Friday 17th August: Antrim Senior Club Championship ¼ final at Casement Park:
St. Brigid’s, Belfast vs St. Mary’s, Ahoghill
By James Cahill
The outcome of this game was unusual in that both teams will be simultaneously pleased and disappointed with the result. A certain amount of relief will be felt by both camps, while the nagging thought that another 60 minute battle could have been avoided will also exist in the minds of St. Mary’s, Ahoghill and St. Brigid’s, Belfast after this quarter-final clash in the Antrim Senior Football Championship.
As the drizzling rain fell down onto the floodlit Casement Park pitch, there were grumbles of discontent from supporters, who noted that the conditions would make for poor football. They were correct. Although early on St. Brigid’s appeared to have more control of possession that Ahoghill, handling errors permeated throughout the team, especially in the forward line. One of last year’s Ulster Colleges Allstars, Ronan McGrady, appeared to be a threat up front and was kicking frees off both feet-but frustratingly for McGrady, he didn’t seem able to hold onto the ball throughout the match and was called ashore in the second half. McGrady was not the only player to suffer due to the conditions, but the early impression was that St. Brigid’s were the stronger team, with their team backboned by numerous county minors and seniors, most notably James Loughrey and Mark Sweeney. However, Sweeney was matched by his Ahoghill counterpart in midfield, who contributed several of his team’s points, from play and 45s.
After twenty minutes a brief lapse in concentration in the Ahoghill defence and they were reduced to watching the net billow as the St. Brigid’s players punched the air in delight. But Ahoghill dug deep, increased their workrate and despite a couple of poor wides they kept themselves in the game, cheered on by a boisterous following in the stand. They were rewarded for their patient play with a lapse in the St. Brigid’s defence, a neat interchange amongst the St. Mary’s forwards and a penalty awarded for a trip on a man through on goal. The penalty was struck in a similar fashion to Tony Cascarino’s famous effort in Italia ’90- along the ground and dangerously close to the goalkeeper. But the result was the same, and Ahoghill now had their tails up and were within a point of St. Brigid’s. That score came just before the half-time whistle, as the ball broke off the post after a ’45. All of the players appeared to freeze, but after some pinball-type deflections it came into the hands of an Ahoghill man who had the presence of mind to feed the ball out to his right where the corner forward dinked it over the bar.
At half-time Ahoghill flew into the dressing rooms, full of renewed spirit. St. Brigid’s tried to focus on coming out for the second half like they did in the first-but with more conversion of possession into scores.
Half-time: St. Brigid’s 1-3 St. Mary’s Ahoghill 1-3.
The second half was as tight as it gets. St. Brigid’s seemed to have the better footballers, but like in the first half the St. Mary’s men kept themselves in it. In particular the go-to man in the middle of the park for St. Mary’s led from the front and kept his troops in the battle throughout. Every time Ahoghill threatened to go a few points behind, they bounced back. But then within a couple of minutes came two moments that will have the Belfast men breathing sighs of relief and their opponents sighs of regret. The tricky corner forward for Ahoghill escaped the clutches of his marker and was put through on goal twice. Once, he seemed to have t
