St John’s 1-26, Cushendall 1-22 (aet)
Cushendall's reign as Antrim senior hurling champions came to an end at Dunsilly on Saturday evening, but not before the back to back champs gave it everything they had.
They took this contest to extra-time as the tail end of Storm Amy passed but their time was up.
Six semi-final defeats, twice in a replay and two in extra time, was how the hapless St John's record read in recent time but this was one they just weren't going to let slip.
They displayed grit, determination and an inner mettle which saw them win by four as they cleared the penultimate hurdle.
This was a remarkable contest between two great sides with three in a row chasing Ruairi Ogs rattled to the core with their red hot favourites tag in tatters while the Johnnies have it all to do again, and perhaps even more, if the Volunteer Cup is to man handled out of North Antrim.
As this almighty battle got underway Cushendall looked like they were doing exactly what Cushendall do: maybe not firing on all cylinders but find a way to get the job done.
Six points up with a little over 11 minutes remaining, they must still be wondering how they let this one slip.
On a day where they lost Neil McManus to a straight red card at the beginning of the second half in normal time, they found another serious match winner in Fiontan Bradley. It felt like he was singlehandedly keeping their championship hopes alive but the Ruairi’s couldn’t get enough ball his direction.
He was giving the Johnnies defence a torrid time and playing the game of his life while Paddy Burke was holding their defence together with a show of leadership, skill and a tenaciousness that made him a nightmare to mark.
Playing with 14 men for nearly an hour proved to be decisive, however, as St John’s powered on in extra time.
St John's Conor Johnston took the Bathshack man of the match award and rightly so. Top scorer for the Corrigan Park side with seven points but this was a day where plenty in blue and white put their hand up and showed their leadership qualities.
Ciaran Johnston was immense while Peter McCallin was outstanding at the heart of the defence. Playing as their spare man later in the game, McCallin’s reading of the game was uncanny.
With the wind blowing from the scoreboard end at Dunsilly, this was always going to be a game of two halves. Cushendall had the elements in their favour and built a four point lead by the break. It wasn’t exactly the most fluent game of hurling but the intensity was incredible.
There was no such thing as a yard given, space was earned while time on the ball was a rarity but, with McManus accurate from frees, Bradley at his impish best and goalkeeper Conor McAlister landing two massive frees from deep in his own half, the champions looked to have enough to fend off anything that St John's could offer.
The Johnnies slowed the game down at every opportunity and it felt like an eternity for every restart from the Corrigan Park side but there was little who could blame them. They set out with a game plan and they played it to perfection with Shea Shannon, Conor Johnston, Aaron Bradley and Oisin MacManus all producing the scores.
The champions' four points wasn’t a big lead and the Johnnies would have been the happier of the two sides at the interval as the champions were forced into making changes with Fergus McCambridge and Ciaran Neeson introduced.
The Ruairi’s management were then forced into another rethink after barely a minute of second half play when Fergus McCambridge was felled with both sides then involved in the inevitable pushing and shoving that followed.
Referee Mark O’Neill had a call to make and after consulting with his linesmen, Neil McManus saw red and the Johnnies were given a serious boost of momentum.
The opening goal of the game came moments later with a quick puck out from Domhnall Nugent finding McCallin. He sent the sliotar towards Conall Bohill who failed to collect cleanly but Aaron Bradley ran onto the loose ball and fired to the bottom of Conor McAlister’s net.
Cushendall still managed to keep the score board ticking with Bradley taking over the free taking responsibility from McManus but Conall Bohill was also growing into the game.
The sides were tied on 0-14 to 1-11 at the end of the third quarter when the champions hit another purple patch. They would score a goal and three points in a little over four minutes to put six between the sides and they were in pole position as Ryan McCambridge, Joseph McLaughlin and Bradley whacked over points while Ciaran Neeson’s goal looked to knock the stuffing out of the St John’s challenge.
Incredibly, Cushendall managed only to score one more time before the final whistle as the Johnnies dug deep. Conall Bohill was immense as every high ball seemed to come his way while Oisin MacManus’ frees were reeling the Cushendall lead in.
One point separated the teams as the clock ticked into injury time when Bradley’s eighth point put two between the sides once again. St John’s rallied and points from Domhnall Nugent and a brilliant effort from Conor Johnston sent this semi final to extra time.
As the teams regrouped, extra time began with St John’s playing with the wind. A couple of missed looked to have derailed their challenge and when Fiontan Bradley split the uprights to give Cushendall the lead it looked like the Ruairi’s might well use all their know how to get over the line.
However scores from Shannon, Michail Dudley, Mick Bradley and a couple from Conor Johnston again turned this semi on its head.
Four points was a slender lead but the Johnnies controlled the second half of extra time. Any time the champions got a score, they replied to keep the advantage with a couple of converted frees from captain Shea Shannon getting them over the line in injury time.
It’s been a generation since St John’s last graced the Antrim county final and you’ll have to go longer than that since they last took the Volunteer Cup back to Corrigan Park to stay.
This team is now just 60 minutes away from writing their names in St John’s folklore.
Can it possibly happen?
ST JOHN’S: Domhnall Nugent; Ryan McNulty, Ciaran Johnston, Jack Bohill; Conal Morgan, Peter McCallin, Enda McGurk; Sean Wilson, Aaron Bradley; Oisin Donnelly, Conor Johnston, Conall Bohill; Donal Carson, Shea Shannon, Oisin MacManus
Scorers: Conor Johnston 0-7, O MacManus 0-6 , S Shannon 0-5, A Bradley 1-2, C Bohill 0-3, D Nugent 0-1 , Michael Bradley 0-1, Michail Dudley 0-1
Cushendall: Conor McAlister; Charlie McAuley, Paddy Burke, Martin Burke; Scott Walsh, Eoghan Campbell, Ryan McCambridge; Fred McCurry, Ed McQuillan; Ronan McAteer, Neil McManus, Thomas McLaughlin; Fiontan Bradley, Sean McAfee, Joseph McLaughlin
Scorers: F Bradley 0-11, Ciaran Neeson 1-1, N McManus 0-3, J McLaughlin 0-2, R McCambridge 0-2, C McAlister 0-2, E Campbell 0-1
Referee: Mark O’Neill (Armoy)
