Northern Switchgear Antrim SFC Group Two: Lámh Dhearg 1-11 St John’s 0-11
A SECOND half goal from prodigal son Brendan Herron saw Lamh Dhearg get their Antrim championship campaign off to a winning start against west Belfast rivals St John’s yesterday.
Herron - in his first start back with the Red Hands after his exploits with Ballinascreen in Derry over the last seven years - was on hand to palm into an empty net following some brilliant work from Ryan Murray.
Man-of-the-match Murray – who returned home from Dubai just before lockdown - skipped past two Johnnies defenders before leaving the 37-year-old with the easiest of finishes to open up a 1-9 to 0-7 lead 12 minutes into the second half.
In the defining period of the game, St John’s were dealt a hammer blow seconds later when goalkeeper Ciaran McCloy - who has only recently joined the club from Watty Graham’s, Glen after relocating to Belfast – was shown a straight red card following a verbal exchange with an umpire.
Pearse Donnelly, who had come on as a sub earlier in the half, went into goals. That left St John’s facing a huge uphill battle with less than 20 minutes left to play, but John Kelly’s men battled back gamely to force a nervy finish.
They pushed midfielder Domhnall Nugent into the square as they tried to hunt the Lamhs down, with the dead-eyed Patrick McBride holding his nerve from frees to leave just three points between the sides heading into the final five.
However, when Antrim captain Declan Lynch burst forward from his defensive station before slotting over deep into added time, the socially-distanced home support could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“It’s good to get championship football back in a good, safe environment. The atmosphere was there and that all contributes to it,” said Lamh Dhearg boss Martin Lynch.
“It’s a unique year because of Covid, my sense is that whoever can keep their panel together is going to do very well because injuries are going to have an impact on every team. My aim is the same as last year – we want to win the championship.
“We’re not in the form to do it yet, we were rusty today, but we probably deserved the win.”
Both were without some key personnel, with no Matthew Fitzpatrick for St John’s while Paddy Cunningham – who has to undergo a blood transfusion every eight weeks as a result of Chrohn’s disease – held in reserve, though he hopes to play a part in the coming weeks.
It is three years since these two shared top billing on county final day and there was little to choose between them for much of the game. Lamh Dhearg, though, just had that bit more variety to their play, with the forward bursts of Marc Jordan catching the eye in the first half.
Padraig Nugent, playing outfield after years between the sticks with the Johnnies, was handed a strict detail not to allow Jordan out of his sight after the break and did a sound job.
Nugent’s brother Domhnall – who lined out for Lamh Dhearg in that 2017 county final - was also an influential figure, a couple of brilliant frees in the face of a strong crossfield wind keeping St John’s in touch.
But it was the pace and trickery of the Murray brothers, Ryan and Conor, allied to their control in possession, which ultimately won the day for the Hannahstown men.
Conor bagged the best score of the first half when he popped over from close range after a forward charge by Jordan but Lamh Dhearg couldn’t stretch into any kind of lead, some indiscipline in the tackle allowing St John’s to punish them from frees.
But it was Lynch’s men, leading 0-6 to 0-5 following a cagey first half, who came out of the blocks quickest after half-time, with Ryan Murray the catalyst for many of their best moments.
Murray left the action early in added time after picking up a second yellow card, but the damage had been done before that. His classy score edged Lamh Dhearg into a 0-7 to 0-6 lead, bouncing off two challenges before slotting over with his less favoured right foot.
Jordan made it 0-9 to 0-7 after profiting from a brilliant bit of Conor Murray fielding, before Ryan produced the moment of magic that led to the Herron goal.
The Red Hands managed only one more point in the remaining 20-odd minutes, opting to try and tire St John’s out by recycling possession. It almost backfired as the Johnnies slowly chipped away, only for Declan Lynch to seal the deal.
St John’s face a quick turnaround as they host Rossa at Corrigan Park on Wednesday night, while Lamh Dhearg are back in action – also against Rossa – on Sunday.
Lámh Dhearg: J Finucane; M McGarry, D Lynch (0-1), B Rice; P Mervyn, M Herron, K Quinn, E McKeown; P Fitzsimons, M Jordan (0-1); R Stranney (0-2, 0-1 free), C Murray (0-1); T McCrudden (0-1); R Murray (0-5, 0-4 frees), B Herron (1-0). Subs: D Dunne for Stranney (27), C Maxwell for E McKeown (56), C Nolan for M McGarry (58), E Matassa for B Rice (61)
Yellow cards: R Murray (21, 61), R Stranney (23), D Dunne (30), C Murray (46), B Rice (54)
Red card: R Murray (61)
St John’s: C McCloy; C Garland, C Carson, J Bohill; P Nugent, L Laverty, Ciaran Johnson; R McNulty, D Nugent (0-4, 0-2 frees); C Bohill, Conor Johnson, C McAvoy; A McGowan, P McBride (0-7, frees), C McGlade. Subs: L McCurdy for Conor Johnson (HT), C Kelly for L McCurdy (33), P Donnelly for A McGowan (39)
Yellow card: R Bohill (19)
Red card: C McCloy (43)
Referee: S Laverty (Moneyglass)
