Antrim Senior Football Championship Group Four: St Brigid’s, Belfast 1-13 St Gall’s, Belfast 1-10
From Brendan Crossan at Musgrave Park
ST BRIGID’S got a taste of what it’s like to have an ever-growing target on their back as they resisted a gutsy second-half fightback from near-neighbours St Gall’s to win their opening championship game at a rain-drenched Musgrave Park.
The south Belfast men were coasting in the first half, moving the ball well, keeping it out of contact, scoring at will and playing with a bit of a swagger.
It was almost too easy - until St Gall’s rediscovered their DNA in the changing room at half-time and pushed their hosts to the pin of their collar in the second period.
St Brigid’s held a commanding 1-11 to 0-4 lead approaching half-time but an unfortunate slip by corner-back John Toner let the Milltown men in for a goal that was prodded home from close range by man-of-the-match and top scorer Niall Burns.
It was the lifeline the visitors sorely needed – and they used it as their platform for a second-half comeback.
Terry O’Neill’s men proceeded to out-score the newly crowned Division One champions 0-5 to 0-1 in a blistering third quarter and what was a disastrous period for St Brigid’s.
The hosts fashioned just two scores in the second half – Conan McNicholl and Shea Downey finding their range – but it was enough to keep St Gall’s at bay.
This engrossing Group Four clash was marred by a stoppage-time melee near the St Brigid’s sideline when St Gall’s substitute Conor Burke suffered a rush of blood and appeared to strike St Brigid’s midfielder Jack Dowling when the pair fell to the ground.
Fortunately, there were enough calm heads that didn’t allow the incident to spill over into anything worse.
With no official linesmen, match official Mark O’Neill had a virtually impossible task in trying to determine the aggressors in those fraught few moments.
Dowling recovered after some treatment, but was withdrawn, while Burke escaped censure.
After a few meek championship exits in recent years, St Gall’s needed to break that passive cycle. But it took them a full half to do something about it.
In the second half, they hammered into St Brigid’s – one of the fancied teams for this year’s championship – but they also played some good attacking football in slippery conditions.
St Brigid’s couldn’t handle the clever movement of Niall Burns and Brendan Bradley for long, worrying stretches of the second half.
And had the Falls Road men sustained their accuracy in the final quarter they might well have got something out of this championship opener.
Trailing by four entering the last 10 minutes of normal time, Burns saw a free hit the outside of the post, Ronan Boyle denied the evergreen Aodhan Gallagher with a fantastic block, while Conall McCabe and Caolan Chada missed chances.
Earlier, Niall Fallon might have done better with a goal chance for St Gall’s.
It was one of those afternoons where there was good and bad for both sides to ponder.
St Gall’s got off to a terrible start with Patrick Finnegan raising a green flag in the early stages for St Brigid’s.
But they recovered and hit their hosts hard and often in the second half and punched some holes in the home defence.
While St Brigid’s coughed up possession too easily in the second half, they took all the physical hits that St Gall’s threw at them, issued a few themselves, weathered the storm and posted an opening day victory.
Winning ugly in the end can be a badge of honour for St Brigid’s as they journey deeper in this year’s championship, while also being made fully aware on their home sod on Sunday that they are a significant scalp for others now.
Group Four is certainly where people’s gaze will be over the coming weeks.
It looks seriously tough with Creggan Kickhams and Aghagallon making up the four teams - but nobody will get anything easy off this uncompromising St Gall’s team.
St Brigid’s: D Heery; J Toner, J Finnegan (0-1), R Boyle; R Carleton, S Downey (0-2), S Campbell; M Cummings (0-1), J Dowling (0-1); N Duffy, P Finnegan (1-0), J Smith (0-1); C McNicholl (0-2, 0-1 mark), C McAleer (0-1), R McErlean (0-4, 0-2 frees) Subs: B Doherty for N Duffy (13), C Downey for R McErlean (44), E Downey for J Dowling (60+4), B McGurk for B Doherty (60+7)
Yellow cards: R Boyle (23)
St Gall’s: C Kerr, M Donnelly, T Keenan, J McCaffrey; R Wilson, C McGirr, C McCabe; A Gallagher, M McCrossan; C Walsh (0-1), B Bradley (0-2), C Ryan; N Fallon, N Burns (1-5, 0-4 frees), D Quinn (0-2) Subs: L Lynn for R Wilson (h/t), N O’Neill for N Fallon (48), C Burke for C Walsh (52),C Chada for C Ryan (56)
Yellow cards: M Donnelly (52), J McCaffrey (56)
Referee: M O’Neill