Homefit Antrim Senior Football League Division One
Aghagallon 3-13 St Gall’s 2-14
AGHAGALLON produced a remarkable second half comeback to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against St Gall’s on Wednesday night.
In the final outing of their Division One campaign, both teams played their part in a thrilling encounter which produced no shortage of talking points.
St Gall’s looked destined for victory when they moved seven clear on 40 minutes, but they lost their discipline in the final quarter with John McCaffrey and Eoghan McCabe picking up black cards while full-back Shane O’Hagan was issued with a red card late on.
In contrast, St Mary’s refused to wilt when the odds looked stacked against them with county panellist Eunan Walsh driving at the St Gall’s defence at other opportunity.
The hosts were also reduced to 14 men for 10 minutes when defender Stephen Devlin picked up a black card early in the second half on what was a busy night for referee Ray Matthews.
Indeed, the game was played with the intensity of a Championship battle with both sides fully committed to end the League with two points.
St Gall’s couldn’t have dreamt of a better start as they hit two goals inside the first two minutes of the game.
With just 24 seconds gone, Kevin Niblock chipped the ball over Damien O’Hagan after the Aghagallon goalkeeper had made a fine save from Terry O’Neill as St Gall’s broke straight from the throw-in.
Around one minute later, O’Hagan had to pick the ball out of his net again after he misjudged the flight of the ball from a Caolan Chada effort which dropped in under the crossbar.
When Brendan Bradley stroked over a free on seven minutes, St Gall’s held a commanding early lead of 2-1 to no score.
A free from Gareth Magee finally got St Mary’s off the mark on 11 minutes and a fine points from Adam Loughran and Walsh settled the home side after their shaky start.
After the first water break, Aghagallon almost plundered a goal of their own when Walsh powered through the St Gall’s defence and crashed a shot off the top of the crossbar for a point rather than a goal.
However, the home side didn’t have to wait too long to find the net with Magee and Hugh Hannon setting up Walsh for a well-executed major on 24 minutes.
St Gall’s were still finding their scores easier than their rivals and good points from defender John McCaffrey, Barra McCaffrey and wing-back Chada helped them lead 2-7 to 1-6 at the interval.
Aghagallon had a great chance to close the gap to a single point in the opening stages of the second half when midfielders Loughran and Jack Lenehan combined to play the former in on goal, but Niall McCurdy made a super save to push the ball out for a ’45, which Walsh converted.
St Gall’s hit back with points from Bradley (free) and Terry O’Neill before St Mary’s defender Devlin was sent to the line for 10 minutes.
O’Hagan was called into action moments later when he tipped over a goal-bound effort from the lively Barra McCaffrey and St Gall’s moved seven ahead when midfielder Niall O’Neill converted a mark on 40 minutes.
Yet, the West Belfast side would only add three more points to their tally in the closing 20 minutes as Aghagallon staged a stunning comeback
Points from Magee (free) and substitute Pauric Maginnis kick-started their revival, but McCurdy denied Magee with another smart save on 49 minutes as Chada clipped over another point for the visitors at the other end.
St Gall’s were then reduced to 14 shortly after Aghagallon regained their full quota when John McCaffrey was shown a black card, but Paddy Murray’s men held a six-point lead on 50 minutes when Bradley knocked over another free.
Aghagallon set up a grandstand finish when they grabbed their second goal of the night after Jamie Lamont high ball was brilliantly fielded by Magee, who passed to Hannon to fire past McCurdy to leave just three between the sides – 2-13 to 2-10 on 53 minutes.
A booming point from the boot of Maginnis cut the gap down to two and St Mary’s took the lead for the first time in the game with four minutes of normal time remaining.
Another high ball in created panic in the St Gall’s defence and Conleth McAlinden got a shot away only to be denied by McCurdy. However, the St Gall’s ’keeper could do little to stop Maginnis following in with the rebound.
Bradley might have thought he had secured a share of the spoils for St Gall’s when he held his nerve to convert a 35-yard free in the final minutes of normal time, but the game still had a few more twists and turns.
McAlinden, in the last minute of normal time, backed himself under pressure to fire over a cracking point following another assist from Lamont as St Mary’s struck the front once more.
Not long after McCaffrey rejoined play, St Gall’s picked up a second black card, this time substitute Eoghan McCabe was sin-binned for hauling down Pat Branagan and Magee converted the resulting free to put Aghagallon 3-13 to 2-14 ahead in stoppage time.
St Gall’s would finish the game with 13 men when full-back O’Hagan was dismissed for a strike on Aghagallon’s Jack Hannon and the home side held their nerve to record an impressive two-point victory.
AGHAGALLON: D O’Hagan; C McGrath, S Donnelly, S Devlin; M McStravick, R O’Neill, J Lamont; J Lenehan, A Loughran (0-1); E Walsh (1-3, 0-1 ’45), G Magee (0-6, 0-6fs), L Russell; C McAlinden (0-1), H Hannon (1-0), P Branagan.
Subs: J Hannon for McStravick (35), P Maginnis (1-2) for Russell (37), R Loughran for McGrath (37),R Lavery for Donnelly (47).
ST GALL’S: N McCurdy; J McCaffrey (0-1), S O’Hagan, J Hopkins; C Chada (1-2), M Donnelly, C Stinton; N O’Neill (0-1, 0-1M), A Gallagher; C Doherty, T O’Neill (0-2), B Bradley (0-5, 0-5fs); B McCaffrey (0-3), K Niblock (1-0), S Kelly.
Subs: T Ó Ciaráin for Stinton (25), M Pollock for Doherty (HT), E McCabe for Gallagher (42).
REFEREE: R Matthews (Rossa)
