Joe McDonagh Cup: Antrim resist London comeback

Joe McDonagh Cup Round 3

ANTRM 1-22 LONDON 4-9

By Brían Doyle at McGovern Park, Ruislip

Antrim secured their first victory of this year’s Joe McDonagh Cup campaign with a hard-fought win over London on a cold and blustery afternoon in Ruislip, although Davy Fitzgerald’s side were forced to withstand a dramatic late comeback from the hosts before finally getting over the line.

For long periods it appeared the Saffrons were cruising towards a comfortable victory. A strong third-quarter display saw the visitors establish a commanding 10-point advantage with just 10 minutes remaining, but a late surge of goals from the Exiles ensured a nervy finish and left Antrim clinging on by the closing stages.

The contest was slow to come to life early on, with the opening half largely dominated by placed balls. London’s Ronan McGrady and Antrim talisman Seaan Elliott exchanged frees throughout a scrappy opening period, though Elliott’s accuracy and all-round influence stood out. The visitors eventually edged clear to take a three-point lead into half-time.

Antrim looked set to kick on after the restart when Paul Boyle opened the scoring, but London quickly responded through a superb individual goal from Paul Kennedy, who cut in from the right before firing to the net. Another McGrady free soon restored parity and briefly swung momentum towards the home side.

However, Antrim regained control impressively, slowing the tempo and taking scores at crucial moments. Conal Cunning’s excellent goal looked to have ended the contest, but London refused to fold. Captain Sean Glynn inspired the rally with a well-taken finish before Jack Morrissey hammered home a free through a packed goalmouth. Substitute Conor Byrne then rattled the net in injury time to reduce the gap to just three points.

Any hopes of a dramatic turnaround were ended when Padraig Muldoon saw red for throwing his hurley while attempting to halt an Antrim counterattack. James McNaughton converted the resulting free to finally secure the win and send the points back across the Irish Sea.

The defeat leaves London staring at a likely return to the Christy Ring Cup, with difficult clashes against Carlow and Laois still to come. Antrim, meanwhile, will look to build momentum ahead of consecutive home fixtures against Westmeath and Carlow, with hopes of reaching the competition decider still very much alive.

Scorers for Antrim: S Elliott 0-8 (4f), C Cunning 1-3, J McNaughton 0-3 (3f), K Molloy 0-3, C Johnston, C Bohill, P Boyle, J McCloskey, R Donaghy 0-1 each.

Scorers for London: R McGrady 0-5, (5f), P Kennedy, S Glynn 1-1 each, C Byrne, J Morrissey 1-0 each, N Fitzgerald, A Cunney 0-1 each.

London: M Kilgannon; A Cunney, P Muldoon, B Morrissey; N Fitzgerald, J Morrissey, J Loughnane; T Hanifin, R Lodge; N Quinlan, R McGrady, F Whelan; S Glynn, P Kennedy, E McGrath. Subs: C Byrne for Whelan (46), N Eames for Lodge (36), S Whelan for Quinlan (60), D Leary for McGrath (67), E Kelly for Fitzgerald (68).

Antrim: C McFadden; R McNulty, P Burke, S Rooney; O Donnelly, N O’Connor, G Walsh; K Molloy, P Boyle; C Bohill, C Cunning, R McCambridge; J McNaughton, C Johnston, S Elliott. Subs: J McCloskey for McCambridge (49), J McLaughlin for Bohill (51), R Donaghy for Elliott (59), R McCormick for Burke (65).

Referee: N Malone (Clare)