Naomh Brid maintained their grip at the top of ACL Div 2 with a comprehensive home win over Sarsfield’s at Harlequins on Friday evening. While the Malone side was minus key players through injury, the patched up squad was more than a match for the visitors and coasted home by 11 points ahead of Wednesday’s crunch home match against All Saints Ballymena.
The Malone boys started brightly and, but for two brave saves by the away keeper from Brolly from close range, they could have been two goals to the good by the time McCann obliged after four minutes. The tidal wave against the green and blacks continued as three successive wides were remedied by a snap free by the quick-thinking Sweeney, a conversion by MacSherry, then Brolly from play – the first of his impressive haul of eight for the evening.
With almost 20 minutes gone and Sarsfield’s having barely ventured over the half way line, a rout seemed on the cards. But Naomh Brid’s monopoly of play led them to drop their guard, over-committing in attack, and Sarsfield’s were left pinching themselves as they drew level with a brace of unstoppable goals in a minute from their first two attacks. Joe Brolly’s excellent reply was a blur as the home side’s aberration was complete two minutes later following a replica third goal that caught out both the midfield and defence.
However, a stung Naomh Brid stormed back, with the defiant Sarsfield’s keeper bravely denying first Brolly and then McCann before Reilly reduced the margin to one with a well taken point. MacSherry levelled matters from a free following a foul on the troublesome Sweeney before smartly fisting over from a Reilly assist to restore the home side’s advantage just before the interval.
Half time: Naomh Brid 1-7 Sarsfield’s 3-0
After withstanding some early pressure, Naomh Brid resumed where they had left off with Reilly slotting over from an Edwards assist. Brolly then punished a foul on Sweeney before helping himself to two good scores from play, splitting a Sarsfield’s pointed free from a rare attack. The home side’s superior fitness and movement threatened to over-run the beleagured Sarsfield’s defence, whose frustration began to spill over into some crude tackles. With just over 10 minutes remaining the inevitable red card was produced as the lights went out for Sarsfield’s. One final sortie out of defence brought them their second and last score of the period in response to points from Macsherry and the two Brollys. Conor MacSherry could afford a flurry of substitutions as the procession continued to the end. Scores from Edwards, Ryan Brolly and Chris McCann II, allied with two trademark efforts from the veteran Brolly, gave a more realistic look to the final score.
Final score: Naomh Brid 1-19 Sarsfield’s 3-2
Team: J Mackle, J McKeever, R Smyth, C Mullan, D McAuley (C Mooney), M Donnelly, B McMahon, J McGuckian, J Loughrey, M Sweeney (A Owens), D Edwards, B Reilly, M MacSherry (C McCann II), C McCann (R Brolly), J Brolly
Man of the Match: J Brolly
