Antrim Hurling League Division Two
St Galls 1-16 Tír Na nÓg n2-12
SUNDAY’S Division Two clash resulted in victory for St Gall’s, as they snatched a last-gasp victory against a 14-man Tír na nÓg at De La Salle Park.
The game began as a very even contest as both sides hit scores tit for tat with the scores level at four points apiece in the first 10 minutes of the game.
Sean Duffin put Tír na nÓg in front after a series of frees from long-range were placed between the posts, as the white and black side surged into a three-point lead.
St Gall’s levelled the score at 0-7 each after Tomas O Ciarain pointed twice and centre-half Niall O’Neill struck over the bar for the men in blue.
The contest was a fierce one as both sides saw players warned by the referee numerous times in the early stages.
The referee took to his book and cautioned Tír na nÓg half-forward Eamon McAllister after he chopped down on St Gall's midfielder Ciaran McCaffrey.
The Randalstown side stormed back into the lead after a lovely move from Sean Duffin and Conor McCamphill was finished off by full-forward Niall Devlin who slotted home a goal inside the 13-yard box.
St Gall’s clawed two points back after Dubhaltach Wilson struck two lovely points under pressure to reduce the score to a single point in favour of the away side at the break.
The half-time score saw Tír na nÓg lead the Gall’s 1-7 to 0-9.
The Belfast side was straight out of the blocks for the second half-hour after Fergus Donnelly and Dubhaltach Wilson pointed to put St Gall’s in front in the close contest.
Substitute Niall Fallon scored a wonderful goal to give St Gall’s a fpur-point lead, the half-forward soloing past three Tír na nÓg defenders and striking the sliotar into the left bottom corner.
Tír na nÓg saw themselves reduced to 14 men, an altercation on the wing saw Eamon McAllister receive a second yellow after a slap off the ball.
The game remained tense as a free from 60 yards by Caoimhin Duffin was spilt over the line by the St Gall’s goalkeeper Kurtis McGreevy.
Balanced on a knife-edge, the game was poised for a draw after both sides hit point for point and even down after going down a man the Randalstown side were resilient in fighting back.
Ciaran Logan scored consecutive points from distance to put Tír na nÓg into a surprise two-point lead with only 10 minutes remaining.
Full-forward Marcus Donnelly levelled the game with five to go for St Gall’s.
The two subs Dara Delaney and Niall Fallon linked up with a point apiece as St Gall’s emerged victorious on Sunday afternoon as they climbed clear of the relegation battle in Division Two.
ST GALL'S: K McGreevy, E Rush, R Wilson, O McIlhatton, L Ó Ciaráin, N O’Neill 0-1, C McCaffrey, J McGreevy, J Hopkins 0-1, G McGreevy 0-2, P Friel, T Ó Ciaráin 0-5 (4 frees), F Donnelly 0-1, M Donnelly 0-1, D Mac Liam 0-3
Subs: E Cooke, D Delaney 0-1, D Churchill, N Fallon 1-1
TÍR NA nÓG: C Sheerin, T Martin, R O’Neill, E Higgins, C O’Neill, C Duffin 1-0 (free), M Smith, C McKeown, D Fagan, C Logan 0-4, E McAllister, S Duffin 0-8 (5 frees), C McCamphill 1-0, C Duffin, Neil Shannon
Subs: O McTamney, E Martin, B Fitzgerald, K McCann
REFEREE: Barry Winters (Dungannon)
