18/08/05 Super Under 16 South Antrim Football Semi-final

South Antrim U16 Football Championship Semi-Final.

St.Pauls 2:14 (20) St.Johns 5:09(24)

St.Pauls and St. Johns U16 Footballers played out a Titanic 80 minute semi-final blockbuster in the ‘Bear Pit’ on Thursday evening. With the game going to extra time and periods of dominance by both sides it was a shame that there had to be a loser in a game which was a joy to watch and a great advert for Gaelic Games in Belfast.

St. Johns struck early in the game on two minutes with a neat 20m free from Brian Neeson. This was followed a minute later by an opportunist point from his team mate Paul Austin. Neeson again followed this with another sharpley taken point two minutes later. But St. Pauls after this first period of dominance by the Johnnies began to settle. A long free from Billy Joe Burns landed in the packed St. Johns box to break to the right foot of Brian Rush who crashed the ball to the St. Johns net to level the scores for the ‘Pauls.’

But St. Johns replied soon after with a long cross field ball from midfielder Eoghan Caldwell to the right wing where Gary Stone gathered and drove past two markers before delivering a 35m punt for an excellent point to restore the Whiterock Road mens lead 0:04 to 1:00. Conor Kearney futher increased the St. Johns lead with another fine point from the kick out. Stone again a minute later broke through the St. Pauls full-back line and delivered a rasping shot to the right of St. Pauls goal minder Gerard McVeigh who brilliantly instinctively dove to his right and saved a certain goal.

From his kick-out Paul Cooper fed his corner man Conor Sullivan who is fouled in possession and Kevin Nolan promptly pointed the resulting 20m free. But the Johnnies quickly recover with another delivery from Caldwell this time to Neeson who soloed past two defenders to clip over a sweet point from 25m. Conor Kearney is then fouled in possession a minute later and Neeson duely oblidged with the resulting 20m free to give the Johnnies a 0:07 to 1:01 lead.

The excellent Billy Joe Burns replied a minute later with an excellent 30m ground free. But despite another seven minutes of sustained St. Pauls pressure they were unable to add further scores to their total and they went in at the interval trailing 0:07 to 1:02.

Upon resumption the former Rossa and St. Johns player Kevin Nolan picked off a delightful 25m point after eluding his marker for St. Pauls. But St. Johns again replied two minutes later when Gary Stone delivered a 50m line ball to Conor Kearney who collected and drove to the St. Pauls net to give the Johnnies a little bit of breathing space 1:07 to 1:03. Neeson again followed up with another mercurial 40m point to edge St. Johns into a 5 point lead 1:08 to 1:03.

A minute later St. Pauls Conor Sullivan received possession and worked his way into a shooting position of 3m only to be foiled by an excellent block by St. Johns corner back Adrian Downey. From this St. Johns managed to put together the move of the game with unterrupted passes from full-back Mulholland to half-back McGarrity to midfielder McVeigh to full-forward Stone who lashed the ball over the bar to give St. Johns a six point lead of 1:09 to 1:03 and at this stage looking strong for the game.

But like all good footballing teams St. Pauls began to claw their way back into contention. This St Pauls team had hit good form recently after an indifferent start to their year. Billy Joe Burns again picked off another beautiful 20m point from a ground free. This was followed a minute later by a well taken point by midfielder Johnny Flynn only to be followed some 30 seconds later by another point by the nippy Kevin Nolan to pull the ‘Pauls’ right back into it 1:09 to 1:03. But Brian Neeson had other ideas and after a magical 35m solo run through the heart of the St. Pauls defence he blasted the ball from 5m to the roof of the St.Pauls net off the underside of the crossbar to restore the Johnnies six point lead of 2:09 (15)to 1:06(9).

But St. Pauls Ciaran Heatley collected possession on the left wing and after some great work delivered an intelligent ball into the square to Brian Rush who collected and turned and drove the ball from 10 yards to the Johnnies net for his second goal of the game and to reduce the Johnnies lead again to 3 points 2:09 to 2:06. St. Johns substitute Pearce Donnelly replied a minute later with an excellent point before Billy Joe Burns again did likewise for St. Pauls with another 20m free. With a minute remaining St. Pauls went for broke and with a long ball into the goal area for Johnny Flynn to drive to the Johnnie net and level the scores in the last minute. St.Johns 2:10(16) St. Pauls 3:07(16).

With 20 minutes of extra time to be played Referee Michael O’Neill got proceedings under way. Almost from the start St. Pauls broke down the Johnnies right and a cross to the back post found the lively Kevin Nolan who made no mistake with a fisted punch to the St. Johns net to give St. Pauls a 3 point lead. 4:07(19) to 2:10(16). Neeson managed to steady the rattled St. Johns ship with a fine point a minute later. Neeson again added another point on the stroke of half-time to leave the minimum of margins between the sides St. Johns 2:12(18) St Paul’s 4:07(19).

Referee Michael O’Neill quite rightly turned both teams around immediately and ordered off the packs of over zealous mentors and got proceedings under way immediately.

Billy Joe Burns picked off a brilliant point in the 2nd minute from 20m to increase St.Pauls lead to 2 points but Brian Neeson managed to pick off two excellent points in the 6th and 7th minute to level the scores St.Johns 2:14(20) St Pauls 4:08(20) and with two minute of extra time remaining Gary Stone superbly pointed from 30m to give the Johnnies the lead. In the final minute a long punt from Neeson droped on the edge of the square where Anthony Moore rose and fisted the ball to the St.Pauls net to end these proceedings.

What a game, this was as entertaining a game of football I’ve seen in a long time. It was a positive exhibition for football and Gaelic Games in Belfast and congratulations to both teams for their efforts.

St.Johns had excellent performances from the mercurial pair of Brian Neeson and Gary Stone and steady showings from Aodhan Mulholland, David McGarrity,Eoghan Caldwell, Declan McVeigh,and Adrian Downey.

St.Pauls likewise had excellent performances from the superb Billy Joe Burns, Kevin Nolan and Ciaran Heatley and steady performances from Paul Cooper, Gerard McVeigh, Johnny Flynn, Sean McCurran and Brian Rush.

St.Pauls: 1. Gerard McVeigh 2.Ciaran O Dubhnaigh 3.Ciaran Rea 4.Dermot Sullivan 5.Ciaran Heatley. 6.Billy Joe Burns 7.Paul Cooper 8.Johnny Flynn 9.Brian Rush 10. Gerard McNulty 11.Sean McCurran 12.Denis Boyle 13.Conor Sullivan 14.Eoin 15.Kevin Nolan.
Substitutes Used: 16. Ruairi O Ruinai for 2 Ciaran O Dubhnaigh (8 minutes) 17. Sean Dillon for Gerard McNulty (44 minutes)
Substitutes Not Used: 18.Anthony Millar, 19.Padraig Gillen.
St.Pauls Scorers: Kevin Nolan 1:03(1f) Brian Rush 2:00, Billy Joe Burns 0:04(3f), Johnny Flynn 1:01
St Pauls Wides: 6
Manager: Paul Hickson.

St Johns: 1. James Darragh 2.Tommy McDonald 3.Aodhan Mulholland 4.Adrian Downey 5.Brendan McGibbon 6.David McGarrity 7.Tomas Shannon 8.Eoghan Caldwell 9.Declan McVeigh 10.Brian Neeson 11.Anthony Moore 12.Paul Austin 13.Conor Kearney 14.Gary Stone 15.Gerard Carberry
Substitutes Used : 16. Stephen Tieney for Paul Austin (43 minutes) 17.Pearse Donnelly for Gerard Carberry (45 minutes).
Substitutes Not Used 18.David Hand 19.Conal McGlade 20.Joe Joe Garland 21.Danny Best 22.Paul Downey 23.Niall McGlinchey 24 Daire Maskey 25.Ciaran Lavery 26.James Smith.
St.Johns Scorers:Brain Neeson 1:09(2f), Conor Kearney 1:01, Gary Stone 0:03,Anthony Moore 1:00, Peace Donnelly 0:01, Paul Austin 0:01.
St.Johns Wides: 13
Manager Collie McKnight

Referee; Michael O’Neill Lamh Dhearg.
Man Of The Match for St. Johns Brian Neeson …..‘Another Mercurial Performance.’
Man Of The Match for St.Pauls Billy-Joe Burns… ‘The Finished Article.’