Northern Switchgear Antrim Senior Football Championship final: Erin’s Own, Cargin 1-18 St Mary’s Aghagallon 3-9 (after extra-time)
ABSOLUTELY nerve-shredding, exhilarating stuff from start to finish at a rain-drenched Corrigan Park yesterday afternoon as Erin’s Own, Cargin celebrated their fourth county championship in five years and their 11th overall.
This decider was magnificent in so many ways with the Cargin and Aghagallon players deserving immense credit for serving up a classic in such slippery conditions.
In the end, though, justice was served as Cargin racked up 19 scores to Aghagallon's 12 - but it took so many heart-stopping moments and extra-time to decide a winner.
Both sets of players bared their souls in the most honest, uplifting way imaginable. No player could have given a stride more for their respective causes.
There were so many memorable performances.
Eunan Walsh was at the hub of everything for Aghagallon, running at the Cargin defence every time he gained possession and had a direct hand in Ruairi McCann's two goals.
The big full-forward was having a dream final. Gareth Magee was cool as ice too. Dan Donnelly, Jamie Lamont and Jack Lenehan did all they could for the Aghagallon cause, and more.
In last year's decider, Aghagallon were completely overawed by the occasion, the first in their history. Although they lost yesterday, they went some way to exorcising the bitter memory of that 2021 final performance.
Manager Audi Kelly probably would have taken that performance before throw-in.
For Cargin, Kevin O'Boyle may have coughed up an early goal to Adam Loughran but he was outstanding in every other aspect of his play.
Paul McCann was so resourceful from the first ball to the last. Gerard McCann landed some big hits and took some navigating to get around.
Sean O'Neill played most of the game virtually on one leg and in the fading light he grabbed the last point of the day to put Cargin three up.
Aghagallon were finally beaten.
James Laverty, Tomas McCann and Pat Shivers played heroically too.
“It’s absolutely amazing. We were eight points down,” said a breathless Pat Shivers at pitch-side afterwards. “It’s hard to put into words. It’s probably the best game I’ve been a part of.”
Cargin were left punch-drunk at end of the first half after the St Mary’s men raised two green flags – one goal apiece from Adam Loughran and Ruairi McCann – and they fell eight behind [3-5 to 0-6] when McCann netted for a second time three minutes after the restart.
Ronan Devlin’s men had to dig really deep to rescue this pulsating encounter – and they did exactly that to win back the crown they surrendered to Creggan Kickhams in last year’s semi-finals.
Up until the 52nd minute, Mick McCann was having a subdued final but when he caught Tomas McCann's high ball, the veteran attacker swivelled, dummied before scuffing the ball home with his left foot from close range.
McCann's goal was undoubtedly the turning point of this final. Cargin were well and truly back in the championship hunt.
The hugely impressive John McNabb in the Cargin goal levelled things up three minutes later from a ‘45 [1-12 to 3-6] before Laverty slung over what looked like the winner in the 61st minute.
But Aghagallon and Oisin Lenehan had other ideas, working an opening from a short free.
Cargin briefly led 0-4 to 0-3 in the early exchanges but then Aghagallon grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck.
Loughran escaped O'Boyle's shackles for a split second and found the corner of Cargin's net in the 20th minute.
Four minutes later, McCann accepted Walsh's long punt and with no sweeper on duty, McCann wriggled away from Justin Crozier to find the net again for Aghagallon.
Between them, Shivers and Tomas McCann led Cargin's resistance, but they still trailed 2-5 to 0-6 at the interval, and the underdogs stretched that lead to eight on 33 minutes when Ruairi McCann just about kept his balance to nab Aghagallon’s third goal after another penetrating Walsh run.
Despite trailing by eight, Cargin never panicked and showed the mettle of champions by rattling off the next five points with Aghagallon managing just two more points before the end of normal time – their cause not helped by some wayward kick-outs from Damian O’Hagan.
In extra-time, Aghagallon twice nudged themselves in front through a Magee free and a Pauric Magennis point. But Cargin matched them and more with Shivers’ radar outrageously accurate when he got a yard of space on Jamie Lamont.
In those two 10-minute periods of extra-time, it was as if mankind was at stake for every breaking ball.
Just when you thought an Aghagallon player had got his paws on the ball, it would spill into the arms of a Cargin man – and vice–versa. It was pure bedlam at times, rugged at times but always compelling.
Indeed, some hard-won breaks were cheered like goals from an enthralled Corrigan Park crowd towards the end, the best of which was Tomas McCann pick-pocketing Pat Brannigan in the 78th minute.
When Cargin’s backs were to the wall, Tomas McCann was nerveless from placed balls and he never stopped running at Aghagallon.
In that second period of extra-time, Cargin outscored Aghagallon 0-4 to 0-1 with Tomas McCann (free), Shivers, Benen Kelly and Sean O’Neill finding their range.
Aghagallon are one gutsy, resilient team and a first senior championship mustn't be far away for them - but Cargin are top dogs again.
It just took a while longer to get there.
Erin’s Own, Cargin: J McNabb (0-2 45s); K O’Boyle, J Crozier, C Donnelly; J Carron, J Laverty (0-1), S O’Neill (0-1); G McCann, R Gribbin; C Bradley, J Gribbin (0-1); P McCann (0-1); P Shivers (0-5, 0-1 free), M McCann (1-0), T McCann (0-5 frees) Subs: B Kelly (0-2) for S O’Neill (17), S O’Neill for R Gribbin (37), M Kelly for M McCann (62), B Laverty for C Donnelly (68), K McShane for M Kelly (73), D Johnston for B Kelly (76)
Blood substitution: G McCorley for J Laverty (79-80)
Yellow card: J Gribbin (58)
St Mary’s Aghagallon: D O’Hagan; D Donnelly, J Lamont, P Mulholland; C Magennis; P Brannigan, Daryl McAlernon; O Lenehan (0-1), J Lenehan; E Walsh, A Loughran (1-0), M McAfee; G Magee (0-6, 0-4 frees), R McCann (2-1, 0-1 mark), J Hannon Subs: Davy McAlernon for Daryl McAlernon (h/t), P Gowdy for J Hannon (h/t), E McCartan for P Gowdy (42), P Magennis (0-1) for M McAfee (50), S Devlin for P Mulholland (77), N McShane for P Brannigan (80)
Blood substitution: P Gowdy for Hannon (13 to 17)
Referee: Conall Roberts (St John’s)
