Northern Switchgear Antrim Senior Football Championship, Group Three
St James', Aldergrove 1-11 Naomh Éanna 2-11
A STRONG finish saw Naomh Éanna finally break Aldergrove's resistance in Crumlin last night as the Glengormley outfit claimed the points with a three-point win in Group Three of the Antrim Senior Football Championship.
The decisive score came from a real slice of misfortune for the St James' men when Eoin Nagle found the net on 40 minutes after Aldergrove full-back Emmett Irvine went over on his ankle, allowing Nagle a clear run on goal to tip the balance in his side's favour.
That's not to say the Glengormley outfit were comfortable in the closing stages as they were to play 10 minutes with 14 after Gerard Crossey was black-carded for a bodycheck on Conor Browning and when Andrew Flood banged home a goal for the hosts to leave one in it with four minutes remaining, a shock looked on the cards.
However, Naomh Éanna managed to find the scores they needed in what turned out to be a much trickier away day than some may have anticipated.
This was a make-up fixture as the game was due to be played a fortnight ago, but confusion resulted in no referee arriving and therefore was played yesterday evening to ensure Group Three reached the midway point, but all were present and correct on this occasion.
Naomh Éanna were aiming to bounce back from Friday's defeat to Aghagallon against an Aldergrove side that had lost its opening two games, and the men from Glengormley did just that although it took them some time to get into a winning position.
Aldergrove brought a lot of energy to this game with their tackling and harrying giving the visitors no time to settle on the ball and those efforts were rewarded with the opening three points of the game within 10 minutes - the opener from Conor Browning the pick of the bunch as he slung over from out on the right.
Naomh Éanna were finally off the mark through an Odhran Eastwood free in the 10th minute as there were signs they were beginning to solve the puzzle and just before the water break, Eastwood was unlucky not to find the net when his off-balance shot lobbed Shane O'Neill but bounced outside the post.
He did have the ball in the net on 17 minutes as Peter Healy made a bust through the heart of the Aldergrove defence before popping inside and Eastwood rose to palm home.
He added a point from a free straight after, but this would prove the final score of the half for the Glengormley men as Aldergrove took back the initiative with Declan Gough pointing on the turn and then a Ronan Hanna free in stoppage time left the game level at 0-5 to 1-2 at the half.
Eoin Nagle finds the net for Naomh Éanna's second goal
The hosts picked up where they left off after the break with the opening two points through Hanna and the brilliant Seamus McGarry, only to be pegged back and then came that Nagle goal that was cruel luck on Aldergrove.
To their credit, they responded brilliantly with McGarry kicking two beauties and Andrew Flood knocking over the equaliser before Conor McAuley scored at the other end to give Naomh Éanna a slender 2-5 to 0-10 lead at the water break.
Despite losing Crossey to that black card, Naomh Éanna enjoyed the better of it with the next three points through Eastwood and fisted efforts from Ruairi Scott and Conor McAuley to move four clear, only for Flood to blast home after Ryan McCarthy's initial effort had been diverted into his path.
Aldergrove just couldn't find the leveller as the sides traded points and St Enda's were able to breathe a sigh of relief as injury-time points from Ruairi Scott and Kristian Healy sealed their win that moves them in a three-way tie at the top of the group at the midway point.
ALDERGROVE: S O'Neill; E Gough, E Irvine, T O'Callaghan; Christopher Browning, A Flood (1-1), C McVeigh; G Mallon, R Owens; D Gough (0-2), C Morris; Conor Browning (0-1); C O'Toole, R Hanna (0-3, 2f, 1 mark), S McGarry (0-4).
Subs: E Creanor for E Irvine (42), R McCarthy for C O'Toole (46)
Black card: G Crossey (51)
NAOMH ÉANNA: P Flood; F Eastwood, M McNamee, O Kennedy; C Little, C Thompson, C McAuley (0-2); M Morgan (0-1), K Healy (0-1); P Healy (0-1), E Nagle (1-0), G Crossey; C Scott, R Scott (0-2), O Eastwood (1-4, 0-3f).
Subs: F Nagle for C Scott (49), C Morgan for C Little (49)
REFEREE: Eamon McAuley (Cargin)
