Northern Switchgear Antrim Senior Football Championship, semi-final
Cargin 1-7 St Brigid's 0-7

IT wasn't exactly a game for the ages at Dunsilly on Sunday, but not that Cargin will care as they moved into the final of the Antrim Senior Football Championship with victory over St Brigid's.

Paul McCann's 55th minute goal proved decisive as the defending champions struck for home in the second period having trailed by four at one stage.

Conditions weren't ideal with a strong wind blowing down the field which favoured the Biddies in the opening half and a three-point lead at the interval didn't seem quite enough as working scores the opposite way was challenging in what was an arm-wrestle of a game.

There was just a sense of inevitability about how Cargin gradually took over as their defence stifled the Biddies and they did enough to work scores in the second period to get their noses in front and stay there.

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At one stage of the first-half, there was a very real prospect of the teams going in scoreless as the minutes ticked by as the opening score of the day took almost 27 minutes to arrive. Has there been a game whee it took longer for an opening score? if there has, I don't want to see it.

Prior to that, it was cagey as Cargin owned the ball for long stages but didn't do a lot with it and seemed almost content to prevent the Biddies from using the elements to their advantage with manager Ronan Devlin confirming afterwards they had opted to play into the wind having won the toss.

There are plenty of emerging stars on this Erin's Own team, but it was the veterans who fully shone with the McCann clan in top form, Kevin O'Boyle running from deep and James Laverty was a rock at full-back.

St Brigid's perhaps sat too deep in the opening period and they did look a little more adventurous when getting forward, but just didn't do enough to build a lead and force the issue. Having to work the ball close to goal in the second half to engineer viable opportunities was very difficult with a wall of green jerseys in their way.

"It was a strange game," Devlin admitted afterwards.

"The first half probably wasn't great to watch but playing against the breeze, we controlled the ball. I didn't expect them to sit back like that with the breeze and only for a couple of balls missed we could have went in at the half up.

"It was smart football and just some skills execution in the first half cost us. Wee were finding gaps but just didn't take them (chances). It wasn't pretty but pretty at the right times."

Cargin indeed owned the ball for the opening six minutes, but any bursts forward saw the ball recycled backwards as they opted not to shoot into the wind.

A couple of goal chances did present themselves with Jamie Gribbin missing the target from point-blank range and Tomás McCann hitting a fairly tame shot at Declan Heery, but at the other end, the Biddies weren't faring much better with a few chances off target.

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We genuinely believed a scoreless first half was on the cards as the break approached until Enda Downey finally opened the scoring from a 27th minute free and added another soon after.

Tomás McCann would finally get Cargin on the board in added time, but the South Belfast men saw Calum and Enda Downey land from play to ensure a ensured a 0-4 to 0-1 lead at the break.

They made a good start to the second half with Patrick Finnegan slinging over after one of many excellent breaks from John Morgan, but Cargin began to find the gaps as Michael McCann laid on a score for Gribbin, followed by pointed frees by Pat Shivers and Tomás McCann.

The lively Conhuir Johnston fisted over to tie it up but St Brigid's would edge back in front through Enda Downey who split the posts from an angle.

McCann levelled again before Cargin substitute Benen Kelly kicked his side into the lead for the first time with 49 minutes gone.

St Brigid's probed and pressed up to try and find a leveller but good defending was shutting the door but then came the big moment on 55 minutes.

St Brigid's appealed for a free in close to goal which would have present the opportunity the needed, but play continued and Cargin won a free of their own, countering to perfection as Kelly spotted Paul McCann galloping forward and played a great ball to run onto, the momentum taking him clear and the finish was excellent.

It was a killer score at such a time in the game as St Brigid's now had to look for a goal of their own after Downey converted a free to leave three between them, but Cargin were not in the mood to give anything up as they stood form to advance into the final.

CARGIN: J McNabb; K O'Boyle, J Laverty, R Gribbin; J Crozier, P McCann (1-0), S O'Neill; P Shivers (0-1f), K McShane; G McCann, M McCann, J Gribbin (0-1); T Shivers, Conhuir Johnston (0-1), T McCann (0-3f).
Subs: B Kelly (0-1) for T Shivers (41), D Johnston for J Crozier (50), Conan Johnston for P McCann (55), J Carron for P Shivers (59).

ST BRIGID'S: D Heery; P King, J Finnegan, J Morgan; S Campbell, S Downey, R Boyle; M Cummings, J Dowling; N Duffy, P Finnegan (0-1), J Smith; E Downey (0-5, 3f), Calum Downey (0-1), C McNicholl.
Subs: Conor Downey for N Duffy (34), C McAleer for J Smith (51), P Bradley for C McNicholl (51), R McErlean for P Bradley (55), C King for P Finnegan (60+5)

REFEREE: Brendan Toland (Lámh Dhearg)