Category / Football

by thesaffrongael

Saints off target as Robb points Rossa to victory

Featured Image: Christopher Robb who gave a fine exhibition of free taking as Rossa inflicted a first defeast of the season on All Saints

ACHL Division 4

All Saints 0-11 Rossa 2nd’s 0-14

The deadly accuracy of Christopher Robb proved the difference as Rossa 2nd’s inflicted a first defeat of the season on All Saints, Ballymena at Slemish Park on Sunday.

Robb was imperious in his shooting and contributed 0-6 of his side’s total while their opponents, All Saints were extremely wasteful, hitting more than a dozen wides over the hour.

The game itself was hard but fair throughout as Conall Short, Christopher Robb, Ben McAuley and Robb again fired Rossa into a 0-4 to 0-0 lead after12 minutes.

By this stage Damian Gillan had hit three wides for the Ballymena side, all from distance and each drifting just wide of the posts before Paddy Doherty finally got them off the mark with a point in the 15th minute.

Chris Robb struck his third of the afternoon in reply after the ball had been moved forward for dissent with Damian Gillan finally opening his personal account as he sent over a 25 meter free to leave three between the sides.

Once again it was Chris Robb who restored the visitors four point advantage from another free with Paddy Doherty hitting a great point from distance at the other end to keep the home side in touch.

Another conversion from the hard working Damian Gillan left just two in it with 8 minutes remaining to the break but again Rossa sharp shooter Robb responded with two from the placed ball.

Paddy Doherty hit the final score of the half from a long range free for All Saints to leave them trailing by three at the break and they would surely have reflected on those first half wides as they headed to the dressing room.

Cormac Lemon replaced Cormac Magill in the All Saints side as the sides emerged for the second half while Jude Collins came into the Rossa side for Ben McAuley as the sides exchanging early points.

Both sides were fiercely contesting every ball and for a spell All Saints found their range as Niall Savage, Damian Gillan and Paddy Doherty with two excellent efforts brought the sides level by the 8th minute and the momentum appeared to have swung in favour of the home side.

It was Robb who would restore the visitors lead again but the hosts were now playing with a bit more belief as Jack Magill made an excellent catch before firing over and Vinny Esler followed with another to edge them in front for the first time in the contest.

Rossa regrouped however and showed great composure going down the home straight with Conall Short, Aidan Murphy, Mattie McKernan and Conor Rocks hitting unanswered points to see them home.

All Saints threw everything at their opponents during the closing stages but the Rossa defence stood firm with Paddy Moyes, Fiachra McDonnell and Oisin McVicker turning everything that came their way.

This was All Saints first defeat of the season and they lacked nothing in effort on this occasion but poor shooting proved their downfall in the end. Gary Miskella was superb in the sweeper role while Paddy Doherty, Damian Gillan and Niall Savage were their best players on the day.

All Saints: 1 Ronan McAllister, 2 Kevin Brady, 3 Dwayne McKee, 4 Fionn Connon, 5 Daniel Gray, 20 Gary Miskella, 7 Niall Savage, 8 Luke Mulholland, 9 Vincent Esler, 10 Jack Magill, 11 Cormac Magill, 12 Michael Connolly, 13 Harry Connon, 23 Paddy Doherty. 15 Damian Gillan, 14 Cormac Lemon

Rossa: Dara Boylan, 2 Fiachra McDonald, 3 Padraig Moyes, 4 Setanta McDonnell, 5 Andrew McLean, 6 Oisin McVicker, 7 Ben McCauley, 8 Conall Short, 9 Mattie McKernan, 10 Michael Murray, 11 Jim Reynolds, 12 Aidan Murphy, 13 Christopher Robb, 14 Conor Rocks, 15 David Quinn, 18 Jude Collins, 19 Ryan Mooney

Referee: Brendan Toland (Lamh Dhearg)  

TO VIEW MORE PICS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/zYkPJpgQJeQQ4A

by thesaffrongael

Antrim slow to get going but win in the end by eight

Ulster Junior LGFA Championship

Antrim Senior Ladies 1-19

Derry Senior Ladies 2-8 

Antrim senior ladies got their Ulster championship campaign up and running on Saturday when they made the journey to Ballymaguigan and overcame the hosts Derry by an 8 point margin…. 

In the first 30 minutes Antrim struggled to get out of the blocks and it was Derry who were playing with all the intensity and energy… 

The Derry girls raced into a 4 point lead after ten minutes but a goal from Cliodhna Logan brought Antrim back in touch… 

But again it was Derry who seized the initiative and they scored a second goal after some poor defensive play from the Antrim girls… 

Indeed it could have been worse for Antrim at this stage only for a timely intervention from Emily Kearns who prevented a certain goal… 

But to the Antrim girls credit they played some excellent football in the last ten minutes of the first half with Maria Oneill .. Aiobheann Monaghan.. Theresa Mellon all chipping in with points and just before the short whistle Laura Agnew scored a wonderful point to send the Antrim girls in one up… 

The second half belonged to Antrim… 

The girls completely stepped it up and took control of the game and started to play the free flowing football that they are capable of… 

Some great scores then came their way with Captain Bronagh Devlin leading by example with 4 excellent points and setting up Caitlin Taggart and Aine Lynch who both raised white flags… 

Hanna Donaghy then hit both posts before eventually slotting the ball over the black spot to get her name on the score sheet… 

Joint manager Micky said after the game …. 

“We took a while to get going out there today … 

It was very warm and humid and it took quite a lot out of the girls… 

There was a few things in the first half that myself and Chris probably wernt best pleased with but the girls as they always do responded well .. worked hard and stood up to the challenge…. 

Myself and Chris worked hard this week on coaching our forward play which we feel payed dividends as we hit 20 scores and also our turnover rate was high as we focused on that part of our game also …. 

But ultimately it’s all about the players and not us … 

These girls work hard and  all the credit goes to them here today as they all put a massive shift in out there and our bench again proved they can make a difference when entering the game …. 

The girls all have club games over the weekend which are very important so we will get together again on Tuesday night and prepare for our game at home to London next Saturday..” 

Antrim scorers … 

Cliodhna Logan 1-1 

Maria O Neill 0-4 

Bronagh Devlin 0-4

Aiobheann Monaghan 0-3

Laura Agnew 0-2 

Theresa Mellon 0-2 

Aine Lynch 0-1 

Hanna Donaghy 0-1 

Caitlin Taggart 0-1

by thesaffrongael

Antrim minor hurlers beat Wicklow in Leinster Peadar Ó Liatháin Cup

Leinster Minor Hurling

Antrim 2-28 Wicklow 2-07 at Darvar

Antrim’s minor hurlers continued their strong run of form with an emphatic 2-28 to 2-07 victory over Wicklow in Darver in the Peadar Ó Liatháin competition, following last week’s convincing win away to Kildare.

Playing into a strong breeze in the opening half, the young Saffrons moved the ball well and picked off some excellent scores. The standout moment of the half came when the impressive Nathan McKenna finished expertly to the net. A tireless defensive and midfield display ensured Antrim held a seven-point lead at the break, 1-12 to 1-5.

They built on that solid platform after the restart, adding an impressive 16 points in the second half. One of the highlights came from Jay Gault, who surged up the line before cutting inside to split the posts with a superb score. With Damian McMahon commanding the Antrim goal, the defence again worked tirelessly in the second half and Ronan Colgan capped off a fine team performance with a well-taken goal.

It was an excellent all-round display from Antrim, and particularly encouraging to see that the team maintained its high standard even as the squad was rotated.

Attention now turns to next week’s clash with Carlow. With a semi-final spot already secured, Antrim will be aiming to finish top of the group

by thesaffrongael

Antrim lose despite fighting performance

Electric Ireland Ulster Minor Football Championship

Antrim 0-13 Armagh 1-14

Antrim minors produced a spirited performance but it wasn’t enough as they went down by four in the end in this entertaining qualifying round at a sunny Dunsilly on Saturday afternoon.

The Orchard arrived at the Antrim town venue cast in the role of favourites but were pushed all the way by a lively Antrim side who must have felt at one stage as if they were on their way to a famous victory.

It was Armagh who dictated the opening exchanges in almost perfect conditions at Dunsilly and raced into an early four point lead with Conor Barry, Shane Toner 0-2 and Aodhian Carson Gallagher all on target.

The youg Saffrons settled however and slowly began to gain some traction as Tom Convery opened their account but they were thankful to Niall Quinn as Armagh countered and the Moneyglass man pulled off a fine blocking save to deny Aodhain Carson Gallagher.

The visitors were still enjoying the better of the exchanges and Cayden Feeney pointed the resulting ‘65’ but Antrim responded with as point from Dara Campbell to leave just a goal between the sides after 18 minutes play.

Antrim were beginning to enjoy more possession but were guilty of poor choices at times with a number of shots dropping short into the arms of Charlie McGuinness in the Armagh goals.

It was the young Orchard who looked more dangerous in their attacking fazes of the game and a swift counter from mid-field saw Shane Toner fire to the net With the Antrim defence guilty of backing off.

It wasn’t looking good for the home side at this juncture in play but they replied immediately with a good point from Joey Griffin and Tom Convery followed immediately from a close range free and another from Rasharkin’s Shea McFerran had it back to three at half time.

The Rasharkin man had been making an impression in attack and he continued where he had left off as the game got underway again as he split the uprights after 20 seconds and when he raised an Orange flag in the third minute, the sides were level.

The momentum was now with the team in Saffron and they produced another promising attack but Dara Campbell blazed wide when a goal looked on.

It didn’t affect the Casement’s lad, who with his club colleague Tom Convery were more than holding their own in the midfield battle, as he pointed his side ahead from the first time from a free in the 6th minute as the Antrim support roared their approval.

Armagh looked a bit rattled as they kicked a number of wides in quick succession but they were back on level terms when Fiachra Maxwell pointed in the 10th minute.

The hosts were now starting to believe however and Tom Convery edged them back ahead after the lively Joey Griffin was dragged down as he raced in on goal but they then lost Daire Thornbury to injury, with Aodhan O’Hanlon coming on as his replacement.

Colm Kane then replaced Johnny Higgins in the Saffron attack with Shane Toner hitting a fine point for Armagh to level the contest again and Evan McElvenna and Toner again moving the visitors two ahead with 7 minutes remaining.

The home side were not yet finished however and Shea McFerran produced a lung busting run from deep to set up Joey Griffin to leave just one in it again and this one looked like going down to the wire.

McFerran was injured in the build up to Griffin’s score and was replaced by Nathan Burns and it still looked anybody’s game but it was the Orchard who finished the stronger as Evan McElvanna, the superb Shane Toner and Niall Murphy added unanswered points.

It’s been a tough season for Antrim minors and lesser teams would have dropped their heads when results were not going their way but, credit to this group and their management, they have stuck to their guns and have got better and better as the season progressed.

Last week they led Monaghan 0-6 to 0-2 at one stage before going down to a strong Farney side and again today, they have shown glimpses of just what they are capable of and I’ve no doubt we will see quite a number of these players turning out for the seniors in the years ahead.

TO VIEW MORE PICS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/QQB54kS7ksLqYo

by thesaffrongael

Saffrons Set for Laois Test

Joe McDonagh Cup – Round 2

Laois v Antrim

Date: Saturday 25 April

Venue: O’Moore Park, Laois

Throw in: 4pm

Referee: Caymon Flynn (Wexford)

As the Saffron fans set off to Portalaoise Brendan McTaggart looks forward to the task facing Antrim’s in the McDonagh Cup game with the O’Moore County. A win and they are back in the fight, a defeat and we are depending on other results

So, who had a late Donal Hughes goal on their bingo card for the McDonagh Cup opener last weekend?  Yeah, me neither.  Yet here we sit, lightning striking twice and the hurling God’s not looking favourably on those dressed in Saffron.

A two point defeat, nine minutes of injury time with penalties denied and a chance missed.  Despite everything, it is a chance missed.  That was a game that should have been won and despite not playing anything like near their best, they could have.  A plethora of first half wides, 10 by this journo’s count yet, we had a four point lead at half time. 

It was going to be a big ask to get a result at the half way point and as Domhnall Nugent and I both noted at half time while having a yarn, you wouldn’t put it past this side to hurl better into the elements.

Donal was right.  On reflection of Antrim games in the recent past, playing into the wind has almost suited them.  That’s where the hope gets you again.  That, right there.  That’s what gave me another lift for the second half.  Even at half time when a more unbiased journo might have put me in a better place, the hope was still there.

30 minutes into the second half and it looked like we might get something out of the game.  We were keeping Down at arm’s length, keeping that advantage and the Mourne Men unable to make inroads.  Those last five minutes of normal time belonged to the visitors to Pearse Park.  Tom McGrattan, Daithi Sands and not forgetting one Donal Hughes.

Lights out.  Antrim showed some urgency trying to get back into the game and James McNaughton should have had a penalty at the death.  It didn’t happen.  Two points, a goal was needed.  But there was still time for points that could have seen us get a share of the offerings.  Hindsight is, as always, 50/50.

It’s frustrating.  I said it in the We Are Antrim podcast (have you listened yet?), we played into Down’s hands with how we set up.  With the players we have available, we have to play to our strengths.  Back ourselves and what we do best.  You have the likes of Seaan Elliott, Conal Cunning, Paul Boyle, Keelan Molloy and James McNaughton in a starting team with Joseph McLaughlin and Jack McCloskey on the bench.  The attacking threat is there, we just need to adapt.

The sight of seeing a one man inside forward line while playing with a 10 point wind at our backs last Saturday wasn’t exactly filling me with confidence.  I know why that system is used and when it comes off, it’s great to see.  Running from deep and with numbers is hard to defend against.  But when that middle third is packed, it’s a high-risk strategy.

But, it’s how the Antrim management have chosen to play and while I might not agree with it, they’ll have my support and there won’t be a happier man in Portlaoise if we leave with a win.  A place that I can’t remember the last time we left with a result but records like this are made for breaking.

The team has been named and it’s an unchanged 15 from the Down game although one positional change with Ryan McNulty and Oisin Donnelly swapping places.  Conor Johnston returns to the matchday squad while Sean Og McLaren makes a step up from the u20s to take a place on the bench.  Antrim will be hoping for impact off the bench from Conal Bohill and Gerard Walsh again, Bohill in particular gave the Saffrons another dimension in the middle third with his introduction.

A 4pm throw in on a Saturday, O’Moore Park Portlaoise and the sun will be shinning.  Hopefully the hurling Gods shine on the Saffrons once more to get our McDonagh Cup campaign back on track.