Antrim Minor Football Championship final (AET)

St Brigid's 0-19 Con Magee's, Glenravel 2-12

ST BRIGID’S claimed the Antrim Minor Football Championship after a thriller in extra-time against Glenravel a Creggan on Sunday.

A match which saw both teams throw their all into the game, and which could have gone either way right up until the final second of the second half of extra time.

The nailbiting result will see the South Belfast side win the Under 17 A Football Championship, and will surely be a match that will be talked about for years to come.

The first half was a climatic affair, with both teams evenly matched, but Glenravel had the edge, emerging leading by three points.

The match got off to a fast start on the cold shore of Lough Neagh, with Glenravel’s Shea Ó Broin putting away three fantastic frees within the first ten minutes, showing his skill at taking long shots for points between the bars. St Brigid’s Rory McErlean got a good free in for the South Belfast men, and another brilliant point was earned by Callagh Mooney for Glenravel.

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Glenravel captain Cormac McKeown showed great skill earning a brillaint point in the twelfth minute. Glenravel moved fast in the first round, but St Brigid’s also put up a good defence, often defying Glenravel in their quest for more points. Niall Hynds got in a great point for the men from Creggan, followed by another great one from Shea Ó Broin. 

At 20 minutes St Brigid’s bucked into gear, with four great points coming fast from Rory McErlean who got a point and a free, and another two from Dara Quinn, putting the scoreline 0-6 each.

However, in the last four minutes of the first half, Glenravel pushed ahead, with three points in short order from Peadar O’Donnell who got two, and one from captain Cormac McKeown, with the first half ending Glenravel 0-9, St Brigid’s 0-6.

St Brigid’s made two substitutions at half-time, with Conor O’Connell and Techin McGarvey coming off for Colm Finegan and David Prenter. The first five minutes of the second half also allowed St Brigid’s to close the gap, with two points to catch up coming from another two frees from Rory McErlean.

Cormac McKeown earned the Glenravel men another point, putting them into double digits with ten, but it was immediately countered with yet another free from McErlean, keeping the gap between them a single point. With 15 minutes left to go, it seemed Glenravel had finally got the chance to push firmly into the lead by four points when Colla Ward scored a brilliant goal, putting the Creggan men up to 1-10 to 0-9.

St Brigid’s however wouldn’t take it lying down, and fought back, with two great points coming from Dara Quinn, but Glenravel edged ahead again with another point from Shea Ó Broin. 

Into the last seven minutes of play, St Brigid’s refused to back down and put their all in, scoring four points in four minutes, two from substitute Colm Finegan, and one from Sonny Doyle and another from Rory McErlean putting the South Belfast men up to 0-15 to Glenravel’s 1-11, with St Brigid’s now leading by a point.

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The game looked like it would end closely in St Brigid’s favour after that huge push in the last few minutes, but Glenravel’s Shea Ó Broin came in in the last moment as the seconds were counting down and evened the scoreline at 15 points each just before the final whistle blew, putting the game into extra time.

At the onset of extra time, Glenravel made another substitution with Connor Laverty coming off injured for Conor McQuillan.

There were a few injuries for both sides in the first half of extra time, which slowed the pace down for both teams, but around 10 minutes in the South Belfast men earned a point from Colm Finegan.

Glenravel however entered in with a brilliant goal three minutes later from Joseph Leech, putting them into the lead again by two points, with the scores at 2-12 to 0-16.

The second half of extra time saw St Brigid’s throw everything they had at Glenravel with dividends paid off, as Rory McErlean, Dara Quinn and Sonny Doyle all scored points, putting them one up as the game entered its closing minutes.

St Brigid’s Michael O’Gorman got a point in for the South Belfast men, but this was swiftly followed by a goal in the back of the net from captain Cormac McKeown for the Creggan men, putting the score up to 2-12 to Glenravel to 0-16 for St Brigid’s.

For the final five minutes, the atmosphere was fierce with anticipation as Glenravel supporters shouted from the sidelines while St Brigid’s fans yelled for the South Belfast men hold fast.

It was seriously looking like a penalty shootout was on the cards when in the last moment Glenravel were awarded a free around 25 yards from the net, and it was taken by captain Cormac McKeown. The crowd held their breath as the shot was made, and it appeared to be sailing in, only to hit off the post and deflect at the very last moment, ending Glenravel’s hopes of Championship glory, and seeing the men from South Belfast become the champions and take an absolutely thrilling victory.

NAOMH BRID: L Cullinan, C O’Connell, C Logue, D Oglesby, T McKenna (0-1), S Doyle (0-2), M O’Gorman (0-1), T Lloyd, D McGurk, T McGarvey, R McErlean (0-8), D Quinn (0-5), C Gilleece, S Higgins, J Mellon

Subs: C Finnegan (0-2) for C O’Connell, D Prenter for T McGarvey

GLENRAVEL: D Carey, C Laverty, N Dickson, J Leech, C Mooney, É Ward, O McClintock, C Duffin, N Hynds (0-1), C Ward (1-0), S Ó Broin (0-6), P Ward, C McKeown (1-3), P McDonnell (0-2), D Higgins

Subs: F Donaghy for N Dickson, C Laverty for C McQuillan

REFEREE: Fionntan McCotter (Sarsfield's)