Joe McDonagh Cup Round robin series: Antrim 3-22 Offaly 2-24
THE Antrim hurlers have played much better in games this year and lost. At Corrigan Park on Saturday afternoon, they posted a patchy display against Offaly, but finally got the rub of the green in a big game.
Their NHL Division 1B campaign was very much a case of ‘could have – should have’, as they ended up needing a play-off win over Offaly to secure their top flight status.
In Navan three weeks ago, they pulverised the Faithful County but on home soil on Saturday Michael Fennelly’s men proved a much tougher nut to crack despite the visitors playing the last 24 minutes with 14 men following the dismissal of midfielder Jack Screeney for two bookable offences.
With Antrim uncertain in defence, Offaly looked as though they were timing their run to perfection to take the spoils in this entertaining Joe McDonagh opener in west Belfast.
The visitors led towards the end of the first half and although Antrim forged ahead in the second period, Offaly were always within striking distance.
A Paddy Clancy goal and an Eoghan Cahill free edged Offaly in front by a point in stoppage-time – but cometh the hour, cometh the man.
Battling back from a couple of injuries, Conor Johnston has flickered in the saffron jersey this season. On Saturday, he was on fire, grabbing a game-winning 2-2 in the second half.
In the fourth minute of stoppage-time, the St John’s forward was as cool as ice as he found the bottom corner of the net to put the home side two in front.
Cahill replied with a placed ball with the last puck of the game before Dublin referee Chris Mooney blew the final whistle.
The Antrim supporters, players and management team breathed a huge sigh of relief. They’ll feel they’ve used up their get-out-of-jail card as they look ahead to an enticing Ulster derby with Down in Ballycran next Sunday.
Antrim may have been ahead for the guts of an hour of this pulsating encounter but their various leads never looked convincing.
After signing a few hurls and posing for a couple of photographs with Antrim fans at the end, the most pleasing aspect of the day for Darren Gleeson was the final score.
“It was end to end, there were balls flying into the net as soon as they were being put in the net at the other end,” said the Antrim manager.
“It was drama. That’s Championship hurling. We didn’t play our best. Offaly learned a lot from the last day and they came with a very good game plan and we struggled.
“It’s a crazy competition. Your home wins are massive.
“Down went down and took Kerry’s scalp. That is massive. If Offaly had done that here, it would have turned the competition upside down. It was a poor performance, but a morale-boosting victory for us.”
Antrim started brightly and raced into a 0-3 to no score lead with Conal Cunning and Paddy Burke finding their range in the early exchanges.
But once Cahill grabbed the first of his 14 points on five minutes, you could tell Offaly were up for the fight.
The visitors hit three in a row between the 22nd and 31st minutes with the Antrim defence playing the role of generous hosts far too often.
And just as Offaly looked like assuming control, Conor McCann rifled superbly to the net on 34 minutes after accepting Ciaran Clarke’s off-load. That levelled the game [1-7 to 0-10] before Adrian Cleary and Keelan Molloy exchanged points before the half-time break.
In a series of tactical manoeuvres, McCann was moved from the wing to full-forward for the start of the second half and Domhnall Nugent dropped to right wing-forward and made a telling contribution.
Gleeson was forced to re-jig his midfield and pushed Joe Maskey further forward in another tactical shift that had the desired effect.
Cunning kept clipping over Antrim’s placed balls before Johnston raised the first of two green flags on 57 minutes with McCann doing brilliantly to win a turnover off Offaly full-back David King.
Johnston’s unerring finish left Antrim 2-17 to 0-16 in front, but they never enjoyed the benefit of their second goal of the day.
Within seconds, Offaly corner-forward David Nally scalped the ball home from close range after Ryan Elliott made an uncharacteristic error in Antrim’s goal.
But, to the Dunloy man’s credit, he dealt fearlessly and calmly with a few difficult balls afterwards.
Shorn of the services of several first-teamers, including Neil McManus while Molloy (hamstring) was forced to withdraw at the break, Gleeson had to dig deep into his resources in the second half and made a couple of necessary defensive switches to stem Offaly’s late fightback.
Cahill didn’t miss much from placed balls for Offaly and when Clancy fired to Antrim’s net in the 71st minute the visitors had all the momentum.
Trailing by a point in the dying seconds, Antrim full-back Gerard Walsh found Eoghan Campbell with a long clearance, the ball was fed to Johnston who held his nerve supremely well to find the bottom corner.
Already looking ahead to next week's Ulster derby with a resurgent Down, Gleeson said: “It’s great for Ulster hurling because it’s not too long ago they were talking about everybody join together and make the one team.
"There are two [Ulster] teams with a win each in the Joe McDonagh. I’ll look forward to going to Ballycran. I was never there before. Hopefully both counties bring a big crowd down next week and that it's a good spectacle.”
Antrim: R Elliott; R McGarry (0-1), G Walsh, S Rooney; P Burke (0-2), E Campbell, S Walsh; J Maskey, K Molloy (0-1); S Elliott (0-1), D Nugent, C McCann (1-1); C Cunning (0-10, 0-7 frees, 0-1 ‘65), C Clarke (0-3), C Johnston (2-2) Subs: J McNaughton (0-1) for K Molloy (h/t inj) P Duffin for S Rooney (54), M Donnelly for S Walsh (63), D McKernan for S Elliott (64), C Bohill for D Nugent (69)
Yellow card: C McCann (29), D Nugent (64), P Duffin (75)
Offaly: S Corcoran; J Keenaghan, D King, P Cantwell; E Parlon, B Connelly, E Kelly; J Screeney, L Fox (0-1); A Cleary (0-1), E Cahill (0-14, 0-11 frees, 0-1 ’65, 0-1 sideline), B Duignan (0-1); S Cleary (0-2), J Sampson (0-1), D Nally (1-3) Subs: L O’Connor (0-1) for S Cleary (48), J Murphy for L Fox (53), K Sampson for B Duignan (54), C Burke for E Parlon (63) P Clancy (1-0) for A Cleary (68)
Yellow card: J Keenaghan (29), J Screeney (38 & 51),
Red card: J Screeney (38 & 51)
Referee: C Mooney (Dublin)