O'Neills Sportswear Antrim Football League Division One
O'Donovan Rossa 1-7 St Gall's 1-12
A STRONG second half display saw St Gall's claim victory on opening day of the Antrim club season at Rossa Park on Sunday.
Terry O'Neill's side trailed by two at the break, but with the elements in their favour in the second period, they quickly turned the game in their favour and pull well clear.
Conditions were far from ideal with a stiff breeze blowing upfield and spots of rain that seemed to turn the pitch into an ice rink with players continuously losing their footing.
With this being the opening game of the year, it was to be expected both sides would need a little time to get up to speed and the first 10 minutes saw both probe, but make mistakes in possession with neither troubling the scoreboard.
That changed after 10 minutes when Thomas Morgan sped in from the right to fist over and give the hosts the lead, while Cormac McGettigan used the wind advantage to thump over a free from deep.
Callum Walsh cut through to get the visitors on the board after 13 minutes and although St Gall's would do a lot right in their approach, the finishing wasn't there as shots dropped short or arrowed wide.
Rossa would hit the visitors on the break with McGettigan sending a superb ball long to Morgan to score and he would get on the end of another to put three between them.
Aodhán Gallagher would finally end a barren 12 minutes for St Gall's, judging the elements to perfection to curl over off his left and then stormed through for another, but Adam Devlin would have the final say of the half with a fine curling effort to put Rossa into a 0-5 to 0-3 lead at the interval.
Eoghan McCabe challenges Patrick Moyes
That margin was quickly whittled down with Micky Pollock kicking free and then one from play to level. He would add another from a free after Marcus Donnelly had scored to ensure the two-point advantage was theirs.
A pointed free at the other end on 45 minutes was Rosa's first of the second half, but St Gall's would hit back with a goal immediately as Michael Hopkins came away with the ball after a collision and played into substitute Conn Doherty who steadied and finished low.
Niall Fallon had to be content with a point from a mark as he seemed to claim it too early when he passed for what he thought was a goal, but play was rightly brought back.
Further scores from Gallagher, Barra McCaffrey and Fallon pushed the gap out to eight and it was game over.
Rossa did respond late with Patrick Moyes getting onto a breaking high ball to guide brilliantly low to the corner of the net with Morgan kicking his fourth point soon after, but it was Aodhán Gallagher who capped a fine individual performance with his own fourth to seal a deserved a win for St Gall's.
ROSSA: N Crossan; M McKiernan, J Morris, C Orchin; P Moyes (1-0), A Devlin (0-1), R Grant; C McGettigan (0-1f), D Rogan; M McEnhill (0-1), T Morgan (0-4), C O'Neill; C McDonald, R Maguire, R Currie
Subs: M McIvor for C McGettigan (HT) D Cunningham for R Currie (43), B McAuley for A Devlin (47), L Carr for C Orchin (54)
ST GALL'S: C Kerr; M Donnelly, G Mac Adhaimh, E McCurdy; C Murray, R Irvine, C McCabe; A Gallagher (0-4), J McCullough; D Quinn, C Walsh, M Hopkins; N Fallon (0-2, 1m), M Pollock (0-3, 2f), F Donnelly (0-1).
Subs: C Doherty (1-0) for C Walsh (HT), E McCabe for M Hopkins (41), B McCaffrey (0-1) for D Quinn (51), O McIlhatton for N Fallon (60+1).
REFEREE: Paddy Tumelty (Lámh Dhearg)
