by a superb save from St Brigid’s goalkeeper Fearghus Canning on 17 minutes. St Brigid’s continued to turn the screw as the half progressed. Brian Mc Gurk slotted his second point on 22 minutes, and shortly after, following a defensive infringement in the small square, Paul Bradley stepped up to confidently dispatch a penalty too the All Saints net. Patrick Finnegan closed the half with another point, leaving the half-time score at St Brigid’s 1-6, All Saints Ballymena 0-1.

The second half was a much more competitive affair. St Brigid’s resumed scoring within 30 seconds through a point from play, via JJ Higgins. Ballymena immediately answered with a Brendan McDonnell free on two minutes. Individual points were traded by Ballymena’s Brendan McDonnell and St Brigid’s Brian Mc Gurk before Ballymena looked to freshen their attack, bringing on Sean Mc Veigh to replace Sean O Brien. Brendan McDonnell then hit a purple patch, knocking over two consecutive points from play around the 12-minute mark to narrow the gap.

Ballymena goalkeeper Ryan Stewart produced an outstanding save to deny St Brigid’s Jack Dowling, but the Belfast men responded to the pressure with a point from Paul Bradley on 15 minutes. Ballymena suffered a setback when they had a player black carded on 19 minutes and St Brigid’s capitalized on the numerical advantage, and JJ Higgins added a point on 21 minutes, followed shortly by a goal. Joseph McCarney added a point at 23 minutes but Ballymena continued to fight valiantly, with Brendan McDonnell adding another point to his impressive tally. St Brigid’s orchestrated a well-worked team point finished by Niall Duffy, and Fearghus Canning was called into action again, making another crucial save for St Brigid’s. Ballymena’s persistence finally paid off with a late goal from the prolific Brendan McDonnell, and Cal O Brien converted a final free for Ballymena to close out the scoring.

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ACFL Division 2

St. Teresa’s 1-08 (11) — 0-10 (10) Davitt’s

St. Teresa’s entertained Davitt’s in the ACFL Division 2 on Wednesdaynight, eventually securing a hard-fought one-point victory under the evening sunshine on the Glen Road.

The game’s decisive blow landed as early as the 9th minute. A long delivery into the Davitt’s square was mishandled by keeper Aaron Slane, and Zachary Morgan reacted quickest to palm the ball to the net. Despite the goal, St. Teresa’s found themselves battling a stiff breeze in the opening half. They focused on a patient possession game with points from Anto Taylor and DarrenMcCann, but Davitt’s led 0-06 to 1-02 at the interval thanks to scores from Caomhan Slane (0-2), Deevy Persson, the excellent Sean O’Neill, and an Aaron Slane free.

St. Teresa’s struggled to find their rhythm after the restart, failing to push on even with the wind at their backs. Davitt’s handled the conditions better, extending their lead through another Slane free and two superb points from Conor John Sullivan. When Eoin Connolly finally got St. Teresa’s off the mark in the 15th minute of the half, they still trailed 0-09 to 1-03 and the visitors looked more likely winners.

However, the home side found a second wind. A brilliant long-range free from John Mallon in the 22nd minute brought the Glen Road men to life, while the introduction of Philip Maguire brought much-needed composure to the midfield battle. St. Teresa’s hit a purple patch to clinch the result, with further points from Darren McCann and two more from Anto Taylor. A late reply from Marcus Toner for Davitt’s wasn’t enough to bridge the gap as the hosts held on.

In a game that was uncompromising but fair throughout, Referee Darren McKeown did a great job in keeping play moving and managing the intensity of the local derby.

For the winners, Paul Johnston, Darren McCann, Niall McCann, and AntoTaylor were excellent throughout. Davitt’s were best served by the tireless Sean O’Neill, along with Aaron Slane and Conor John Sullivan.

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