Fast-starting Ramor end 28-year wait for league title

ACFL Division 1 final

Ramor United 3-8

Gowna 0-13

Paul Fitzpatrick at St Matthew’s Park

Ramor United continued their impressive competitive record against Gowna, which now stretches to 11 years unbeaten, as they claimed the ACFL Division 1 League title with four points to spare at Crosskeys on Saturday evening last.

This game was done and dusted in the first half as Ramor opened a 10-point lead, hitting the net three times, and kept Gowna at arm’s length thereafter.

Gowna came into this game hoping to win their first ACFL Division 1 title since 2021, having won the Senior Championship in both intervening years. Ramor, for their part, were senior champions in ’21 but hadn’t actually won the Senior League since 1996 – and that title was awarded to them after they won a semi-final against Mullahoran and the other semi between Gowna and Bailieborough was abandoned. The last time the Virginia men had won the title on the field of play was 1986, when they defeated Laragh, so this was a rare success.

Ramor got off to a flying start when, five minutes in, Adam O’Connell found Conor Bradley, who rounded Daire Madden and tucked into the empty net for the opening score of the contest.

Cian Madden replied with a free but Ramor hit back, O’Connell again driving out of defence and Oliver McCrystal teeing up Cathal Maguire for a great strike.

McCrystal was engaged in a good tussle with county U20 teammate Eoghan Hartin and again provided a lay-off for Bradley to fist over.

The Gowna defence – missing Cormac and Conor Brady and captain Ryan McGahern - was unusually shaky and their cause wasn’t helped when David Philips went off injured after 10 minutes.

From the kick-out after Bradley’s point, Matthew Smith fired over off the left and then Brían O’Connell added a good point under pressure to leave six between them at the end of the first quarter.

Ryan Donohoe took a pass from Oisin Pierson and drove through for a goal chance for Gowna which eventually resulted in a point but Ramor hit back emphatically with their second goal when Bradley accelerated into a gap and unselfishly laid off for Eoin Somerville, who finished low to the corner.

Ramor were full of confidence by now and pinched the next kick-out, Matthew Smith finding space to fire over his second point to make it 2-5 to 0-2.

Gowna broke through for a goal chance at the other end, with Pierson and Robbie Fitzpatrick involved, but Liam Brady saved smartly at the near post. Daire Madden came forward to confidently convert the resulting 45 but the game was put to bed in the next passage of play.

Great work from Smith created a chance; after the ball rebounded off the crossbar, Somerville was on hand to bundle home his second major to make it 3-5 to 0-4 with 23 minutes played.

Cian Madden (free) and Robbie Fitzpatrick, with a lovely effort from play, cut the gap for the senior champions but Brían O’Connell hooked over another after a one-two with Sean Brady.

Again, Gowna replied with a Cian Madden free but the goal they were seeking eluded them again as Conor Casey struck the crossbar.

Ramor countered dangerously from that one but the move broke down and it was Gowna’s turn to pour forward, with Fitzpatrick swinging over again off the left to leave it 3-6 to 0-7 at the interval.

On the resumption, Ramor extended their lead with a James Bradley free. Gowna lumped a lot of high ball goalwards in the second half, with limited results it must be said; the first of these, from Daire Madden, bounced dangerously and ended up crossing the bar for a point.

Gowna would add three more white flags in succession from Fitzpatrick (free), Cian Madden and DJ Madden to cut the gap to five before Ramor ended a near 20-minute scoreless spell with a Matthew Smith free 10 minutes from time.

By this stage, Gowna were down to 14 men after Cian Madden picked up a black card and Ramor got fresh impetus off the bench in the form of impressive subs Mattie Magee and Simon Cadden to steer them home.

A James Bradley point was cancelled out by a nice Robbie Fitzpatrick score before Fitzpatrick and Smith traded frees in the dying minutes as the game petered out and Ramor ran out deserving winners.

Gowna: Daire Madden (0-2, 1f, 45), Cillian Brady, David Philips, Cian Halton, Fionán Brady, Eoghan Hartin, Cian Madden (0-4, 3f), Ryan Donohoe (0-1), Ryan Brady, Tiarnan Madden, Mark McKeever, Robbie Fitzpatrick (0-4, 1f), Cian Bannon, Oisin Pierson, Conor Casey

Subs: DJ Madden for D Philips (10), Aaron Brady for C Halton (ht), Ryan Madden for DJ Madden (53), Shane Donohoe for C Bannon (55), Mark Brady for F Brady (60)

Ramor United: Liam Brady, Ben Smith, Adam O’Connell, Lorcan Lynch, Cathal Maguire (0-1), Jack Brady, Mark Magee, Sean Brady, Damien Barkey, Conor Bradley, Eoin Somerville (2-0), James Bradley (0-1f), Brían O’Connell (0-2), Oliver McCrystal, Matthew Smith (0-4, 2f)

Subs: Ado Cole for O McCrystal (43), Matthew Magee for Ben Smith (44), Simon Cadden for E Somerville (50), Paddy McNamee for C Maguire (56)

Ref: Joe McQuillan

GAME AT A GLANCE

Man of the Match

Most of the better performers were on the winning side, with Gowna out-of-sorts on the day, particularly in the first half.

Brían O’Connell brought a lot of physicality to the midfield exchanges and kicked two good points.

Conor Bradley linked the play very well and finished with 1-1 while Mark Magee, Matthew Smith and Cathal Maguire also impressed.

Eoin Somerville, however, gets the nod for his industry and hard graft as much as his two goals.

On the Gowna side, Robbie Fitzpatrick was top scorer from play. Cian Madden took the fight to Ramor while Mark McKeever also showed his class but overall it was a disappointing day at the office for the Gowna men.

Score of the Match

Matthew Smith’s first-half strike with the left boot was probably the highlight in what was a funny match which was over as a contest early and produced a tame second half.

Talking point

Reading too much into the league is a dangerous business; the last side to win both league and Senior Championship were Castlerahan in 2019.

However, Ramor are going very well with their players looking lean and mobile and the injury list much shorter than in recent years.

Gowna, for their part, won’t be too perturbed by this defeat and still have a few key men to return. In the last two years, they have toiled in the early rounds of the championship before catching light approaching the business end; they retain the ability to leave a bad game or two behind them when it comes to the crunch and, as Ramor captain Jack Brady alluded to in his acceptance speech, they are still the team to beat.