15/04/04 'Enda' the line for St. John's U-16 footballers in Hightown

South Antrim U-16 Football League Round 1

St. Endas 3:07
St. Johns 2:04

St. Endas overcame a spirited St.Johns challenge in this first league match of the season on Thursday evening at the Hightown Road complex.
The 'Endas' opened their account after six minutes with a well worked goal between Matt Mullan and Conor Hughes. They further increased their lead over the next 6 minutes with an array of good points from Niall Devine(0:02) and Daniel Kennedy.

At this stage St. Johns hadn't managed to cross the half way line but this was to change spectacularly when Gary stone fed a 30m ball to the right for midfielder Eoghan Caldwell to collect and drive up the right wing and cross high to the back post where half-forward Paul Downey had raced in to jump and palm to the roof of the 'Endas' net to leave a goal between the sides and open the game up.

St. Endas, after their initial shock, soon replied when Conor Hughes latched on to a breaking ball which St. Johns keeper Brendan McGibbon had parried well to score St. Endas 2nd goal. David Kennedy went off on a superb solo run for 35m to secure another point for St. Endas, before St. Johns Ciaran McKissock (The Legend of Clonlara) won possession in the left corner and fed Brian Neeson who pointed for the Johnnies. Anthony 'GaGa' Moore followed suit a minute later before Neeson added another point for the Corrigan Park men. Caolan McCallum then replied for St.Endas to leave the scores St. Endas 2:04 St.Johns 1:03 at the interval.

St. Johns substitute Michael Flannery certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons with an opportunist goal in the first minute of the second half but this seemed to sting the Hightown Road men into life with a Matt Mullan point and a brilliant rasping 20 yard drive to the roof of the Johnnies net by Brian Dunlop. Niall Doire followed this up with the point of the match with a great individual point from the left wing after a 35m solo run under severe pressure. Matt Mullan finished the St. Endas scoring for the night with an excellent drive which was tipped over the bar by Brendan McGibbon before Gary Stone finished off the Johnnies scoring with a point.

St. Johns had solid enough performances from Kevin Cunningham, Eoghan Caldwell, Peter McGarrity, Brian Neeson, Anthony Moore, Gary Stone, Paul Downey, David McGarrity, Pat Gregory, James Darragh and Brendan McGibbon. St Endas, many pundits choice for silverware this year at U-16 level, certainly had some excellent footballers in Daniel Kennedy, G. Crossen, Niall Doire, Matt Mullan, S. McDonald, R. Dunlop, S. Hawkins, C.Cunningham, C. Hughes and the exceptional Niall Devine.

St. Endas: 1.P.Flood,2.D.Simpson 3.C.Cunningham 4.P.Rafferty 5.S.McDonald 6.G.Crossen 7.S.Hawkins 8.Daniel Kennedy 9.R.Dunlop. 10.Niall Doire, 11 Niall Devine 12.Matt Mullan 13.Conor Hughes 14.C.McCallum 15.K.McVeigh
Manager: Gerard McNulty
St.Endas Scorers: Conor Hughes 2:00, Matt Mullan 0:02, Daniel Kennedy 0:02 ,Niall Devine 0:02 R.Dunlop 1:00, C.McCallum 0:01, Niall Doire 0:01.

St. Johns: 1.Brendan McGibbon 2. Pat Gregory 3.James Darragh 4.David McGarrity 5.Tony McDowell 6.Kevin Cunningham 7.Gary Stone, 8.Eoghan Caldwell 9.Peter McGarrity 10.Brian Holmes 11.Anthony Moore 12. Paul Downey,13 Brian Neeson 14.Declan McVeigh 15. Ciaran McKissock 16.Michael Flannery 17.Ryan Maguire 18. Anthony Stone
St. Johns Scorers: Paul Downey 1:00, Michael Flannery 1:00, Brian Neeson 0:02, Anthony Moore 0:01, Gary stone 0:01.
Manager: Collie McKnight