Big Mac back.
At a short Boucher Road pitch, after a ladies training session was interrupted, Saint Brigid’s Division 5 managed another victory against Antrim town.
Paddy McDonald’s amnesia is now showing signs of improvement. He may still forget that we train every week, forget to come to matches or even forget who the manager is when contacted to remind him to come along to a game. However he has not forgotten how to play, win a game almost single-handedly, score points, sell (try to) Frank McGuigan dummies, catch everything at midfield and take all the hits Antrim put on him.
Yes Paddy, welcome back. A majestic display.
The first half was a lesson in how to shoot or how not to. Naomh Brid registered 13 wides, 3 ball into the goalkeepers’s arms and 2 goals and three points. The goals, courtesy of Mel MacSherry and a pile driver from Paddy Taylor, gave the home team a bit of breathing space at half-time. Antrim on the other hand managed 5 points from 7 attacks including two excellent placed balls from distance.
Half Time Naomh Brid 2-3 Antrim 0-5
The second half saw an improved Naomh Brid team emerge. Work rate improved, short passes were completed, hand passes were made and surprisingly men bending down and picking the ball properly off the ground did make a difference!
The half back line of McVeigh, Finnegan and Sinnott took control and held Antrim scoreless for 20 minutes. Brendan Sinnott scored an excellent point as did Mark Kelly, Chris Quinn and John Gerard Doran. A Thomas Kane point made it 2-10 to 0-6 with 8 minutes to go.
An then St Brigid’s decided to go to sleep. Conor McHendry is not Stevie McDonnell! Don’t take and miss 14 yard frees and in future try to fist pass over the bar. (Division 5 goalkeepers are very hard to beat! From 6 yards!)
In the last 8 minutes St Brigid’s managed to concede 2 goals and a point, which may come into play later in the year when scoring differences will be used to decide finishing league places.
Final Score Naomh Brid 2-10 Antrim 2-7
N Brid E McMahon, J McKeever, P Brady, R Walsh, B Sinnott, P Finnegan, A McVeigh,P McDonald, JG Doran, C Quinn, M Kelly, T McCrudden, K McCrudden, P Taylor, M MacSherry.
Subs Used C McHendry,O Murphy,S Keown, T Kane, N O’Connell
Next Game next Wednesady at home to Lisburn. Training Tuesday night at Harlequins.
