Bathshack Antrim SHC semi-final: Loughgiel Shamrocks 2-31 St John’s 5-18
LOUGHGIEL boss Hugh McCann hopes his walking wounded will be fit and firing by the time Sunday’s Antrim final clash with Dunloy comes around after the Shamrocks eventually came out on the right side of a titanic tussle in Dunsilly yesterday.
McCann’s men will face the defending champions in Ballycastle and, just as Dunloy are sweating on the fitness of playmaker Paul Shiels after edging out Rossa earlier yesterday, the quick turnaround could take a toll on Loughgiel too after over 100 minutes of frenetic action.
In a “strange season” though, he was just happy to have a final to look forward too after overcoming a dogged Johnnies side.
“Tony McCloskey and Odhran McFadden came off injured, probably a lot of cramp but hopefully nothing serious for Dunloy,” said McCann.
“St John’s had us nearly buried a couple of times. The lads showed great character to come back, and then in the first period of extra-time we probably did enough but we missed six or seven chances.
“The boys are dead on their feet now, a week to a final in a strange season. We’re just delighted to be in a final.”
Although there was no Neil McGarry in their starting 15, McCann called upon Liam Watson for the first time in this year’s championship. The 38-year-old had announced his retirement at the end of last year but came back for one more crack and scored 1-3.
The experience of men like Watson, Donal McKinley, Eddie McCloskey and super-sub Benny McCarry helped the Shamrocks across the line.
“Our character and that wee bit of fitness came through in the end,” said McCann.
“I didn’t see the Dunloy-Rossa game but it sounds like Dunloy showed a bit of character to get over the line there. It was something similar what we done here.
“Dunloy have exceptional forwards. They have to be favourites and we’ll respect them, but we’re not going to fear them – that’s one sure thing. It has the makings of a great game.”
It was a tough one to take for St John’s boss Mickey Johnston, not least because of a penalty shout for the Johnnies four minutes into added time at the end of normal time.
Domhnall Nugent – who scored 3-3 despite playing from the 15th minute with a dislocated elbow – was wrestled to the ground, and a goal at that stage would have given the Belfast club a four point lead.
Johnston described it as “a critical decision at a critical time in the game” by referee Michael Hardy.
“Anybody who knows me knows that for the last four or five years we’ve been knocking on the door, we’ve never cribbed about refereeing decisions, but I think today… it’s just something that needs to be severely looked at in terms of how Loughgiel got frees and we didn’t get frees.
“Those are the edges, the margins that turn a game. But look, referees are probably in the same situation, they’re trying to referee a game when they’re not used to being out every week.
“It was a bad performance today. I’ll not make any excuses, but it certainly was a critical decision at a critical time in the game.”
