Glenfin almost pull off the ‘great escape’ with brilliant SFC win over Ardara

Glenfin almost pulled off a real Houdini act this evening in Pairc Taobhoige but a brace of late Ardara goals prevented them from leapfrogging out of the SFC relegation play-off zone. 

Frank McGlynn’s hosts opened Saturday evening rooted to the bottom of the table but with their backs against the wall, they produced a brilliant 10-point win over Ardara. 

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It could easily have more but a Classon maximum and a Paul Walsh goal three minutes into the red, for the visitors, meant Glenfin dropped back into fourth from bottom, having momentarily occupied the last preliminary quarter-final play-off spot. 

Instead, it will be Termon that take that coveted 12th position in the standings and Glenfin now turn attention to a play-off clash with table-proppers Aodh Ruadh while Ardara will take on St Naul’s in the other relegation semi-final. 

On 58 minutes, Glenfin led by 5-15 to 0-15 and seemed like they were on their way to a huge victory, and for the above reason just outlined. 

But that 15-point upperhand was eventually trimmed down to 11 which, in the end, left Glenfin with a -13 scoring average in the standings and Termon, who lost out to St Eunan’s, on -10. The margins really were that thin.  

With the breeze in their backs in the first-half, Glenfin exited with a 1-8 to 0-6 advantage at the changeover with Ciaran Brady palming home a 19th-minute goal. 

Ardara had led through John Ross Molloy and Darragh Henningan after a Luke McGlynn opener, but Glenfin soon settled. 

A Brady over, a superb two-pointer from McGlynn and then that aforementioned green flag, meant it was 1-4 to 0-2 ten minutes out from half-time. 

CJ Molloy lofted a free for Ardara but Daire Quigley, Shaun Ward and the lively McGlynn all clipped successive responses to help open up a seven-point gap on 25 minutes. 

John Ross Molloy and another CJ Molloy placed kick pushed Ardara onto five and with Ward and Johnny McHugh trading scores just before the break, Glenfin departed with a five-point upper hand. 

Ardara might have fancied chipping that lead away given the breeze that was in it but Glenfin’s lightning start to the second stanza left Damien Deveney’s men on a real back foot.

Ross Marely and Odhran O’Connor twice, had Glenfin out to 1-11 less than five minutes in. 

Molloy then flicked one over before Shane Mooney followed that up with a neat point. 

Substitute Niall McCrossan launched over a two-point free nearing the end of the third quarter and we had a 1-11 to 0-10 game. 

But with Glenfin replacement  Aaron McGlynn drilling in a second goal for the home side, there seemed to be a real momentum shift. 

Gerard Ward, not long into the mix, walked to a second yellow card as CJ Molloy launched over a two-point free and we now had a four-point game.

But just when you thought Ardara might be stirring, Odhran O’Connor raised a third green flag as Glenfin really cut loose. 

McCrossan did grab another Ardara point from a free from the hands but Glenfin put the result beyond all doubt when another substitute, Aaron McGlynn, grabbed goal number three. 

Ward and McGlynn added overs while O’Connor arrowed back-to-back goals to compete his hat-trick on 58 minutes. 

Cruelly, from a Glenfin point of view at least, their ‘great escape’ act was thwarted by Classon and Walsh in the dying seconds. 

Glenfin scorers: Odhran O’Connor 3-2; Aaron McGlynn 1-2; Ciaran Brady 1-1; Shaun Ward 0-4; Luke McGlynn 0-4,1tp; Daire Quigley 0-2; Daniel McGlynn 0-1 and Ross Marley 0-1 each.

Ardara scorers: CJ Molloy 0-5, 1tpf, 2f; Niall McCrossan 0-4, 1tpf, 2f; Paul Walsh and Conor Classon 1-0 each; John Ross Molloy 0-2;  Kyle McHugh 0-2,1tp; Darragh Hennigan, Shane Mooney and Johnny McHugh 0-1 each. 

Glenfin: Andrew Walsh; Martin O'Donnell, John Harkin, Frank McGlynn; Ross Markey, Daniel McGlynn, Karl McGlynn; Stephen Ward, Jason Morrow; Daniel Marley, Shaun Ward, Daire Quigley; Ciaran Brady, Luke McGlynn, Odhran O'Connor

Subs: Gerard Walsh for Brady, Jack Long for Martin O’Donnell and Aaron McGlynn for S Ward (all 40); Tommy McNulty for R Marley and Odhran McGlynn for D Marely (both 58).

Ardara: Patrick Gallagher; Danny Walsh, Shane Whyte, Charlie Bennett, Darragh Hennigan, Paddy McGrath, Shane Mooney; John Ross Molloy, Conor Classon; Cailum Malley, Josh Malley, Kevin Whyte; Johnny McHugh, CJ Molloy, Karl Joseph Molloy. 

Subs: Niall McCrossan and Joe Melly for J McHugh and K Whyte (both 40); Kyle McHugh for C Malley and Gavin Sweeney for Bennett (both 50); Paul Walsh for KJ Molloy (52).

Referee: Shane Walsh (Realt na Mara).