Anne’s juniors topple Mark’s in derby

A BRACE of points from substitute Ryan Callery sealed victory for St Anne’s who beat St Mark’s 0-14 to 3-3 in the Adult Football Division 10 South League in McGee Park last Thursday.

Callery replaced wing forward Stephen Turner with 20-minutes to go and left a massive mark on the clash, contributing a late brace to win by two points against a dogged Mark’s side.

Anne’s started well, running directly at the Mark’s backline with the likes of Matty Wilson and captain Orlando Verrecchia driving them on through the middle of the park.

Sean Brophy was in a sharpshooting mood and hit Mark’s for 0-7, capitalising on a number of frees to get their noses ahead.

But Mark’s were not willing to go down without a fight, especially on their own turf, and they gave the crowd plenty to shout about when Jamie O’Connor rattled the net to drag them back into the clash.

Spearheaded by O’Connor and Ryan Russell, the hosts played a pacy game on the counterattack, a lot of which came about through the frenetic activity of Karl Skelly at centre-back and work rate of Michael Kavanagh in midfield.

However, Rob Hughes and Cody Preston made strides to shut up shop in the Anne’s backline and did a lot of groundwork to repel their opponents offensive.

After the interval, wing forward Paul O’Donnell, having scored a wonderful point from a tight angle in the opening half, doubled St Mark’s goals tally.

Lead by the experienced Fran McCann and up-and-comer Luke Crosbie on the wings, Mark’s clawed their way back into the match and cut the deficit to just one-point when Russell found the net.

Anne’s had the benefit of fresh legs coming off the bench and utilised Callery to great effect, with him kicking points late-on to re-establish their two-point cushion and safely over the line.

The third team operating out of Bohernabreena this year, Anne’s are making a good go at Division 10 and sit mid-table with five games remaining.

It is St Mark’s second team playing at this level and they are among four teams on four-points in the relegation battle, albeit they have the best defensive record in the league having conceded the least.

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