LAST weekend saw the semi-finals of both the Intermediate and Junior Antrim club championships take place.
In the Intermediate championship, Friday evening saw the first of the two semi-finals with a clash between St James' Aldergrove and St Mary's Ahoghill competing in Dunsilly, before Gort na Mona faced off against the competition favourites Naomh Éanna on Saturday afternoon.
And in the Junior Championship, O'Donnell's were up against St Mary's Rasharkin on Saturday evening before Sunday lunch-time witnessed an all-Belfast semi-final with Ardoyne Kickhams hosting Éire Óg for the last spot in the final.
Intermediate Championship
St James Aldergrove 5-13 St Mary’s Ahoghill 0-10
St James Aldergrove powered into the Antrim Intermediate Football Championship final with a comprehensive victory over St Mary’s Ahoghill at Dunsilly on Friday night.
Ahoghill started brightly, with Colla McDonnell, Conor Crossey and Patrick Graham finding the target, but their early advantage was quickly wiped out as Aldergrove’s Seamus McGarry found his range.
The mercurial forward struck four points between the 12th and 17th minutes as Aldergrove took control, with Ryan Owens and Conleth Hendron dominating around midfield.
Lewis Smith came close to adding a goal before Ronan Hanna picked out McGarry with a superb defence-splitting pass, allowing the number 11 to fire home after 22 minutes.
Ahoghill briefly threatened a response when James O’Connell raised an orange flag and Ronan Graham added a free, but Aldergrove finished the half in ruthless fashion.
Owens fired home their second goal before Gerard Mallon added a third, with McGarry completing a sensational first-half contribution with another point to leave nine between the sides at the break.
Any hopes of an Ahoghill revival disappeared almost immediately after the restart. Tom McGlone opened the second-half scoring, but McGarry responded before Hanna raced through to fire Aldergrove’s fourth goal after just four minutes.
McGarry then converted a penalty three minutes later to complete his personal haul and put Aldergrove comfortably ahead with five goals and change.
With Owens and Eoin Gough dominating the kick-outs and Aldergrove’s runners continually threatening, there was no way back for St Mary’s.
McGarry and Hanna added further scores as Aldergrove cruised through to the final, with their attacking quality and relentless running proving far too much for Ahoghill.
Naomh Éanna 1-23 Gort na Móna 1-14
Naomh Éanna turned on the style after half-time to book their place in the Antrim Intermediate Football Championship final with a commanding nine-point win over Gort na Móna at Glenavy.
The sides were locked at 1-7 apiece at the break after an entertaining opening half, but Naomh Éanna raised the tempo after the restart and gradually pulled clear.
James McAuley opened the scoring for Naomh Éanna before Tarlach Enright levelled from a 45. Fionn Nagle restored the lead, only for Jack Ireland to bring Gort na Móna level again.
The game burst into life in the seventh minute when Pádhraig O’Hare finished a well-worked Naomh Éanna move to the net. Gort na Móna responded immediately, however, with Matthew McConnell firing home from the left corner to make it 1-2 apiece.
Naomh Éanna edged ahead through Conor Eastwood, Kristian Healy and Nagle, but Desi McClean and McConnell kept Gorts in touch. Healy and McAuley nudged Naomh Éanna ahead again before Enright’s two-pointer from a free ensured the sides went in level.
The Hightown men took control after the restart. Mickey Morgan, Odhrán Eastwood, Nagle and Stephen O’Connor all contributed as they opened up a sizeable advantage.
Enright continued to keep Gort na Móna in contention with frees, but Naomh Éanna answered each time, with O’Hare, O’Connor and Healy among those on target.
A late Farelly save denied Naomh Éanna a second goal, but Eastwood converted the resulting 45 before Nagle and substitute Ruairi Doran completed the scoring.
Naomh Éanna can now look forward to a final meeting with Aldergrove, with Intermediate Championship glory just one game away.
Junior Championship
St Mary’s Rasharkin 3-11 O’Donnell’s 1-11
Rasharkin kept their bid for a Junior Championship and league double firmly on track with a six-point victory over a battling O’Donnell’s at Dreen.
The league champions exploded from the traps, Cormac McMullan pointing inside 20 seconds before Eamonn McNeill pounced on a defensive mix-up to fire Rasharkin into an early goal lead.
O’Donnell’s refused to buckle, with Jonathan McKenna and Fionbar McKernan replying before two Brian Og O’Neill frees restored the home side’s advantage.
Ryan Doherty then produced an excellent save to deny Richard McAvoy, although the O’Donnell’s forward converted the resulting ’45 to leave a goal between them.
The sides traded further scores before a powerful James Higgins run opened up the visitors’ defence and allowed O’Neill to add his third point, leaving Rasharkin 1-5 to 0-4 ahead at the break.
O’Dees came flying out after the restart, with McKernan and McKenna reducing the deficit before two fine McAvoy scores brought the Whiterock Road side to within a point of their opponents.
O’Neill replied for Rasharkin, but O’Donnell’s were soon level when Ryan McAvoy pounced to fire to the net.
However, Rasharkin responded in devastating fashion. A sweeping move from deep ended with O’Neill finding the net to restore their advantage, before Pearse McTeague added a point.
Even after Rasharkin were reduced to 14 men, O’Donnell’s continued to threaten, with McKernan, McAvoy and Paul Moors cutting the gap.
But the Dreen men finished strongly. A quick free set up Oisin Casey to fire home a third Rasharkin goal in added time and finally extinguish O’Donnell’s hopes.
McKernan and McMullan exchanged late points as Rasharkin marched into the Junior Championship final with a six-point victory.
Eoin Dixon celebrates Éire Óg's victory
Ardoyne Kickhams 1-09 Éire Óg 2-08
West proved supreme in the battle of Belfast on Sunday afternoon when Éire Óg produced a superb display of grit and composure to break Ardoyne hearts and book their place in the Junior Football Championship final after a pulsating semi-final at Cliftonville.
This was a game that swung one way and then the other, with Ardoyne threatening to turn the contest on its head in the second half, but Éire Óg simply refused to buckle.
They landed the first major blow inside five minutes when Brendan Shannon found the net, putting the visitors firmly on the front foot.
Ardoyne responded through Oisin Maskey and two Aidan McNeill frees, but Éire Óg remained dangerous whenever they turned defence into attack. Conall Smyth, Mark O’Hanlon and Conor Dixon all got on the scoresheet as the visitors established a 1-6 to 0-6 interval lead.
The Kickhams came roaring back after the restart and McNeill was central to their revival, landing two superb two-point frees to drag his side right back into contention.
With the game entering the final quarter, there was precious little between them.
Then came a huge twist.
Éire Óg midfielder Ronan McKeown was shown a black card in the 59th minute, leaving his side facing the prospect of finishing the game with 14 men. Instead, they responded like a team determined to reach the final.
Lorcan McIlroy, McKeown and Stephen Erskine helped Éire Óg wrestle back control through patient possession before Mark Graham smashed home their second goal in the 62nd minute.
Ardoyne hit straight back through Cahal Keown, setting up a frantic finish, but Éire Óg stood firm.
When the final whistle sounded, it was the visitors celebrating as their character and composure under pressure ultimately carrying them over the line and into the Junior Championship final.
