Bredagh GAC came out of their corner fighting to try and stay in Division One and beat Downpatrick RGU
Down GAA,
All County Football League,
Division 1,
Final Score: Bredagh. 3 – 22 1-14 Downpatrick RGU.
Both teams needed to win this match to help ensure their place in the First Division next season. Both are trailing at the tail end of of the league table with the RGU having won two matches and Bredagh none to date.
This was Bredagh’s first win and it was a tense match with one late first half altercation between the RGU captain and a Bredagh official.
Bedagh started with a point within a minute before the RGU settled and 2 minutes later Conor Francis scored a goal for the home side leaving the RGU a little startled.
Bredagh felt they had then Kealan Devlan took a point to add to the RGU pain. The momentum was with Bredagh in the first quarter of teh game as they clocked up points with the RGU trying to keep abreast.
Gerdie Collins battling up front won a free and Jarleth Branagan kicked it for a point followed by another point from Johnny Bell.
And again Bredagh struck with a quick point, the RGU not being able to stop the fast runs into their half. Again Collins replied with a point.
Gradually after 12 minutes, the RGU started to settle their game and were passing more fluently in attack mode. However, their catching from kickouts was quite poor at times giving Bredagh the advantage.
RGU captain Branagan secured a well taken 2-pointer from a free and the RGU were looking more confident as the game started to level off.
Ar that point Matty Hardy came of with a head injury. Conor McGrady started a few good runs and pushed through the middle and won a free which Branagan again pointed with his ace kicking.
Collins then enjoyed a run through the middle and took a point. The RGU started to look as though they could turn the game round and clawed back the score slowly. An RGU midfielder hit a ball towards the Bredagh goal and Collins hit it and it came through the hands of defender Ruauiri McMahon for a goal. But Bredagh ground away and pulled back another two points in play.
The RTGU had managed to close a 4 point deficit at one stage to draw at half-time. It was a tight match. The stakes were high.
The first half score was Bredagh 1-19 1-19 RGU.
s the second half started it was the RGU that looked the grittier and sharper andt despite hitting the bar in the first minute, Bredagh came back steadily in a disci-lined way gring at the RGU with much o fthe attacked spearheaded and finished by Devlin.
Collons was playing well and in one attack too a knock and teh referee awards a free kick whic Branagan too and secured another 2-pointer.
And despite Bell taking a point and keeping the attacks going, it was Bredagh that were scoring more steadily and the gap widened as the game progressed. The RTGU did not seem to have an answer for the Bredagh tactics.
The RGU catching midfield for kick-outs was quite poor and this cost the visitors a lot of valuable lost possession.
Bredagh had pulled off another goal widening the difference as the game moved into its fourth quarter. But the RGU did try and rectify the balance with efforts from Collins, McGrady and Damien Turley, with Tom Smyth getting in on the act. But the RGU were doing too little too late.
Bredagh had sparkled into life and sub Jamie Rutherford claimed a few points along with Jack Watson and defender Thomas Clarke. The home side sensed their first win of the season. But Bredagh would need at least another win or two to survive in Division 1 and that will be a tough call.
The RGU are sitting in 4th bottom place and failed to beat Glen last week which would have given them a cushion as they negotiate the finals stages of Div 1. The RGU are still safe… just. They can’t afford to lose any more games and need to be needle sharp for the remainder of their league games this season.
The RGU team for whatever reason despite individual performances could not muster up a rally against Bredagh and the game looked like a foregone conclusion with 15 minutes to go.
Bredagh GAC: 1 Oisin Tracey 2 Thomas Clarke 3 Ruairi McMahon 4 Niall McElvogue 5 Aidan O’Keefe 6Michael Woods 7 Conor Francis 9 Benny Hasson 10 Michael Robinson 11 Tommy McElroy 12 Jack Watson 13 Jacob McDonnell 14 Kealan Devlin 15 Emmet Rogers 28 Donal Hughes.
Downpatrick RGU: 1 2 3 Damien Turley 4 5 6 7 8 Matthew Hardy 9 10 Tom Smyth 11 Conor McGrady 12 Johnny Bell 13 Gerdie Collins 14 Jarleth Branagan 15
