Dunloy double dream still alive and kicking

Dunloy 0-18, Portglenone 1-10

THE Dunloy dream of a football and hurling championship double is still alive and kicking after this magnificent semi final win against Casements in this semi final clash at Dunsilly.
Dunloy produced a stunning final quarter to book their place in the senior decider for the second time in three years.
Five points was the difference at the end of the hour as the Casement’s semi-final voodoo struck again, this defeat their sixth loss in seven years at this stage.
With Loughgiel on the menu this weekend in the hurling semi final, the elusive double, last achieved back in 1969, is now very much a reality rather than a dream.
The mighty St Johns pulled it off on no fewer than five occasions with Rossa also in the frame in 1958 when Belfast sides ruled the roost.
Now it could be the opportunity for a North Antrim side to do the business, made all the more difficult by the lack of teams from the area engaged on the football front.
Keelan Molloy and Seaan Elliott led the way for the Cuchullains, scoring 14 points between them and sharing four two pointers as well as putting daylight between the sides with the game in the melting pot.
This was a contest where the Cuchullains showed both sides of their play, patience and dictating the first half while facing whatever wind was blowing at Dunsilly while the second half showcased their ability to break at speed and, when given a yard of space, they weren’t found wanting when it came to taking scores from outside the arch.
Deaglan Smith was, once again at his best in the middle of the park and had plenty of support with Eoin McFerran while Reece Cunning, Aaron Crawford and Ryan McGarry who all formed part of an excellent defence.
Portglenone were reliant on the trickery and brilliance of Michael Hagan who scored four points in the first half but he had little in the way of support.
When Daniel McNicholl scored the only goal of the game nine minutes from the end, it reeled the Cuchullains lead in to a single point and gave Portglenone a shot of adrenaline as the game headed down the final straight.
It was the North Antrim side who finished strongly, however, as the Casement’s attack got little joy from a well organised Cuchullains defence.
The winners dominated the opening quarter with Portglenone struggling to get a footing in the game.
Seaan Elliott opened the scoring before a rare attack from the Casement’s yielded a point from Hagan to tie the scores with his side failing to register another score for close to 15 minutes as Dunloy kept control.
A point from Nigel Elliott and a couple from Molloy put three between the sides before Seaan Elliott had a sight of the Portglenone goals.
Cutting through the heart of the defence with a strong run, Elliott went low with the outside of his boot but Kevin Mullan dived at full length to push the ball away.
Elliott did convert the resulting ’45 to put four between the teams at the start of the second quarter.
Casements then began to press Dunloy further up the field and as a result, began to find their way back into this semi final as Caolan Tierney split the posts moments after Aidan McAleese saw his effort crash against the crossbar.
Luke McFerran restored the four point Dunloy advantage before a couple from Hagan breathed life into the Casement’s challenge as they played with momentum and drive in the closing stages of the first half.
A Smith free from an acute angle was Dunloy’s last score of the opening thirty, five minutes from the half way halt but a controversial two point free for a ‘three man’ infringement from Paddy Kelly left the minimum between the sides with Hagan rounding off the scoring with his fourth of the half to leave the sides tied on seven points each at the interval.
Those closing stages were a blow for the Cuchullains who had played the majority of the football in the first half.
Portglenone showed how dangerous they could be when given the opportunity and half time came at the perfect time for the North Antrim side.
They opened the scoring with a couple of points from Molloy and Seaan Elliott while another three man infringement handed Paddy Kelly the chance to reduce the Dunloy lead to the minimum again.
The third quarter was similar to the first but this time it was Portglenone who had the lion’s share of possession as they looked to find gaps in the Dunloy defence.
The Cuchullains looked to counter but neither side were finding scoring chances easy.
The Bannsiders did go close with Dermot McAleese’s goal bound effort superbly blocked by a recovering Reece Cunning but Dunloy, with Molloy and Seaan Elliott taking centre stage were going to be hard to shift.
A souple of two pointers either side of a point from Aidan McAleese opened a four point lead once more for Dunloy with just eleven minutes of the hour remaining.
Portglenone then had a lifeline thrown when half back Daniel McNicholl scoring the only goal of the game.
Coming at the end of a brilliant run from Aidan McAleese with Dermot McAleese prominent in the build up McNicholl took his goal well to leave the just a point between the protagonists.
It looked like that goal would give Portglenone any momentum there was going but Dunloy hit back with a quite brilliant two pointer from the outside of Seaan Elliott’s right boot.
It was all Casements in the closing stages as they looked for another goal. Enda Lynn brought the best out of Chrissy McMahon from an acute angle before a monstrous two pointer from Molloy stretched the Dunloy lead to five with a couple of minutes remaining.
Dermot McAleese and Deaglan Smith then swapped points at the death as Dunloy saw out the remaining time,

Dunloy: Chrissy McMahon; Reece Cunning, Aaron Crawford, James Scally; Aodhan McGarry, Ryan McGarry, Conor Kinsella; Eoin McFerran, Deaglan Smith (0-2); Eoin O’Neill, Seaan Elliott (0-7), Tom McFerran; Luke McFerran (0-1), Keelan Molloy (0-7), Nigel Elliott (0-1)
Replacements: Jack Martin for J Scally; Barry McCloskey for L McFerran

Portglenone: Kevin Mullan; Ryan Convery, Kevin O’Kane, Ronan Delargy; Conor Magee, Niall Delargy, Daniel McNicholl (1-0); Niall McKeever, Dermot McAleese (0-1); Oisin Doherty, Enda Lynn, Caolan Tierney (0-1); Paddy Kelly (0-3), Michael Hagan (0-4), Aidan McAleese (0-1)
Replacements: Johnny Convery for K O’Kane ; Ronan Kelly for N McKeever; Stephen Kelly for C Tierney; Sean Byrne for M Hagan

Referee: Paddy Tumelty (Hannastown)