Category / Senior Football Championship

by thesaffrongael

Cargin Progress as St Galls Bow Out

Norther Switchgear Senior Football Championship

Group 3

Cargin 2-14 St Galls 1-11

Sunday 6 September

Brendan McTaggart reports from Glenavy

Cargin made it three from three in the much vaunted ‘group of death’ as they saw off the challenge of old rivals St Gall’s.  Six points separated the sides by the time Brendan Toland sounded the full time whistle, in truth St Gall’s will be kicking themselves when they look back on this game.

By this journo’s notes, the Milltown Row men had 11 attempts at a two point score in the second half and converted just one.  A statistic they will certainly rue given they trailed by just four points at half time and had the advantage of a substantial wind at their back for that second 30 minutes.

The Toome men didn’t fare much better with the wind at their back and a run of three missed two pointer chances at the end of the first half looked dent their challenge.  They turned in an efficient second half however with Conhuir Johnston, Pat Shivers, Kevin McShane and Gerard McCann all shinning.

Gerard McCann and Conhuir Johnston scored the Cargin goals, one in either half with Johnston’s major effectively extinguishing the St Galls challenge.  Callum Walsh and Daniel Quinn did the majority of the scoring for the Milltown Row Azzuri and the introduction of Mickey Pollock in the second half gave them another point of attack but they got little change from an excellent Cargin defence.  Fiontan Hardy, Kevin O’Boyle and James Laverty catching the eye.

Despite playing against the elements, it was the city side who made all the early running with Aodhan Gallagher prominent in the middle third.  Michael McCann did open the scoring in the game in the second minute but Cargin wouldn’t register another score or attempt of a score for 10 minutes. 

Quinn opened his account with a free before Walsh followed suit although there’s no doubt, he had goal on his mind only for his effort to blaze over the bar.  The same duo would register further points apiece to leave St Galls three ahead after 11 minutes.

The Erin’s Own men began to take an element of control and had their second point of the contest through Jack O’Neill.  The marauding defender was pivotal in the build up to Cargin’s opening goal with his pace and power providing the chance that saw Gerard McCann sending the ball off both posts before nestling into the back of the St Gall’s net.

They would add the opening two pointer of the game through a John McNabb free from outside the 40 meter arc before Niall Burns split the uprights from an acute angle to leave Cargin two points ahead going into the final 10 minutes of the first half.

A two pointer from Pat Shivers was followed by a Conan Johnston score before Quinn added his second free and third point of the half to leave four between the sides at the interval.

The four point lead was far from insurmountable for St Galls given the wind they would have at their backs.  Cargin were wasteful and guilty of making the wrong decision at key moments in that first half, especially in the closing stages.

Cargin opened the scoring with a Pat Shivers point after just 30 seconds of the second half and while St Gall’s were playing with more attacking intent and enjoying more possession, they were guilty of missing chances.  Four attempts at two pointers went astray in the opening five minutes of the second half while Conhuir Johnston opened his account for the game to take the Cargin lead to six.

St Gall’s hit back with their goal coming in the 38th minute.  Ó Muirigh looked to be fouled when trying to get a shot away and his effort dropped short where goal keeper McNabb failed to deal with the danger.  As the ball went loose, Walsh made no mistake from close range.

The Cargin response was one we’ve seen many times from the men in green.  They added the next two points through James Laverty and Conhuire Johnston to try and quell any thoughts of a St Gall’s comeback in the game.

Quinn and substitute Mickey Pollock fired over scores only for Conhuir Johnston to split the uprights from placed ball to leave four between the sides with 11 minutes of the hour remaining.

Gerard O’Neill halved that deficit when he split the uprights from outside the 40 meter arc only for Pat Shivers (free) and substitute John Carron to follow suit at the other end of the field.

St Gall’s continued to look for two pointers and came up short with Quinn taking his tally to 0-5 for the game in the last minute of the hour before the game threatened to boil over.  A number of players got involved in ugly scenes with referee Brendan Toland doing well to restore calm to proceedings.

Conhuir Johnston rounded off the scoring with Cargin’s second goal, showing superb footwork and composure, selling a delightful dummy before finding the back of the net and sealing a comfortable win for Cargin.

St Gall’s championship campaign comes to an end as they fall foul to the ‘group of death’ as Cargin march on and book a place with Creggan in the quarter final.

TEAMS

Cargin Starting XV: John McNabb; Kevin O’Boyle, Kevin McShane, Fiontan Hardy; Benen Kelly, James Laverty, Jack O’Neill; Conhuir Johnston, Gerard McCann; Ciaran Bradley, Conan Johnston, Tom Shivers; Jamie Gribbin, Michael McCann, Pat Shivers

  • Subs: Cillian Scullion for J Gribbin (44); John Carron for C Bradley (49); Jack Harney for B Kelly (54); David Johnston for C Johnston (60); Eunan Quinn for M McCann (60)
  • Scorers: C Johnston 1-3 (1f); P Shivers 0-4 (1tp, 1f); G McCann 1-00; J McNabb 0-2 (1tpf); J Laverty 0-1; J O’Neill 0-1; C Johnston 0-1; M McCann 0-1; J Carron 0-1

St Gall’s Starting XV: Chris Kerr; Christopher Hale, Conall McGirr, Barra McCaffrey; Conor Ryan, Dubhaltach Wilson, Gerard O’Neill; Manus McCrossan, Aodhan Gallagher; Marty Murray, Daniel Quinn, Eoghan McCabe; Niall Burns, Padraig Ó Muirigh, Callum Walsh

  • Subs: Michael Pollock for D Wilson (41); Conor Burke for A Gallagher (45)
  • Scorers: D Quinn 0-5 (3f); C Walsh 1-2; G O’Neill 0-2 (1tp); N Burns 0-1; M Pollock 0-1

Referee: Brendan Toland (Lámh Dhearg)

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by thesaffrongael

St. Brigid’s hit St. Ergnat’s for 7

NORTHERN SWITCHGEAR SFC Group 3

St. Ergnat’s 0-9 St. Brigid’s 7-20

St. Brigid’s join Erin’s Own Cargin in the play-offs following this comprehensive victory over St. Ergnat’s Moneyglass in their final Group 3 game in Ahoghill on Sunday.

The Musgrave Park side recovered from an opening day defeat in Toome to Erin’s Own, who finish top of Group 3 on maximum points following their win over St. Gall’s in Glenavy, to join the Cargin side as second place qualifiers.

Today’s game in Moneyglass was never really in doubt as St. Brigid’s dominated from the start after briefly falling behind to an early Seanchan Duffin 2 pointer.

They responded with two goals within a minute as James Smith found the net in the 3d minute and Niall Duffy struck a second with four minutes gone.

Points from Joseph Finnegan, Ronan McGrady and James Smith had the visitors seven ahead by the 12th minute with Colum Duffin replying with the hosts second 2 pointer before a quick reply from James Dowling for the visitors.

Points from Ronan McGrady and Patrick Finnegan extended the St. Brigid’s lead and when Niall Duffy got through for their third goal in the 18th minute it looked a long way back for the Moneyglass side.

Colum Duffin would finish the opening half with a point followed by a second Orange flag as he fought in vain to keep his side in touch but Duffy, Smith, Dara Quinn and McGrady kept the score board ticking as the visitors moved 3-10 to 0-7 ahead at the break.

There would be no respite for the hosts as the second half action got under way with the Musgrave side continuing to call the shots and JJ Higgins and Conleth McCann exchanged early points before St. Brigid’s hit the turbo again.

James Smith, JJ Higgins and Smith with two more moved them 16 ahead by the 11th minute as St. Ergnat’s struggled to contain their pace and movement and Niall Duffy and Conan McNicholl kicked further points before JJ Higgins struck their fourth goal at the end of the third quarter.

It was one way traffic at this stage with Higgins and Niall Duffy splitting the posts again before Jack Dowling rattled the net again with 8 minutes remaining.

McGrady put the icing on a fine personal performance with goal number seven following another JJ Higgins point with Colum Duffin replying with a consolation point for a struggling St. Ergnat’s and substitute McNicholl concluding the scoring with a late point for the visitors.

As we get down to the real business of championship St. Brigid’s look like they could be serious contenders to lift their first title though things are likely to get much more difficult as we reach the knockout stages.

For Moneyglass a disappointing championship campaign but they will take a lot of consolation from retaining their division 1 status and this young St. Ergnat’s can only get better as they continue life in the top bracket in 2027.

Moneyglass: 1 Jamie McLoughlin, 18 Odhran Duffin, 3 Zach McCaughan, 4 Eunan McErlain, 5 Sean Boyd, 6 Fergal Duffin, 7 Conleth McCann, 8 Tiernan McCormick, 9 Seanchan Duffin, 10 Paul Duffin, 11 Aidan McErlain, 12 Caolan Boyd, 13 Ewan McGrath, 14 Colum Duffin, 15 Dermot McErlain

St. Brigid’s: 1 Declan Heery, 3 John Morgan, 6 Joseph Finnegan, 7 Reuben Carleton, 8 Jack Dowling, 9 Patrtick Finnegan, 10 Ronan Boyle, 11 Dara Quinn, 12 Paul Bradley, 13 Niall Duffy, 14 James Smith, 15 JJ Higgins, 18 Peter King, 24 Shay Campbell, 26 Ronan McGrady

Referee: Kevin Parke (St. Enda’s)

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by thesaffrongael

Creggan Improve to Book a Place in the Quarter Finals

Northern Switchgear Senior Football Championship

Group 4

Creggan 3-16 All Saints 2-12

Sunday 6 September

Brendan McTaggart reports from Tír na nÓg

Creggan saved their best display of the championship until the last group game as they sealed a quarter final spot by defeating All Saints on Sunday afternoon.  Seven points separated the sides, in truth the final score doesn’t reflect the match at all.

The Kickhams men dominated a first half and had to withstand a second half storm from All Saints before a late flurry of scores put daylight between the sides.  Conor Small finished top of the scoring charts with 1-5 beside his name for his efforts before coming off late in the game while a Shea McCann penalty and substitute Tiernan McAteer got the other majors for Creggan.  Their full back line was highly impressive throughout with the kickouts of Oisin Kerr pinpoint for the majority of the contest but it was the calming influence of Conor McCann that saw them over the line.

McCann was introduced in the 55th minute but in that space of time, he turned over ball, scored a point and set up Tiernan McAteer’s goal.  Showing there is no substitute for experience in the melting pot of championship football.

All Saints will undoubtedly rue their first half performance when looking back on this game.  Despite scoring two goals, they only landed one goal from open play in those opening 30 minutes.  Creggan were dominant in the middle third and turning over an All Saints attack that struggled to get any headway for long periods.

Despite trailing by six points at half time, they had that reduced to just two going into the final 10 minutes.  Kavaan Keenan, Conor Stewart, Paddy McAleer and Connell Lemon all instrumental but they left themselves too much to do in the second half after a poor opening 30 minutes.

With a strong wind blowing across the Whitehill pitch, the elements suited neither side but it was All Saints who showed more fluency in the opening exchanges.  Despite that, it was Kevin Small that opened the scoring before the Ballymena men scored the opening goal in the fifth minute.  Referee Mark O’Neill awarded them a penalty for a foul on Brendan McDonnell, much to the dismay of the Creggan defence.  McAleer stepped up and dispatched the spot kick with ease to put his side in front.

Creggan replied with another Small point, this time coming from the boot of Conor only for All Saints to score another major.  Connell Lemon taking a quick free and finding Conor Stewart in space some 30 yards from goal.  The All Saints star didn’t have to break stride and showed plenty of composure to find the back of the net.

It would be another 10 minutes before the Saints would have another attempt for a score as Creggan began to turn the screw in the middle third.  They points from Conor Johnston, Joe McAteer (2) and Keelan McCann in the space of five minutes to tie the sides before Conor Small scored Creggan’s first goal of the game.

Jamie McCann and Conor Johnston combining in the build up before Johnston found Small in space in front of goals and he made no mistake.

Another Joe McAteer score put four between the sides before Conor Stewart sent over a two point free to briefly halt the Creggan onslaught.  It was just that though as Creggan continued to dominate the remainder of the half.

Joe McAteer split the uprights for his fourth of the half before Ruairi McCann landed points either side of a Conor Small free to leave the half time score 1-11 to 2-2 in Creggan’s favour.

The Ballymena men needed a quick start to the second half and through McAleer, Shaun O’Callaghan and Kavaan Keenan they had the Creggan lead reduced to two points inside five minutes. 

Conor Small opened Creggan’s account by landing his second point from play but All Saints had all the momentum with a brace of frees from McDonnell and McAleer leaving the minimum between the sides after 11 minutes of the second half.

Creggan were given a lifeline when they were awarded a penalty for a foul on Kevin Small inside the area.  Much like the penalty in the first half, there didn’t look like there was much in it but Shea McCann stepped up and found the bottom corner to put four between the sides again.

Paídín Mitchell and Dominic McAteer swapped white flags, McAteer’s point coming after he went for goal but his effort was deflected over the bar by Ryan Stewart in the All Saints goal.

Creggan had another sight of the All Saints nets but substitute Fintan Close saw his effort come back off the uprights.  The Saints responded by firing over a brace of scores from Conor Stewart and Kavan Keenan to leave two between the sides with nine minutes of the hour remaining.

It was as close as All Saints got to Creggan however as the Kickhams men seemed to weather the storm with the impact of players coming off the bench having a huge say in the outcome.

Conor Small and Conor McCann fired over scores before another McDonnell free for All Saints in the first minute of added time left three between the sides.

Given that a draw would have been enough for the Ballymena men to go through, it was still very much game on but a goal from Tiernan McAteer in the third minute of injury time sealed the win for Creggan.  Conor Small took his tally to 1-5 with his third point from open play with the last action of the game as Creggan sealed a quarter final game with the Cargin in two weeks time.

TEAMS

Creggan Starting XV: Oisin Kerr; Liam McLernon, Ricky Johnston, Aidan Maguire; Eunan McAteer, Ethan Carey-Small, Dominic McAteer; Keelan McCann, Jamie McCann; Shea McCann, Kevin Small, Ruairi McCann; Joe McAteer, Conor Small, Conor Johnston

  • Subs: Fintan Close for A Maguire (46), Paddy McAuley for D McAteer (46); Conor McCann for K McCann (55), Tiernan McAteer for C Johnston (55); Sam Maguire for S McCann (60)
  • Scorers: C Small 1-5 (2f); J McAteer 0-4; S McCann 1-00 (pen); T McAteer 1-00; R McCann 0-2; D McAteer 0-1, K McCann 0-1, K Small 0-1, C Johnston 0-1, C McCann 0-1

All Saints: Ryan Stewart; Joe Rafferty, Cal O’Brien, Sean McDermott; Michael Reid, Shaun O’Callaghan, Kavaan Keenan; Paddy McAleer, Emmet Killough; Connell Lemon, Conor Stewart, Paidin Mitchell; Peter McReynolds, Brendan McDonnell, Ciaran Campbell

  • Subs: Matthew Downey for M Reid (38); Sean McVeigh for P McReynolds (48); Oliver O’Rawe for C O’Brien (60)
  • Scorers: C Stewart 1-3 (1tpf); P McAleer 1-2 (1-00pen, 1f); K Keenan 0-3 (1tpf); B McDonnell 0-2 (2f); S O’Callaghan 0-1, P Mitchell 0-1

Referee: Mark O’Neill (Armoy)

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by thesaffrongael

Glenravel beat understrength Dunloy to maintain senior status

Senior Football Championship: Glenravel at Slemish Park, Ballymena

2-10 Dunloy 0-8

Glenravel produced one of their most important performances of the season as they defeated already-qualified Dunloy by eight points to secure their place in Division One football and the Senior Football Championship for 2027.
The stakes were very different for the two sides before the throw-in. Dunloy had already booked their place in the championship knockout stages and, understandably, fielded a much-changed side with one eye firmly fixed on next weekend’s Senior Hurling Championship clash with Cushendall. Glenravel, meanwhile, knew that only victory would guarantee their top-flight status in both league and championship, and they approached the game with that urgency from the opening whistle.
Glenravel battle the breeze
Playing into a stiff breeze in the opening half against a dangerous Dunloy attack, Glenravel made the perfect response after falling two points behind early on.
Dunloy opened the scoring with points in the 3rd and 11th minutes before Ryan McQuillan calmly dispatched a penalty in the 13th minute to edge Glenravel in front.
Further points from Aiden O’Donnell, Davy Higgins and Callum Higgins kept Glenravel ticking over as Dunloy replied through a 45 and a free to leave the sides separated by the narrowest of margins.
Conn Mag Aoidh were delighted to hear the half-time whistle leading 1-3 to 0-4.

Having played into the elements, Glenravel held a two-point advantage that felt much greater given the conditions.
A huge reason for that lead was goalkeeper Conleth O’Loan, who produced two outstanding saves to preserve Glenravel’s advantage. First he somehow stretched full length to deny Dunloy from point-blank range, before later standing tall to save a penalty, lifting both his teammates and the Glenravel support.
Two-point burst changes the game
With the wind now at their backs, Glenravel controlled much of the second half, although their dominance wasn’t immediately reflected on the scoreboard as a series of promising attacks ended with inaccurate shooting.
Eventually their accuracy returned — and it came from the boot of Aiden O’Donnell.
The Glenravel forward landed a superb two-pointer from play before following it minutes later with a magnificent two-point free. Those scores suddenly opened daylight between the teams and gave Glenravel the breathing space they had been searching for.
Soon afterwards Shea O’Broin finished a flowing move with Glenravel’s second goal, pushing the lead to nine points and effectively putting the result beyond doubt.
Dunloy continued to battle and reeled off four late points through a youthful attack, but Glenravel never looked in danger of surrendering control.
Late scores from Eamon Ward (2) and Ryan McQuillan ensured the scoreboard accurately reflected Glenravel’s second-half superiority as they closed out a deserved 2-10 to 0-8 victory.
What it means
The defeat does little damage to Dunloy’s ambitions. Already assured of a place in the championship knockout stages, they can now turn their full attention to next weekend’s eagerly anticipated hurling championship encounter with Cushendall.
For Glenravel, however, this was a season-defining afternoon. Victory guarantees their place among the county’s elite in Division One and ensures they will once again compete in the Senior Football Championship in 2027 — a reward for a composed, disciplined and determined performance when it mattered most.

GLENRAVEL

6 Conleth O’Loan, 2 Declan McAuley, 19 Eamon Ward, 11 Colla Ward, 12 Niall Hynds, 6 Niall Swann, 7 Rian Lennon, 8 Callum Higgins, 5 Cahal Hynds, 27 Joe Martin, 14 Ryan McQuillan, 15 Cormac McKeown, 29 Shea O’Broin, 9 Davy Higgins, 23 Aiden O’Donnell.

DUNLOY

1 Karl Fitzpatrick, 2 Sean Og Blaney, 3 Reece Cunning, 4 Michael Traynor, 5 Luke McFerran, 6 Conor Kinsella, 7 Cathaoir McCloskey, 8 Padraig McGilligan, 9 Ciaran McQuillan, 10 Donnach Laverty, 11 James Scally, 12 Barry McCloskey, 13 Charlie Cunning, 14 Eoghan McGrath, 15 Emmett McKendry.

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by thesaffrongael

Aghagallon bow out of the 2026 Championship 

Antrim Northern Switchgear SFC Group 4

Portglenone 2-16 Aghagallon 0-18

Referee Conall Roberts

Report and Pictures from Brian Hamill at Erin’s Own, Cargin

Portglenone survived a spirited Aghagallon comeback to book their place in the knock out stages of the Antrim Senior Football Championship after a fiercely contested encounter that was ultimately decided by two first-half goals from Shane Delargy.

Aghagallon made the brighter start and led through scores from Ruairi McCann, Jonny Hannon and Enda McCartan, with Portglenone struggling to gain a foothold in the opening exchanges. The visitors moved four points clear before Portglenone gradually worked their way back into the game.

The turning point arrived midway through the first half when Michael Hagan struck for a goal in the 14th minute. Hagan found the net again eleven minutes later, giving the hosts a crucial cushion despite Aghagallon’s impressive accuracy from distance.

Further scores from Kevin Mullan, Caolan Tierney, Aidan McAleese and Oisin Doherty helped Portglenone edge in front, but a late two-point free from Luke Mulholland left just two points between the sides at the interval, with Portglenone leading 2-6 to 0-10.

Aghagallon continued to threaten after the restart and drew level entering the final quarter through a series of two-point scores. Eunan Walsh was particularly influential, landing two two-pointers, while Jonny Hannon also added a two points as the visitors fought back strongly.

Portglenone responded impressively. Caolan Tierney and Paddy Graffin added important scores before both sides emptied their benches. With the game in the balance, scores from Dermot McAleese and substitute Niall Delargy restored Portglenone’s advantage.

Aghagallon again closed the gap to a single score, but Portglenone had the final say when Odhran Doherty landed a crucial point in the 65th minute to seal a hard-earned three-point victory.

Although Aghagallon landed four two-point scores and trailed by only two points entering the final minutes, the two goals from Michael Hagan during a decisive first-half spell ultimately proved the difference.

Portglenone team: 

1 Kevin Mullan (0-1) 

2 Daniel McNicholl 

3 Shane Delargy 

29 Ciaran Lynch 

5 Dermot McAleese (0-1) 

6 Connor McGhee 

7 Ruairi Hagan 

8 Aidan McAleese (0-2) 

22 Michael Donnelly 

10 Paddy Graffin 

11 Oisin Doherty (0-1) 

12 Stephen Kelly (0-2) 

23 Michael Hagan 

14 Odhran McAleese 

15 Odhran Doherty

Subs 13 

Tom Duffin (0-2) 

18 Caolan Tierney (0-2) 

28 Niall Delargy (0-1)

Aghagallon Starting Line-up

  • Luke Mulholland (0-2)
  • Kieran Hamill
  • Aiden Mulholland
  • Cormac Mulholland
  • Eunan Walsh (0-6)
  • Jamie Lamount (0-1)
  • Ciaran Maginnis
  • Pauric Maginnis (0-1)
  • Jack Lenehan
  • Padraig Gowdy
  • Enda McCartan (0-1)
  • Eoin Brankin
  • Jonny Hannon (0-5)
  • Ruairi McCann (0-2)
  • 19. Stephen Devlin

Substitutes:
Aidan Brady, Oisin Lenehan and EJ Loughran

Referee Conal Roberts (St. John’s)

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