Two points deep in injury time secured Naomh Brid a deserved share of the spoils against Div 1 league leaders Cargin at Musgrave on Wednesday evening. And with some surprise results in round 8 of a topsy-turvey league, the valuable point was suffice to ensure the blues remain clear of the relegation zone as the midway point approaches next week.
Smyth and Sweeney became the latest midfield pairing, with Edwards moving to the 40, as Naomh Brid once again started in blistering fashion. The opener came from an unlikely source on two minutes as corner back Reilly linked with Loughrey for a fine point on the run. McKeever’s foul on McCann granted Cargin an equalizer but the lead was quickly restored by Edwards from O’Neill’s pass. Christie broke up a dangerous move as Sweeney transferred to Loughrey in a swift counter attack, and his lay off to McGrady was perfect as the young corner forward scored his second goal in as many games to give the home side an early advantage on eight minutes.
The midfield duo were forging a decent partnership and Smyth fielded well before releasing Sweeney for a hardening score. The purple patch continued as the blues second phase possession improved materially from recent outings. Taylor rose to feed O’Neill who transferred to McGrady for another point. The gap extended to seven on 12 minutes when Sweeney and Loughrey combined to set up O’Neill who obliged as the visitors struggled to settle. McCann and Scullion eventually got things going for the Erin’s Own club who struck back with three points while Edwards benefitted from Smyth’s clean catch to reply on 23 minutes. The remainder of the half was pretty uneventful apart from a mini schemozzle which was quickly calmed down and a further Cargin score to reduce the margin to four on the whistle.
Half time: Naomh Brid 1-6 Cargin 0-5
Any side as brimful with talent as that of Cargin will play second fiddle for only so long, and Michael McCann’s introduction at midfield was the cue for their second half revival. By the time that got properly under way, though, Naomh Brid had set them a minimum target of seven as MacAuley won a free converted by McGrady and then McCann slotted over his own earned free. The Cargin comeback was delayed on 35 minutes when only a super save from Mackle denied Tomas McCann after his blazing run and shot. But the floodgates were about to open as the men in green unleashed wave after wave of attack as they gained a midfield stranglehold. The points began as a trickle but by 53 minutes seven had been registered without reply as the league leaders hit the front for the first time in the match. To make matter worse, Christie who had been a rock at full back was lost to injury, though captain Rooney slotted in to man the fort.
The rot was eventually stopped on 54 minutes when McCann won a 20 metre free which O’Hagan neatly slotted over to level affairs. O’Hagan seemed harshly penalised himself to hand the initiative back to Cargin who stretched the lead to two points on 61 minutes after Loughrey had missed a chance to equalize again. With the match now in injury time Naomh Brid were at the mercy of the referee’s watch but they continued to battle for every ball. Loughrey finished a move initiated by O’Hagan with a score on 63 minutes to provide a glimmer of hope and as darkness fell MacAuley scavenged for possession to release Edwards for a well deserved equalizer after an engrossing 66 minutes.
Full time: Naomh Brid 1-11 Cargin 0-14
Team: J Mackle, B Reilly (0-1), A Christie (M Rooney), J McKeever, D MacAuley, D O’Hagan (0-1), B McMahon (G Bogue) , R Smyth , M Sweeney (0-1), J Loughrey (0-1), D Edwards (0-3), C Taylor (C Donnelly), R O’Neill (0-1
