Northern Switchgear Antrim Senior Football Championship, Group Two
St John's 0-8 Cargin 2-13
CARGIN sealed top spot in Group Two with a game to spare as they powered to an impressive victory over St John's at a sunny Corrigan Park on Sunday.
The result leaves the Johnnies and Rossa to battle it out in a fortnight to decide who joins them in the last eight with Tír na nÓg now unable to move off the bottom.
The defending champions men were superior right throughout the field, mixing clever play with a great appetite for work and the Cargin men will be very happy with their performance that means there is nothing riding on their final game against Tír na nÓg who are now eliminated.
This game took a little while to settle but it was Cargin who were quicker to do so with Tómas McCann pointing a free and then landed from play either side of Eoghan Run Lambert's first big stop of the half when his feet thwarted Conhuir Johnston.
Conall Bohill got the hosts off the mark 10 minutes in, but it was the Erin's Own men who were well on top in the early stages, dominating around the middle and dictating the pace as they rattled off a trio of scores in quick succession through Benen Kelly, James Laverty and Pat Shivers.
Paul McCann is challenged by Conall Bohill
The Johnnies were in danger of being overrun as they couldn't seem to gain much by way of possession but did manage to steady as Paddy McBride squeezed over.
However, each time they did manage a score, Cargin had a reply with Tomás McCann responding to that score and another from McBride, while Kelly responded ton one from Conor Adams.
St John's didn't help their cause with five poor wides in the first half and although Lambert would make another point-plank stop, this time from Michael McCann who was always a threat on the edge of the square, Conhuir Johnston pointed in added time to ensure a 0-9 to 0-4 advantage at the break.
A pointed free just after the break from McBride hinted at a St John's revival, but it failed to materialise as Johnston replied before Tom Shivers got in on the act.
The goal Cargin had threatened duly arrived on 37 minutes as Pat Shivers clipped a ball inside to Johnston who laid off into the on-rushing Sean Og O'Neill who gave Lambert no chance this time.
That was as good as that with David Johnston then seeing a shot cannon off the top of the bar, strike the post and drop over.
The Johnnies had little to take from this game aside from a beauty of a score by Conor Adams, but McCann replied in kind for his fifth of the day and three minutes from time, they grabbed a second goal.
Not one but TWO outstanding points in Corrigan Park..
— Antrim GAA (@AontroimGAA) August 18, 2024
Score B - Tomas McCann for Cargin vs St John's..
Which is better?!
You can watch the full Live Stream back here: https://t.co/Nyd4LNWwMa @Cargin_Gac @naomheoinclg @NorthSwitchgear SFC
Stream by @MQ_Video pic.twitter.com/ftMeSEoU2R
Again it was Johnston with the assist as he galloped through the middle, laid off to Tom Shivers who did the honours to cap a fine win and leave Cargin assured of top spot with a game to spare.
ST JOHN'S: ER Lambert; E McGurk, J Garland, C McEvoy; L Peden, C Bohill (0-1), R Quinn; A McGowan, A Oliver; P McBride (0-4, 3f), S Tierney, C McGlade; C Quinn, C Hand, C Adams (0-3, 1 45)).
Subs: R Donnelly for A Oliver (40), D King for L Peden (40), F McCrudden for C Quinn (55), M Darragh for C McGlade (59), R Hannigan for S Tierney (59).
CARGIN: S Laverty; R Gribbin, K McShane, B Kelly (0-2); J Gribbin, Conan Johnston, S Og O'Neill (1-0); J Laverty (0-1), G McCann; D Johnston (0-1), T McCann (0-5, 2f), P Shivers (0-1); Conhuir Johnston (0-2), M McCann, T Shivers (1-1).
Subs: P McCann for S Og O'Neill (42), B McLarnon for B Kelly (49), K O'Boyle for J Laverty (53), G McCorley for J Gribbin (59), J Harney for D Johnston (59).
REFEREE: Darren McKeown (St Gall's)