Northern Switchgear Antrim SFC semi-final: St Gall’s 1-7 Lamh Dhearg 0-8
ST GALL'S advanced into the final of this year's Antrim Senior Football Championship as they edged out Lámh Dhearg at Ahoghill last night (Wednesday).
It was a strange game that was competitive throughout, but perhaps that was to the detriment of free-flowing football.
The first half was littered with wides. Lámh Dhearg edging that particular unwanted stat by nine to eight as both sides produced enough chances, but their finishing let them down badly.
St Gall's made the early running but drove five shots wide while they also had a penalty shout turned down on 11 minutes when Karl Stewart was through on goal and went down under a challenge from John Finucane, but referee Sean Lavery waved away the penalty appeals.
We finally had our opening score 14 minutes in when Ryan Murray found Darren Bellew out right who curled over to score Lámh Dheargs only point of the half.
St Gall's were being frustrated by the Red Hands who had pulled 14 behind the ball, but they finally made the breakthrough on 21 minutes when Anto Healy floated a speculative ball in and Sean Kelly was on hand to catch, turn and fire low despite the best efforts of Finucane.
The game still failed to come alive although St Gall's did tag on further scores from Karl Stewart and Niall O'Neill to take a 1-2 to 0-1 lead into the break.
The switch of Domhnall Nugent to midfield with Gerard Walls being replaced by Terry McCrudden paid dividends for Lámh Dhearg at the break as they hit four scores in as many minutes through Ryan Murray (two), Conor Murray and McCrudden to level before a Ryan Murray free moved them ahead.
St Gall's were now on the back foot, but they grew into the half eventually with the returning CJ McGourty kicking a free with his first touch after being introduced.
McGourty and Conor Murray traded points before Michael Herron thumped over a score to edge Lámh Dhearg back ahead with five to play.
However, St Gall's didn't panic and after Micky Pollock tied the game once more, they went back ahead from a McGourty free as Mark McGarry was cautioned for trailing down Kevin Niblock.
McGarry got a second yellow two minutes after for a hefty challenge on Brendan Bradley and again, McGourty punished them to seal the win and a place in the final for St Gall's.
ST GALL'S: C Kerr; C Brady, A McClean, T Ó Ciarán; M Kelly, S Kelly (1-0), J McGreevy; S Burke, C O'Kane; N O'Neill (0-1), K Niblock, A Healy; K McGourty, M Pollock (0-1), K Stewart (0-1 free). Subs: B Bradley for A Healy (39 mins), CJ McGourty (0-4, all frees) for K McGourty (41 mins)
LÁMH DHEARG: J Finucane; A McAufield, P Mervyn, D Bellew (0-1); M McGarry, M Herron (0-1), B McComb; G Walls, P Fitzsimons; C Murray (0-2), R Stranney, K Conroy; R Murray (0-3, 2 frees), D Lynch, D Nugent. Subs: T McCrudden (0-1) for G Walls (HT), K Quinn for RStranney (44 mins), G Slane for K Quinn (60 mins)
REFEREE: Sean Lavery (Moneyglass)
