OB Construction Antrim Intermediate Football Championship, Group Two
St Teresa's 2-9 Ardoyne 2-5
TO say this game was a slow burner would be putting it mildly. But things exploded in the second half as St Teresa's enjoyed a huge third quarter, putting themselves in the box seat before Ardoyne rallied only to be undone by super-sub Paul Kennedy's injury-time goal to settle the affair.
In Group Two of the Antrim Intermediate Football Championship that contains three teams, those watching on from St Patrick's, Lisburn (whom had the bye) will not have been daunted by the prospect of facing either in the coming weeks, but then it did seem to take a little while for both sides to find their feet on opening night of the Championship.
The second period delivered enough drama to mask a forgettable opening 30 with St Teresa's looking well placed, only for Kickham's to roar back and were just one adrift deep in stoppage time when Kennedy thumped to the net.
What began as tetchy settled into enthralling. Yes, you wouldn't put the house on either lifting silverware based on this one, but then there is a lot of football to be played and the objective is to reach the business end, of which even in defeat, Ardoyne remain in the hunt.
The North Belfast men got their hands on the ball from a turnover seconds in and held possession for close to three minutes, passing over and across as the hosts flooded their defence.
Eventually, Oisin McVicker decided enough was enough and let fly with a shot that despite a hand getting to it, had enough on it to carry over.
Despite the wind advantage, St Teresa's seemed happy to camp back in their own half and look to break, but it took a while before they made any sort of meaningful attack that saw Liam Gault put in, but his shot was tame and into the hands of Tiarnan Hughes in the Ardoyne goal.
The visitors had plenty of possession and territory in the opening quarter, but did nothing with it as there was nothing on up front and no runners off the shoulder to break the line as the solitary score remained the gap as the game ticked into the second quarter.
Thankfully, things did begin to improve a little with Gault passing into Anton Taylor who levelled on the spin after 16 minutes and then John Mallon kicked the hosts into the lead from a free.
It was getting a little tetchy with a brief flare-up seeming to take the sting out of matters a little and the hosts extended their lead from a Niall McCann free with Eoghain Corrigan pulling one back from a mark, but a fine score from Conor O'Rawe late in the half from range helped St Teresa's into a 0-4 to 0-2 lead at the break.
The momentum continued after the break as after Mallon pointed a free, a long ball in from the same man dropped and Taylor rose above Tiernan Hughes to palm home.
Ardoyne were in real bother and despite Padraig McGreevy kicking a free, three points on the spin in-between Ardoyne's Declan McCormick getting a black card for a trail down on goal-bound Paul McGoldrick seemingly left this game settled.
However, the men from the north would grab a lifeline as Kevin Lynch kicked a free and then slotted a penalty to the net on 49 minutes after referee, Fionntan McCotter spotted a touch on the ground inside the area from a shot that had been blocked down and fell loose.
St Teresa's had chances to put this game to bed in the meantime but Conor O'Rawe saw a shot flash millimetres outside the far post and then Hughes made a magical save from Luke Cassin who had pointed with his first touch.
The margin was four as Ardoyne turned over possession and put together their best move of the evening as fast hands and the overlap saw them funnel the ball into attack and substitutes combined with Kevin McLoughlin passing into Cathal Keown to thump home.
Just one was in it, but Ardoyne squandered the first phase from the kick-out as the hosts managed to settle, draining the clock until a last burst saw the gap open and the ball was worked to Kennedy to rifle home and seal the win.
In the three-team group, it's far from done for Ardoyne, but with St Patrick's, Lisburn, still to play, the West Belfast side has taken a huge step into the knockout phase.
ST TERESA'S: C Murtagh; A Dugan, P Johnston, R Mallon; L Gault, C O'Rawe (0-1), S Maguire; L Cassin, A Varndell; J Mallon (0-4, all frees), N McCann (0-2, 1 free), P Maguire; M Small, A Taylor (1-1), P McGoldrick.
Subs: P Kennedy (1-1) for M Small (43)
ARDOYNE: T Hughes; C Curran, SJ Rooney, C McLoughlin; D McCormick, K McCAllin, P Marley; K Lynch (1-1, 1-0 pen, 0-1 free), O McVicker (0-1); D Moore, P McGreevy (0-1 free), M McGreevy; C McDowell, E Corrigan (0-2, 1 mark), A Davison.
Subs: G McKernan for C McDowell (25), K McLoughlin for A Davison (HT), F Marley for D Moore(39), C Keown (1-0) for P McGreevy (44), G McFarland for K McCallin (56)
REFEREE: Fionntan McCotter (Sarsfield's)
