Naomh Brid’s losing sequence extended to three on Sunday as a 14-man Rasharkin held out for a narrow home win. Once more it was the Malone side’s failure to close out the game when in charge that proved their undoing. With a crunch championship semi-final looming they badly need to rediscover their ruthless streak – and fast.
Rasharkin, who were languishing at the wrong end of the table and desperate for league points, started brightly and with the benefit of a strong breezed strung over three quick points from play in the opening 10 minutes. Chris Donnelly struck back for the visitors but Rasharkin kept up the pressure with a McAleese score. There was an edge to the game as the home tackles were meaty and sometimes late. Dara Edwards, who made a welcome return from injury, began to stamp his authority at midfield and Naomh Brid hit a purple patch on 15 minutes. A Taylor point was quickly followed by another from Loughrey. Naomh Brid turned over possession from the resultant kick-out and O’Neill fended off his marker to release Loughrey for a well taken goal. The lead would prove short-lived, though, as Rasharkin weathered the storm and set up camp in the opposition’s half. They frittered away some opportunities but sandwiched a timely goal on 25 minutes, when from a long sideline ball they scored from short range, with two handy points from free kicks. Naomh Brid almost had the perfect reply when Sweeney found himself in the clear after an excellent passing move but sliced his shot just wide. The last play of the half saw Chris Donnelly, who received close attention throughout, win a free converted by Cunningham to leave the visitors well placed for the second period with the wind at their backs.
Half time: Rasharkin 1-6 Naomh Brid 1-4
Naomh Brid made an excellent start to the second half as Loughrey came into his own. He intercepted to set up Cunningham for a score and then popped one over the bar himself. Within a minute he turned over possession again and found Edwards, who gave the visitors the lead for the second time. Rasharkin were finding it difficult to make headway into the stiffening breeze but were battling with intensity for every ball. They threatened on the break and Smith was called into action as he twice parried away lobs from under the bar. But overall Naomh Brid were in control and when Rasharkin lost a midfielder to a red after a Sweeney double had boosted the advantage, there seemed little to worry with 15 minutes remaining.
Still smarting from the disputed sending off, Rasharkin were not going down without a fight and clawed a point back from play. Then on 48 minutes they got an unexpected morale booster when an innocuous ball squirted off the gloves of the unfortunate Smyth and was somehow bundled over the line to the delight of the home support. There would still be a full 20 minutes to play with the amount of stoppages in a foul-ridden game. Naomh Brid seemed stricken by the goal while Rasharkin sensed an unlikely victory and dug deep. Passes were regularly going astray as enforced personnel and positional changes disrupted the game plan. While plenty of chances were still being created, there was a reluctance to take responsibility as the ball was too often shifted sideways within striking distance. Taylor had a goal shot blocked when a point looked the better option, but the equalizer eventually came courtesy of Mickey Donnelly on 58 minutes to set up a frantic finale. But just as in their last two matches, Naomh Brid were denied at the death, this time by a clinching home point five minutes into injury time.
Full time: Rasharkin 1-10 Naomh Brid 2-8
Team: E Smyth, J McKeever, R Smith (P Finnegan), B Reilly, B McMahon, D O’Hagan, J Loughrey (1-2), M Donnelly (0-1) (C Mullan), D Edwards (0-1), D MacAuley, M Sweeney (0-2), C
