Fixtures & Results 2013 - IHC

Glen Rovers Armoy clashed with Rasharkin in a heated affair in the first game of a double header at Cushendall on Sunday evening. It would be fair to say that with all due respect both teams have endured tough seasons in their respective divisions with Rasharkin in a relegation battle with Glenravel and Armoy already having their fate sealed in returning to Division Three next year.  Nevertheless, this is Championship where the form book really goes out the window as both teams sought to capitalise and pave the way for some success in their disappointing seasons.  Armoy were perhaps going in as slight favourites given their superior Division Two status, nevertheless Rasharkin couldn’t be undermined as the fact they are the only Division Three team playing at this grade, emphasises their ambition and furthermore they have been in impressive form as of late, in perfect time for this game.

This certainly was evident as Rasharkin made a blistering start to proceedings as they had the sliotar in the net within the first minute of play.  A great ball in by Daniel McKay was hammered home by Aidan Darragh to give the Dreen men the best possible start. Armoy seemed a little shell-shocked in these opening exchanges as Declan McKay and Darragh added further points to give the Armoy men work to do.  However, the men in blue and white were up to the task as Thomas Burns registered their first score with a fine point from range before Lee Forsythe and Trevor Linton got their names on the score-sheet to further reduce the deficit. The momentum was now certainly was with Armoy as they were swarming forward at every opportunity as there was an ominous feeling that a goal was on the way.  On the fifteenth minute this hunch was proven correct as a smart free from Forsythe found Rocky Dillon blasted the ball into the top right corner to give O’Mullan no chance.

Rasharkin did manage to respond through a free from Darragh but Armoy were now going through the gears seamlessly as they heaped pressure on their North Antrim counterparts. Midfield pairing, Kevin McErlane and Thomas Burns interlinked brilliantly, with the latter cancelling out another Darragh free. Owen Kinney then opened his account for the evening as Shane Hasson had kept him quiet for the opening quarter; however his wonderful turn left the ‘Sharkin’ defence for dead as he blasted over the bar to put his side ahead. Armoy continued their pursuit of scores before the half, as the scores went flying over from Martin McErlane and two more from Kinney to leave the halftime score 1-8 to 1-4 in favour of Glen Rovers with all to play for after the break.

Rasharkin looked to respond immediately in the second half but were stopped thanks to some resolute defending from Owen Doherty. The ever impressive Forsythe was then on hand to assist Rocky Dillon, as the centre forward slotted over yet another fine score as Armoy began to ooze class when going forward, with O’Kane and Linton pointing at ease to open up a considerable gulf between the teams. Unfortunately the game began to slow down as a few heated incidents broke up the play and took away from the fluidity of proceedings, which in a way must’ve helped Armoy as they looked to grind out the result. Rasharkin made a few changes to mix things up, which looked to have worked as Conor McKeever was causing problems with his bullish runs, but he just couldn’t pick out the right pass.  Armoy then struck the killer blow with 15 left to play as Owen Kinney rounded O’Mullan in goals and tapped the ball into the net to give his side a commanding ten point lead. However, this was to be their last score of the game as they were forced to fight off a late Rasharkin fightback.  The comeback was certainly on when McKeever was able to pick out Eamonn McNeill with a great ball, before the dual-star turned his man and unleashed a piledriver into the top left of the goal to give his side a glimmer of hope.

Yet again Armoy’s experience shone through though with a few cute fouls, although some were heavier than others. This certainly frustrated the Rasharkin management as it thwarted their plans and they could only manage one final score from substitute Aidy Scullion as Armoy ran out worthy winners with a comfortable six point margin intact.

This was definitely an entertaining game, which is something we’ve certainly come to expect in this year’s Intermediate Championship as it is such a competitive grade. Armoy will be delighted to progress to the next round as a Championship win at this level has eluded them for too long and they will certainly be relishing a Semi Final derby with bitter rivals Carey in two weeks. On the other side of the coin, Rasharkin will feel somewhat deflated as perhaps there was more in them, they battled well but failed to capitalise on Darragh’s early goal.