The less said about this sorry debacle the better as Naomh Brid plumbed new depths to record their worst ever Div 1 defeat. Cargin may have shared a league spot with their visitors before this encounter but on the evidence of this 60 minutes of torment, there is a sheer gulf in class, pace and physicality between the sides.
While manager Dowling was denied the services of a number of first team regulars through injury and suspension, little could excuse the ease with which the side succumbed.
A six point scoring return over the hour is poor by any standards and Naomh Brid went 33 minutes between the first and second halves without raising a flag. The game was effectively up by the interval as Michael McCann and John Carron cleaned up at midfield and laid the platform for a resounding win. Goals from Laverty and Tomas McCann on 9 and 18 minutes were enveloped by an array of points from O’Boyle, Scullion, Crozier and the McCanns as they led the visitors a merry dance. Points from Daly, Dowling and McGrady provided a token response with the deficit a massive 12 points at the break.
HT: Cargin 2-9 Naomh Brid 0-3
With the aid of a slight breeze in the second period, there was a glimmer of hope that the blues could narrow the gap if only for respectability. But Cargin were not in the mood to take their foot off the throttle and simply took up where they had left off. They dominated in every sector, first to the ball, sound in handling and much tighter in the tackle. With their tails up they rampaged through a beleaguered Naomh Brid defence to score almost at will. The final whistle was a mercy and the league break will provide time to reflect on performance and attitude, as well as hopefully restoring injured players to the panel. Next up is St Galls!
FT: Cargin 2-21 Naomh Brid 0-6
Team: W McSorley, J McKeever, A Christie, C Mackle, D MacAuley, J Loughrey, R Daly (0-1), M Malone, R Smyth, J Dowling (0-1), N McDonald, R O’Neill, M Ward (0-1), N Cunningham, C McGrady (0-3) Man of the match: M McCann (Cargin)
