Conn Doherty scored a first half hat-trick as St. Gall’s came from behind to defeat Kickham’s Creggan in the Reserve Football Cup final at Dunsilly on Wednesday night.
The St. Gall’s number 13 proved the outstanding player on view and despite having a penalty pushed over for a point by Creggan Keeper, Mark Dougan he came up with the necessary scores when it mattered to turn this game on its head.
It was Creggan who opened the scoring when Paddy Coey converted a 20 meter free in the second minute with Doherty replying with an excellent point for the Milltown side with 4 minutes gone.
The Belfast side were then awarded a penalty in the 8th minute and Conn Doherty stepped up to take the award but his well struck effort was diverted over the bar by the foot of Creggan keeper, Mark Dougan at the expense of a point.
The Milltown side then lost Sean Burke to a Black card after 11 minute but Jarlath Mervyn kicked a fine point to move them two in front as they began to get on top.
Conor Johnston (15) fires past Niall McCurdy for the game’s opening goal
Creggan responded with their first score for 13 minutes when Teddy McKeown split the posts and it got better for the South West side when young Conor Johnston got on the end of a slick move to fire past Niall McCurdy for the game’s opening goal.
Jake McAteer followed with a point to move the Kickham’s three ahead by the 20th minute and it all seemed to be going to plan for the Staffordstown Road side but things were about to change.
Two minutes later Conn Doherty climbed to palm a cross to the net at the other end before lobbing the keeper for a splendid second and when he again got on the end of a hanging cross to fist to the net from close range, the game had been turned on its head.
The momentum was now very much with a free flowing St. Gall’s side who would add four further points before the break with Doherty, Michael Hopkins 0-2 and Niall Fallon the men on target and Creggan’s only response coming from a converted Paddy Coey free in the 32nd minute.
Substitute, Manus McCrossan increased the St. Gall’s lead to 12 from a 2nd minute free and it looked a long way back for the South West men but they did start to enjoy a little bit of success.
The splendid Conor Johnston replied with a good point but they had Mark Dougan to thank when he came off his line to deflect a shot from Fergus Donnelly for a ‘45’ after the St. Gall’s wing half found himself on a one on one in the 8th minute.
Niall McCurdy pointed the resulting award but another pointed Paddy Coey free and one from play from the flying Johnston had it back to eight with 9 minutes of normal time remaining.
Sean Burke responded with a point for the Milltown side but the excellent Johnston replied with a great goal at the other end to leave just six in it and give his side a glimmer of hope.
It would be as close as they got however with man of the match, Conn Doherty converting a Mark in the 28th minute before Hugh McNulty concluded the scoring with a consolation point for Creggan.
An entertaining game of football with St. Gall’s gaining some revenge for their defeat to Creggan in the Senior Football championship at Lamh Dhearg 10 days ago and they were fully deserving of their victory.
The Kickham’s must now prepare for the weekend’s SFC quarer-final against Lamh Dhearg in Glenavy and a win there would certainly soften the blow of Wednesday night’s defeat.
Coaching development officer, Paddy Kelly presents the Reserve Football Cup to St. Gall’s joint captains, Shea Ferguson and Niall McCurdy
A week-end of championship action on the menu with games in grades, senior, Intermediate, and junior down for decision with a couple of ties in the senior championship relegation play off also scheduled.
Reserve Cup & Shield finals tonight (Wednesday)
The knock-out action begins tonight (Wednesday) with the Reserve Football Cup final between St. Gall’s and Kickham’s, Creggan at Dunsilly while St. Joseph’s Glenavy and Con Magee’s Glenravel cross swords in the Reserve Shield Final in Portglenone.
Both games are set for 7-00pm with Creggan’s strong performance in the semi-final against All Saints in Ballymena suggesting they will start the Cup final as favourites while St. Joseph’s history in the Reserve Shield giving them a tentative nod in that one.
On Friday the floodlights at Portglenone will accommodate the opening Senior Football championship encounter with holders, Erin’s Own Cargin set to cross swords with St Mary’s Ahoghill to get the championship show on the road on Friday evening.
Dunsilly, pitch one will host the second senior quarter final between Casement’s and St Johns at 4.00pm on Saturday with the remaining games to decide places in the last 4 on Sunday 15th as Lamh Dhearg face Creggan at Glenavy 1.30 pm with St Brigid’s and Cuchullian’s Dunloy meeting in Toome at4.00pm.
Saturday 14th will also feature games in both the Intermediate and Junior championship with Sunday 15th will also feature games in the championship relegation play offs with Ballymena hosting Con Magee’s Glenravel v Tir na nOg at 2.00pm with Hannahstown featuring St Enda’s v St Gall’s at 5.00pm.
Friday 13th September
Senior Football Championship
Portglenone 7-30pm
Erin’s Own Cargin v St Mary’s Ahoghill (7.30pm)
Erin’s Own Cargin continue in their search of ‘three in a row’ as they line out against St Mary’s Ahoghill under the floodlights in Portglenone.
Ronan Devlin’s charges remained unbeaten through the group stages and although nothing is assured they remain strong favourites to gain a semi final berth.
Chris McGlone’s St. Mary’s side enter the fray as rank outsiders and will travel with nothing to lose but the renowned fighting spirit of the Cloney side means they should never be dismissed.
The Cargin journey to date has been smooth following victories over Rossa and St John’s but they did take a time to get the show on the road before defeating Tir na nOg in round three.
The Toome men will enter the fray as strong favourites’ but certainly well aware of the spirit within the St Mary’s camp as they battle on both fronts with a place in the Intermediate Hurling play-off still up for grabs.
This one should attract a good crowd to Kelly Park and although Ahoghill will start as outsiders they will give it everything but anything less than an Erin’s Own victory would be a major shock.
Sat 14th September
Senior Football Championship
Dunsilly 1
Casement’s Portglenone v St John’s (4.00pm)
St John’s set the standard in the acquisition of county senior football titles with a massive 24 gained over the years but it has been a while since they have brought the title back to Corrigan Park.
That was way back in 1998 but the flame still burns brightly on the Whiterock and they will hope to make 2024 a further milestone as they look to plot a course to success again.
Casement’s have yet to gain a senior title but the fates haven’t been kind to the Bannsider’s in the recent past as after plotting the course to last year’s semi-finals that was as close as they were to get.
John Mc Keever did lead them to the division one league title in 2023, underlining the fact that the Portglenone men have the players needed to go all the way in championship.
Casement’s will start this one as favourites and they may well go on to gain a place in the semi-finals, but St John’s will not bend the knee easily and the Corrigan men will certainly provide the Bannsider’s with a serious challenge.
Sunday 15th September
Glenavy
Lamh Dhearg v Kickham’s Creggan (1.30pm)
Lamh Dhearg and Creggan go head to head at Chapel Hill and this one is certain to attract a big attendance.
Both contestants have won the MacNamee trophy as county champions on three occasions and their respective aims would be to add another sooner rather than later.
The Kickham’s won their third title in 2021 which was four years after the men from Hannahstown had taken their third title and both have proved lively contenders over the years.
Both sides enjoyed indifferent league campaigns but as they returned to strength results have certainly improved in the championship.
The Hannahstown side finished their group unbeaten whilst Creggan finished second in their section with a single defeat to St. Brigid’s.
A close encounter is anticipated at Chapel Hill but Creggan will start as favourites and although Lamh Dhearg will provide a firm challenge, Joe Cassidy’s Kickham’s may well gain a hard earned win.
Toome
St Brigid’s v Cuchullian’s Dunloy (4.00pm)
Erin’s Own Cargin will play hosts to this one as last year’s beaten finalists Cuchullian’s Dunloy seek to go one step further this term as they meet 2024 division one league winners St Brigid’s.
This town v country coming together is certain to attract a big attendance to Toome and a close hard fought encounter is anticipated.
Dunloy gave Cargin a run for their money in last year’s final and although the Cuchullian’s are fighting on two fronts, football and hurling they are still on course on both fronts despite defeat to Lamh Dhearg in their final Group game.
St Brigid’s, with the division one league title already secured will by going all out to secure a rare league/championship double.
Dunloy lost their last hurling group game to Cushendall which has left them with a quarter-final they were keen to avoid and there is the danger of falling between two stools.
The Cuchullian’s are renowned championship battlers and are likely to provide the Musgrave Park side with a serious challenge if fielding at strength but St. Brigid’s are given the vote.
Intermediate F C
Group One
Sat 14th September
Pairc Naomh Pol
St Paul’s v Kickham’s Ardoyne (2.00pm)
St Paul’s have already qualified for the knockout stages as Kickham’s Ardoyne visit Shaw’s Road. Ardoyne have struggled this season in both league and championship and anything other than a St. Paul’s win would be a major surprise.
Kirkwood Pk
St Patrick’s Lisburn v St Teresa’s (2.00pm)
Like St. Paul’s, St Teresa’s have already qualified and the Glen Road side will make the trip to Lisburn with a place in the semi-finals already secured.
This one is a dead rubber with nothing but pride at stake and could go either way.
Group Two
Chapel Hill
St Joseph’s Glenavy v All Saint’s Ballymena (5.00pm)
St Joseph’s Glenavy and All Saint’s meet in this ‘winners take all’ encounter at Chapel Hill with the outcome of this one having a huge say on the latter stages of the Intermediate championship.
Glenavy defeated Sarsfield’s last time out to put themselves firmly in the frame to join the Staffordstown Road side in the knockout stages and a win over Baker Bradley’s All Saints would ensure they top the group.
The Ballymena side enjoyed an excellent league campaign but have blown hot and cold in the championship but a win or even a draw here would see them qualify with Sarsfields for the semi-finals.
There won’t be much between them but home advantage will ensure that Glenavy will start as slight favourites but if All Saints can produce their best form then they can at least gain the draw they need to qualify.
Davitt Pk
Michael Davitt’s v Gort na Mona (5.00pm)
This one is a dead rubber in championship as a place in the latter stages is beyond both sides but the result will have a bearing on the ‘championship status’ and will add impetus to the game.
This has certainly been a poor year for the Michael Davitt’s in the championship without a win in the group stages.
Gort na Mona did enjoy a victory over Glenavy in the championship and a similar performance will possibly ensure another win.
Junior Football Championship
Sat 14th September
Cliftonville
Patrick Pearse’s v Eire Og (5.00pm)
Pearse’s recorded a group 1 victory over Cardinal O’ Donnell’s to finish in second place to unbeaten St. Agnes and they will look for a similar performance as they welcome Eire Og to Cliftonville with a place in the semi-finals the prize.
Eire Og shared the points with St. Malachy’s last time after looking likely winners until late in the game and in similar form they could gain an away victory.
Cherryvale
St Malachy’s v Laochra Loch Lao (5.00pm)
This looks like another close one as St Malachy’s welcome Laochra Loch Lao to Cherryvale.
A final day group 1 victory over Pearses ensured Laochra Loch Lao a quarter-final place while St. Malachy’s staged a late comeback to draw with Eire Og and this one could go either way.
This evening’s Reserve Hurling final between Loughgiel and Cushendall, which was scheduled for 6-30 in Armoy, has been postponed and will be played at a later date
All hurling fans in Antrim will tell you that the Intermediate championship is always the most exciting and most competitive of them all, but this year’s competition has surpassed itself. Sarsfields win over Con Magees, St Paul’s victory over Cushendun and Tir na nÓg’s win over Cloney Gaels has left no less than four teams sitting level on six points each in Group 2
In one of those thrilling Round 4 clashes CLG Naomh Pól staged a dramatic comeback to narrowly defeat Cushendun 3-19 to 1-22 and set themselves up to claim a place in the IHC semi-finals.
Cushendun dominated the first half, leading by five points at the break. However, Naomh Pól turned the game around in the second, spurred by impactful substitutions including young Sean Munce, whose speed and movement proved crucial. This comeback echoed their recent victory over Sarsfield’s, where young players also made a decisive difference. Naomh Pól’s spirited second-half performance secured a memorable win.
The result means the Shaw’s Road side’s final group 2 game against Tir na nOg now becomes more or less a quarter final, as does the Cloney Gaels game against Sarsfields. Whoever wins these two games will advance to the semi-final and to be honest should one or both end in draws God alone knows who will make the last four.
With Glenariffe Oisins leading Group 1 ahead of Cloughmills and Carey Faughs it appears to be straight forward. However that is not the case, for if Carey were to beat the Oisins in that final game they would join them on six points in the league standings, but would then top the group by virtue of the head to head standings.
Cloughmills, who have played all of their games, are on 4 points and if Glenariffe beat Carey then Carey and Cloughmills will both end on four, with Cloughmills leading that dual on the head to head race, by virtue of their last minute win in Carey two weeks ago. Of course if early pace setters Glenarm win their final game against pointless St Gall’s then they too would be on four points and it would come down to the score difference in the games between each other.…..answers on a postcard please.
TO SEE MORE OF MICKEY MORGAN’S PICS FROM THE CUSHENDUN V ST PAUL’S GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
Orla Prenter hit 1-10 as St. Ergnat’s Moneyglass continued their quest to retain their Northern Property Senior Football Championship title with an 11 point win over a battling St. Brigid’s on Sunday.
Prenter struck with her side’s opening goal with only four minutes gone and another from Maire O’Neill in the 22nd minute saw the Marian Hill side lead 2-5 to 0-5 at the break.
The Musgrave Park side never gave up and played some excellent football at timjes bu t were never able to match the scoring fire of their opponents who would push on to win comfortably in the end.
Orla Prenter kicked all five of St. Ergnat’s first half points with Cliodhna Logan, Aoife Montague 0-2, Emma Ferran and Theresa Mellon the St. Brigid’s scorers.
After the break the home side continued to score at will with Orlaith Prenter in sparkling form and she would add a further 0-5 to her first half total with Cathy Carey, Leah Cassidy and Niamh Neeson weighing in with points.
St. Brigid’s kept battling right to the end and Ellie Murphy, Theresa Mellon, Cliodhna Logan and Emma Ferran all found the target for the Belfast girls but they never looked like overturning their opponents lead.
St. Eggnat’s: 1 Aine Devlin, 2 Danielle Duffin, 3 Niamh McIntosh, 4 Niamh Neeson, 5 Enya Carey, 6 Sarah O’Neill, 7 Rebecca Bradley, 8 Maria O’Neill, 9 Laura McCann, 10 Annie Griffin, 11 Cathy Carey, 12 Aoife Kelly, 13 Orlaith Prenter, 14 Cliona Griffin, 15 Katie McCloskey. 20 Leah Cassidy
