Cumann Pheadair Naofa 0-18 vs RGU Downpatrick 2-12
Saturday afternoon turned out to be a day of all seasons for the men from Warrenpoint and Downpatrick. Castlewellan played host to a feast of football with Saul and Glasdrumman playing before hand in the intermediate championship and as the final whistle blew the heavens opened and the skies emptied leaving the pitch slippery and greasy. The opening exchanges for the two teams were evidently nervy with both teams rife with handling errors and dropped balls due to the greasy pitch. The games first score came from the Russell Gaelic Union men and it took another two minutes before the Warrenpoint men equalised with Aaron Joe Magee slipping the ball over the bar.
Slippery conditions made both teams loose their footing at times and made the game a poor spectacle in the opening 20 minutes. Warrenpoint allowed RGU the chance to take a 2 point lead but by half-time the blues were level at 0-06 to 0-06. Scores from Ross McGarry and Donagh McAleenan being picks of the half!
The second half saw the RGU men coming back into it with a goal from the get go but the point men did not panic and they held their nerve to come back into the game and stretch out a 4 point lead with Ryan Mallon, Ryan Boyle and Ross McGarry hitting points. The game seemed all but done and the Point men could see the finish line. In the final minute Ryan Mallon and Donagh McAleenan received two late black cards and from a free the RGU men dropped a high ball into the square and they converted it into the net to leave the game all square and pushed the game into extra time. Ten minutes in each half saw RGU edge ahead by two points But the Seasiders turned it around to level the game at half time and with only a score each in the second half saw the game go to a replay. A fantastic display from both teams but the Warrenpoint men will go into the replay this coming Wednesday in Kilcoo the more confident if they Can play to their potential!
