Northern Switchgear Antrim Senior Football Championship, quarter-final
Erin's Own, Cargin 0-13 Lámh Dhearg 0-9

CARGIN are the first team through to the Antrim Senior Football Championship semi-finals as they did what was required to repel a tough test from Lámh Dhearg on Friday evening.

This was a fine occasion with a big crowd in attendance under the Dunsilly floodlights and while Cargin led from virtually start to finish, they were never able to switch off for a second as the Red Hands were snapping at their heels, but the men from Hannahstown could never get level.

In fairness, Cargin could have made this a little more comfortable, but goal chances came and went with John Finucane twice denying Tomás McCann, while Declan Lynch somehow prevented Paul McCann from finding the net late in the opening half when it seemed Cargin were looking menacing in attack.

While Lámh Dhearg got to within one early in the second period, chances came and went as Cargin made the most of their attacks, opening a gap and managing it with their defence superb to give their opponents little by way of goalscoring chances.

Pat Shivers kicked some big scores at key times, but they had scores right across the board on the evening with a barren 23 minutes from Lámh Dhearg in the second period seeing them chasing the game, yet they were always in with a shout until Benen Kelly's breakaway score right at the death finally settling the argument.

"They are a damn good team," said Cargin manager Ronan Devlin of their vanquished opponents.

"I must have played these boys five times in championship football and we don't beat them easy. They are a good side, full of good footballers and have a bit of grit about them, so they are never going to lie down.

"At the end, it was tooth and nail stuff. We were leading by four and they were still going for goals and that's because they are good footballers.

"I'm very pleased (with the defence). We've a nice mix in there of experience and some young boys. Even towards the end, they fired some big men in, but Kevin McShane - disappointed not to start - went in there and did a job.

"We'll be kicking ourselves as we missed three goal chances and sometimes that comes back to bite you, but lucky enough it didn't so all in all, I'm fairly happy."

Paul McCann gets away from Padraig Mervyn
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Paul McCann gets away from Padraig Mervyn

From the opening attack, Shivers saw himself in on the left but his rasping shot clears Finucane's crossbar. Lámh Dhearg settled immediately and were playing some fine football at pace, but couldn't get scores on the board. 

A pair of Ryan Murray frees from deep dropped short, while another shot went wide under pressure and Conor Murray had a shot blocked as Cargin's defence refused to give anything up easily.

The Erin's Own men absorbed this pressure and then doubled the lead with goalkeeper John McNabb appearing upfield and belted over a score from deep before the Red Hands got on the board 13 minutes in with Ryan Murray taking a Carl Maxwell pass from a sideline, darting in along the right and squeezing his shot inside.

He scored an almost identical on five minutes later, but by this time, Finucane was called into action for the first of his saves from McCann, but Jamie Gribbin would point after a powerful run up the right and Justin Crozier had added another.

The first half was a slow burner, but was beginning to open up as the scores began to flow with Muray kicking his third, a stunning effort out on the left, but Cargin would always have an answer on the night, with Cahir Donnelly finding his range and then John Carron fisting over when through after a stray pass from Lámh Dhearg had put themselves in trouble.

Ben Rice sliced one over in reply, but then came that save from Lynch after Shivers had teed-up Paul McCann, but McNabb nailed the 45.

Marc Jordan goes on the attack
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Marc Jordan goes on the attack

Declan Smyth and Shivers traded points with Terry McCrudden kicking a magnificent score on the turn in the right corner that brought Cargin's lead down to two, 0-8 to 0-6, at the half.

Similarly to the opening half, the first attack after the break yielded a score but this time it was Lámh Dhearg's Owen McKeown who used his blistering pace to race through, but his drive flew over.

But the Hannahstown men just couldn't kick on, with Cargin's attack that bit better as Shivers kicked a free and then Michael McCann turned and pointed after a fine ball in from Ronan Gribbin.

On 49 minutes, the Toome side was temporarily reduced to 14 with Gerard McCann sin-binned for a body check on Marc Jordan, but they could have ended the game straight after, yet Finucane was again equal to Tomás McCann from point-blank range after Shivers claimed yet another fabulous mark from a McNabb kick-out and sent the ball inside.

They did manage to extend their lead by one moments later through Jamie Gribbin and this seemed a pivotal moment with four now the gap.

While Paddy Cunningham was introduced and tapped over a free, Shivers replied when peeling off the shoulder and curling over.

A goal is what Lámh Dhearg badly needed and they threw everything at its launching a couple of high balls into the towering Declan Dunne, but Cargin's defence was superb all night and they dealt with these missiles, clearing once and then again, the second leading to the breakaway that Kelly finished, sealing their win and a meeting with either Creggan or Rossa in the last four.

Ryan Murray kicks a point
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Ryan Murray kicks a point

"When we got back to 8-7, we missed three (chances) in a row which was probably the changing of the game as they went upon and got a couple," reflected a disappointed Lámh Dhearg manager, Declan Bunting.

"We made the first few openings but had a few frees that dropped short and another that went wide. We didn't take our chances and they were a lot more clinical.

"Defensively, at times we were grand, but had we got level we might have pushed on. We just took on the wrong shots or went for the extra pass, but Cargin were the better team on the night and we can have no complaints."

CARGIN: J McNabb (0-2, 1 '45'); K O'Boyle, J Crozier (0-1), C Donnelly (0-1); J Laverty, S O'Neill, R Gribbin; J Carron (0-1), G McCann; C Bradley, P McCann, T McCann; P Shivers (0-4, 1f), M McCann (0-1), J Gribbin (0-2).
Subs: B Kelly (0-1) for R Gribbin (38), K Close for T McCann (56), K McShane for C Donnelly (59), D Johnston for J Gribbin (60+7).

LÁMH DHEARG: J Finucane; F Mervyn, M McGarry, M Hynes; D Smyth (0-1), D Lynch, B Rice (0-1); P Mervyn, M Jordan; R Murray (0-3), O McKeown (0-1), C Maxwell; T McCrudden (0-1), C Murray, K Quinn.
Subs: S McManus for B Rice (41), D Dunne for K Quinn (46), P Cunningham (0-2, 1f) for T McCrudden (50), A Byrne for C Maxwell (55), M Herron for M Hynes (60+4).

REFEREE: Mark O'Neill (Armoy)