With a degree of confusion as to whether the game was even to be played, an understrength reserve team and with players carrying injuries travelled to take on, top of the table, Portglenone. Both teams so far this season had only lost one game each. Gort na Mona had got the better of St Brigid’s by a single point however earlier in the campaign St Brigid’s beat Portglenone by six.
So Portglenone set out their stall to seek revenge.
St Brigid’s team was:-
Damien Judge, Paddy Coyle, Cathal Conway, Finn Mc Kernan, Ryan Mackle, Ben Sinnott, Paul Finnegan, Daire King, Fergal Sherry, Niall Lundy, Conor Mackle, Joe Devenny, Chris Quinn, Brendan Mc Donald and Chris Mc Cann; with Shane Boyle and John Mc Keever as subs.
Portglenone had a much stronger team from the first game with at least seven regular first team players including a number who had played only a couple of years back for the county.
The first 20 minutes all belonged to the home team who had racked up a 4-6 to 0-6 lead. St Brigid’s eventually realised that they were involved in a major game and started to get more into the fight. Portglenone still kept pushing and finished the first half, deservedly ahead 6-6 to 0-8.
Most teams would have simply given up and decided it was all over. However the management plus players at half-time demanded that having woken up to being in a tough battle, we wished to at least win the tussle in the second half.
So the players set about their task and started to get the ball moving more efficiently into the scoring zone. Portglenone did manage in the second half to add 7 points to their tally. However St Brigid’s racked up 4-3, with two goal line saves plus a rocket coming off the cross-bar. On a more favourable day the second half score for St Brigid’s could have been 7-3, which would have won the game. Such is sport.
Weather conditions were perfect, so it was purely down to the spirit of the team that generated such a come back. Despite loosing, the management were proud of the effort put in by all players, especially the three minors FinnMc Kernan, Niall Lundy and Shane Boyle plus their coach John Mc Keever. Also a big thank you to Damien Judge standing in as keeper, as unfortunately the regular keepers were unavailable.
Portglenone won the match 6-13 to 4-11 however St Brigid’s left the pitch confident that they turned their game around.
