Bathshack Antrim Senior Football Championship semi-final replay:
St John’s 3-17 Erin’s Own, Cargin 0-21 (aet)
FOR the first time in 19 years, the Padraig MacNamee Cup won’t be heading to St Gall’s or Cargin after St John’s finally managed to end the Toome club’s reign yesterday, setting up an all-Belfast showdown with Lamh Dhearg on Sunday.
It is an intriguing match-up, not least for Johnnies boss Paddy Nugent who will have a son on either side – Padraig between the sticks for St John’s and midfielder Domhnall lining out in the red of their Hannahstown rivals.
And Nugent’s talented young team put him through the mill again yesterday before a strong showing in extra-time saw them leave Cargin’s dreams of three
in-a-row in tatters.
“The drive and the desire of these boys has never been in question,” he said.
“Cargin are tremendous champions. Every time we got away from them they kept pulling back at us, but we’re delighted.
“We’ve nothing won, I’ve emphasised that to the lads. We’ve nothing in our hands.”
And the Johnnies boss laughed off the notion that it could be a tense week in the Nugent household heading into a county final.
“It’s going to be interesting,” he added with a smile.
“Do you take him off your contact list for the week or something?! We said when the draw came out that you’d love this to happen because that means you’re both where you want to be.
“We’ll sit down during the week – me, Domhnall and Padraig – and we’ll call a bit of a truce.”
Cargin’s exit yesterday brought an end to experienced manager John Brennan’s impressive unbeaten championship record in Antrim across two spells with the Erin’s Own.
But the former Derry boss was magnanimous in defeat, saying: “We’re disappointed, naturally.
“We thought we could’ve done three in-a-row but, over the two games, St John’s were the better team.
“We had a second chance and over the two games, and added time, we weren’t able to win it. They have improved a hell of a lot, beyond us. They’ve tipped the scales.”
Last week St John’s let slip a three-point lead with three minutes of normal time remaining as Cargin forced a replay, and some doubted whether they would find themselves in such a commanding position again.
Yet with six minutes to play in Glenavy yesterday, a superb Micheal Bradley goal put them 2-11 to 0-14 ahead with the finishing line in sight.
But Cargin aren’t champions for nothing and they pressed high and hard on the Johnnies, slowly chipping away at their lead.
Former Antrim star Kieran Close was the Toome club’s main scoring threat, proving unerring from play and placed balls all day, while Tomas McCann came alive after the interval following a quiet first half.
Substitute Jack Hannigan could have sealed the deal for the west Belfast man as the clock ticked down but his scuffed shot was saved by Cargin ’keeper John McNabb, and in the fourth and final minute of added time James Laverty slotted between the posts to send the game into extra-time.
It is no surprise that, of the four meetings between these clubs this year, three have ended in stalemate after 60 minutes, and the extra 20 were typically hard fought.
Indeed, perhaps a little too keenly contested as both were reduced to 14 men within seconds of extra-time getting under way, the two number eights – Cargin’s Gerard McCann and Seamus McDonagh of St John’s – shown straight red cards for a bit of boxing after the ball had been thrown-in.
It was the defending champions who came off worse as the Johnnies started to pick holes through the centre and, after going in level after 70 minutes, it was St John’s – and not their more experienced opponents – who turned the screw after the break.
They bagged their third goal of the day just a minute in, Matthew Fitzpatrick finding Cathal McGlade and when he played in Peter McCallin in space, the 19-year-old made no mistake, rifling into the bottom left corner of the Cargin net.
And whereas St John’s had failed to register again in normal time after scoring their second goal, Bradley fired over a minute later and in the 74th minute they were awarded a penalty after Fitzpatrick was felled by Laverty in the square.
The Antrim star opted to dust himself down and take the kick himself, a decision he might regret after an unfortunate slip just at the point of contact saw the ball sail harmlessly wide of the upright.
But the young Johnnies didn’t let their heads go down, and a super score from Paddy McBride – sandwiched between a free of his own and one from Ryan McNulty – saw them close the game out in style, sparking wild celebrations.
St John’s were the last team to win the Antrim championship before the St Gall’s-Cargin duopoly began, and now they can dream of being the next name on the trophy.
St John’s: P Nugent; A Douglas, A Oliver,M Dudley; C Garland, M Bradley (1-1), P Donnelly; S McDonagh, R McNulty (0-3, 0-2 frees); P McBride (0-7, 0-5 frees), Conor Johnston (0-3), M Fitzpatrick (1-0); Ciaran Johnston, P McCallin (1-0), L Peden.
Subs: J Hannigan (0-1) for McDonagh (27), C McEvoy (0-1) for Peden (38), R Hannigan for A Douglas (50), S McDonagh for R Hannigan (60, extra-time), C McGlade (0-1) for Donnelly (65), S Tierney for Ciaran Johnston (69), R Hannigan for Dudley (80)
Yellow cards: S McDonagh (8), A Douglas (9), P McCallin (25), M Bradley (75), R McNulty (76)
Red card: S McDonagh (60, extra-time)
Erin’s Own, Cargin: J McNabb; T Scullion, G McCorley, D Johnston; J Laverty (0-1), J Crozier, K O’Boyle; G McCann, J Carron;K Close (0-11, 0-7 frees), M McCann, J Gribbin; M Clarke, P McCann (0-1), T McCann (0-8, 0-6 frees).
Subs: M Magill for P McCann (21), E McGrogan for M Clarke (29), R Devlin for McCorley (43), K McShane for Gribbin (48), C Bradley for McGrogan (55), P McCann for Bradley (70, extra-time), M Kelly for M McCann (72), B Laverty for Johnston (72)
Yellow cards: C McCorley (25), K Close (62), R Devlin (69), J Laverty (74)
Red card: G McCann (60, extra-time)
Referee: Sean Laverty (Moneyglass)
