Dunloy 2-7, All Saints 4-12
Dunloy had another slip up in the Antrim senior football league when All Saints visited Pearse Park in this midweek encounter. They now find themselves on just six points from nine games played with the Saints moving to 14 points, just four behind the unbeaten league leaders Cargin.
The Ballymena side had their county players available for the first time this year but it was one of their former county men, Paddy McAleer, who again showed why his county are missing his services.
McAleer stepped down following a distinguished career for the Saffrons and it is his club who have reaped the benefits this season as he has turned in man of the match appearances on several occasions.
The St. Louis Ballymena teacher now lives in Ballycastle but has thrown his weight behind a club he has served so well and he was at his best again in this one finishing with a hat-trick of goals.
His first came after 21 minutes when he rose to palm a James McDonnell fisted cross past Sean Doherty to give the visitors the lead for the first time after Jack McShane and Kevin McQuillan had opened with early points for the home side.
Cuchullian’s quite simply didn’t make enough of the strong wind advantage in the opening half and it was the Slemish Park side who dominated early possession but were unable to turn it into scores as they raked up five misses in the opening ten minutes.
Connell Lemon and Peter McReynolds settled them with a couple of points before Tom McFerran moved Dunloy two ahead again from a 30 metre free after Matty Downey was adjudged to have touched the ball on the ground.
McAleer’s first goal lifted the visitors and Connell Lemon, Paidi Mitchell and Benny McDonnell added points before Tom McFerran got the final point of the half for Dunloy to trail by four, 1-6 to 0-5 at the break.
With the wind now firmly in their favour, the Saints were expected to push on as the action got under way but a number of early passes were over hit or went astray and they were made to pay when the excellent Anton McGrath waltzed through a stagnant defence to fire past Ryan Stewart with juet five minutes of the half gone.
This score seemed to fire Baker Bradley’s side into action however and Conor Stewart shot straight at Sean Doherty when a goal looked on but made amends, a minute later, when he palmed to an empty net after Sean McVeigh and Kavan Keenan had combined to create the opening.
Stewart and McVeigh added points before Paddy McAleer rose above Sean Doherty to fist a McVeigh delivery to the net in the fifteenth minute.
Two minutes later the Ballymena sides McAleer robbed Doherty as he attempted to clear and returned the ball to the net to complete his hat-trick and the same player followed with a point to move the visitors 4-10 to 1-7 ahead.
Stewart and McVeigh then added two further points as their scoring dried up with a Matthew Downey attempt coming back off a post and the home side were finally rewarded for their efforts as Anton McGrath got through for his second goal of the evening with the full-time whistle sounding from the kick-out.
A seventh win in nine starts for the Ballymena side whose pace and movement caused problems for a Dunloy side who were without a number of starters but who battled hard throughout.
Once again it was Paddy McAleer who ran the show and his work rate matched his finishing throughout while Matty Downey and James McDonnell in defence, Peter McReynolds at mid-field and Paidin Michel and Sean McVeigh also impressed.
Anton McGrath was Cuchullian’s best performer on the night with Conor Kinsella, Padraig McGilligan, Tom McFerran, Jack McShane and Kevin McQuillan were others to impress for Dunloy.
Dunloy: 1 Sean Doherty, 2 Ben O’Kane, 3 Conor Kinsella, 4 Cathair McCloskey, 5 Anton McGrath, 6 Callum Scullion, 7 Padraig Martin, 8 Padraig McGilligan, 9 Ryan McFarlane, 10 Charlie Cunning, 11 Tom McFerran, 12 Jack McShane, 13 Oisin McCamphill, 14 Kevin McQuillan, 15 Luke McFerran
Replacements: Sean Og Blaney, Adrian Scullion, Karl Fitzpatrick, Oisin McErlane
All Saints: 1 Ryan Stewart, 2 Matthew Downey, 3 Kavan Keenan, 4 Cal O’Brien, 5 Patrick Ferris, 6 Shaun O’Callaghan, 7 James McDonnell, 8 Conor Stewart, 9 Peter McReynolds, 10 Connell Lemon, 11 Paddy McAleer, 12 Brendan McDonnell, 13 Ciaran Campbell, 14 Sean McVeigh, 15 Paidin Mitchell
Replacements: Michael McCarry, Rian Tom, Harry Connon, Peter McNicholl, Joe Rafferty
Referee: Cathal McDermott
