ACHL Division Two
St Paul's 0-20 – 1-16 Bredagh
A last-gasp point from forward Declan Chapman earned St Paul’s a hard-won victory over Bredagh in the Division Two clash on Sunday afternoon.
St Paul’s were facing the South Belfast outfit in the concluding weekend of the Antrim Hurling League campaign.
With the Hurling Championship campaign fast approaching, both sides were hopeful that victory would put them in good stead for their respective competitions.
For the home side it was all about maintaining momentum and extending their two-month unbeaten run. Bredagh, meanwhile, were battling for pride and and the determination they showed to end their recent dismal form was something which gave this game a real competitive edge.
St Paul’s opened the scoring when Mark Munce’s deflected effort brought the first point, but Bredagh would respond very quickly as forward Mel Lavery fired one between the posts.
The home side moved two ahead of their opponents when Daire Stevenson commenced his afternoon of sharpshooting by confidently drilling a brace of frees over from distance. But Bredagh found an instant reply when forward Sean Hughes popped a score over from the 21-yard line.
Bredagh found themselves in the debit column once again, but not for long as Joseph Hanrahan and Tiarnan Sheehan were on hand to level the scores at 0-5 apiece on the 21st minute of play.
The away side edged in front when Sheehan was on hand to score once again, but the sides were level shortly after as St Paul’s star man Stevenson continued his excellent free-taking form, pucking the ball between the posts from 40 yards.
Moments before the break the game took a dramatic turn when Liam Walsh was sent off for a second bookable offence after the St Paul's man attempted to block a Bredagh free despite a warning from referee Niall Clifford, who didn’t hesitate in dismissing the defender.
St Paul's didn’t back down, however, and ended the half a point in front thanks to Conall Finnegan, who stroked stylishly over seconds before the whistle.
The half-time score saw the 14-man home side lead 0-8 to 0-7.
A nice warm-up to the big game later. @StPaulsGAC lead @BredaghGAC1 by a point at the break, but the home side were reduced to 14 minutes before the break. pic.twitter.com/sIlpiNb5CH
— Maghnus Dunne (@mags6788) July 16, 2023
Stevenson extended his side's lead early in the second half after another great free from distance.
Both sides would trade the next few scores, with Sean Hughes and Mark Patterson pointing for Bredagh and St Paul's scoring through Stevenson once again and Mark Munce on the 46th minute of play.
St Pauls and Bredagh fought a physical battle in Division Two on Sunday
Rory McCamphill scored for the away side before St Paul's defender Aaron Carey notched a superb strike to restore St Paul's lead.
Declan Chapman scored a lovely point from a tight angle before Stevenson scored another free, taking his tally to 0-8 on the afternoon and extending his side's lead to four points.
Bredagh roared back when Tiarnan Sheehan’s free was flicked into the net by Liam Hogan, whose goal levelled the score for the eighth time in the game.
The sides cancelled each other out on three further occasions as the game's exciting finale crept closer. Daire Stevenson completed his afternoon's scoring with two further frees, but Joseph Hanrahan and Sean Hughes came up with the necessary replies for Bredagh.
And then that dramatic conclusion which put paid to plucky Bredagh's hopes. A deep puck wasn’t cleared by the away defence, Declan Chapman collecting the ball and composing himself before striking coolly between the sticks to secure the narrowest of wins for St Paul’s.
The win sees St Paul’s extend that impressive unbeaten run since Clooney Gaels came to town in May and puts the Shaws Road men in good heart for their Championship opener in August when they’ll face Con Magee's.
Bredagh now dust themselves off and shift their attention to the Down Senior Championship where they’ll have the tough task of facing last year’s Ulster Intermediate winners Liatroim Fontenoys.
St Paul’s: C Murray, C O’Carroll, T Auld, B Burns, L Walsh, S Rooney, T Duff, A Carey (0-2), C Finnegan (0-1), D Stevenson (0-12) 0-11 frees, M Munce (0-2), D Chapman (0-2), D McGreevy, L Philips, C Killyleagh.
Subs: D Quinn for D McGreevy (36), Paul Donnelly jnr (0-1) for C Killyleagh (44), C Murray for C O’Carroll (45).
Bredagh: A Maguire, E Maguire, L Smyth, L Hogan (1-1), N McFarland, O McFlynn, T Sheehan (0-2) 0-2 frees, M Patterson (0-1), N Smyth, J Hanrahan (0-2), M Lavery (0-1), S Hughes (0-6) 0-5 frees, B Christie (0-1), R Curran, R McCamphill (0-2).
Subs: M Doran for R Curran (52).
Referee: Niall Clifford (Cú Chulainn).
