U16 Challenge match St. Brigid’s v Bredagh
It was a scorching hot day at the YMCA when neighbours Bredagh and St. Brigid’s met. As a great number of the players from each team knew each other, local bragging rights and pride were at stake, not to mention places on either team for the upcoming league and championship.
The first third was tightly fought, end to end and good to watch. Garrett Cullen scored a wonderful goal after the ball was worked up the field by Peter Mooney and Paddy Short, while Lorcan McMullan and Tim Durkan both got fine scores for the Ormeau Road men. James Gildea was foraging and working to great effect, and was very unlucky to see his shot cannon off the crossbar. Peter Mooney was doing well to win ball under pressure from the combative Jude Moreland, and the two Bens on either team, two towering midfielders, Leonard and Scullion, were having a great battle in the middle of the park. Ronan McGrady got one of the points of the match the ball came to him 35 metres out, and he composed himself to deliciously float it over between the posts. At the break, St. Brigid’s had a slight edge.
The second period was much the same as the first, a raft of changes made. However, the tempo of the game did not drop, and neither side was giving much away. James ‘Chupa’ Harrison, the powerful full-forward for Naomh Brid, fired over an instinctive point. Dan Bingham was outstanding in the corner-back position for St. Brigid’s once again, as was Jack McGrath on the opposite flank.
Ronan McGrady got a good point, but it should have been more. Through on goal, two team-mates with him in support and only a defender and the keeper to beat, he blasted it over. James Gildea dissected the uprights, but not much change was got out of either defence. Danny Nolan was near his creative best for Bredagh but his opponents had John Bailie, tirelessly tackling and laying the ball off unselfishly.
Again, at the break it was tight, but the home team, St. Brigid’s, had a small advantage.
In the third and last section of the match the supporters were again treated to a great spectacle. Hugh O’ Reilly scored a poacher’s point and the flawless Tim Durkan got a free. Ben Leonard scored a monster ’45, and stand-in goalkeeper for Bredagh Caolan Devlin made an unbelievable save, one he had no right to make. He might not be a full back for long after that!
That man Durkan got a goal, one of his few scores from play off schoolmate Jack Langan, who did an excellent man marking job on him throughout. Yet at the end of a hard but great game of football, played in a great spirit and with some flowing passages of play and fine scores, St. Brigid’s held out for a narrow win.
