OB Construction Antrim Intermediate Football Final 

Sarsfields      0-8
Moneyglass  0-14 
 
MONEYGLASS returned to the Senior Football Championship at the first time of asking after defeating Sarsfields 0-14-0-08 in the final of the OB Construction Intermediate Football Championship at Dunsilly on Saturday evening. 

It was the fourth time that the duo had met over the course of the campaign with both sides registering a victory each and a draw in the previous three encounters. 
Sarsfields Division Two triumph ensured promotion to the top flight next season and with it Senior Championship status, with Moneyglass hoping to join them after relegation from both tiers in 2024. 

The South-West outfit hit the front through a Colum Duffin free inside of five minutes and doubled their lead two minutes later from the same scenario. 

Duffin brought his tally to three after swinging over his first from play, with Sarsfields eventually responding through Cormac Murray’s two-pointed effort from range. 

The Paddies restored parity after 18 minutes when Garry Lennon converted a close range free. 

They were unable to edge ahead, though, and Moneyglass regained their grip with four unanswered scores. 

Tiernan McCormack’s high shot dropped between the posts to move his side ahead again and Seanchan Duffin then popped over following McCormack clearing from defence and finding Colum Duffin to provide the assist. 

Successive frees from Aidan McErlain doubled the advantage by the stroke of half time, with Brian Healy replying from a free in injury time as Moneyglass held a 0-7-0-4 lead at the break. 

Sarsfields closed to within the bare minimum early in the second period thanks to a close range Philip McPeake free and a Daniel Smyth fisted point, but that early momentum failed to catch fire and they would wait until the near the conclusion to find any further scores. 

However, by that stage the game was over as a contest as Moneyglass were off in the distance. They opened their account in the 39th minute through a third McErlain free. 
A goal chance almost fell less than 60 seconds later, though Sean Boyd’s shot whistled over the bar as they had re-established their three-point advantage. 

They kicked on further in the final quarter and hit five unanswered points. McErlain kicked a further free and Colum Duffin did likewise from a tricky angle a few minutes later. 

A McErlain free effort dropped short and Duffin popped over on the turn with the full-forward adding his third on the spin and a Tiernan McCormack fisted effort in the 58th minute gave them a 0-14 to 0-6 lead. 

With the game ticking towards its conclusion Ergnats’ Matthew Mullen was dismissed by referee Paul Burns for dissent. 

Brian Healy opted to tap over from the resulting free and moments later tried to engineer a goal after Philip McPeake picked him out, Healy danced his way through the tackles into a shooting position but saw his shot turned around the post by Jamie McLaughlin in the Moneyglass goal. 

The resulting 45 was kicked by Healy but time was against the Paddies and it proved their last score as Moneyglass ran out convincing winners at the conclusion to join the Stewartstown men in Division One and the Senior Championship next season after a one-year absence. 
 
SARSFIELDS: M Brady, M McPolin, J McNally, C McDonnell, P McPeake (0-1f), L Mitchell, C Loughran, C Murray (1x0-2pt), C McKernan, T Skillen, D Smyth (0-1), S Ferris, G Lennon (0-1f), C Glenholmes, B Healy (0-3, 0-2f, 0-1 45’). SUBS:C McCurry for D Smyth (41), C Laverty for C McKernan (46), J Maguire for T Skillen (48), N McAlea for J McNally (55). 

MONEYGLASS: J McLaughlin, M Mullen, Z McCaughan, J McCormack, T McCormack (0-2), P Duffin, C McCann, K McCann, S Duffin (0-1), S Boyd (0-1), A McErlain (0-4f), F Duffin, C O’Kane, C Duffin (0-6, 0-3f), T Cassidy. SUBS: M McLaughlin for T Cassidy (57), O Hamill for S Boyd (60+3). 
 
REFEREE: Paul Burns (ST COMGALL’S)