I’m sure many predicted the South Conference leaders would come away with a comfortable victory, considering their hot form. However, their journey up to Craigavon could have very easily ended on a sour note, as the Cowboys put in a solid performance that threatened to derail Trinity’s 3 game unbeaten streak.
Despite coming away with a 25-16 victory, both sides struggled to take control of the early stages. Trinity did get the first points of the game, however, and went 6-0 up in the 1st quarter when quarterback Dan Finnamore found Stephen Alexander. The receiver tiptoed his way into the endzone for points, but they failed to convert the extra point.
The Cowboys’ offence soon began to establish itself with a very strong running game, proving to be difficult for the Trinity defence to deal with, with only penalties being a setback to the Cowboys efforts. Craigavon continued to gain positive yards and found themselves inside Trinity’s own 20. However, they failed to convert on 3rd down as Francis Shallow kicked a field goal, to bring the score to 6-3 at half time.
After the restart, Trinity scored again as Finnamore found receiver David Lunn, who broke a couple of tackles before sprinting to the endzone to complete a 75 yard passing touchdown. The PAT attempt was successful, Conor McGinn with the kick and Trinity extended their lead to 13-3.
However, the Cowboys were not to be outdone, first tackling the running back for a 5 yard loss and then following it up with a forced fumble, that would be recovered by the Cowboys inside Trinity’s own 15 yard line heading into the final quarter.
After a patient drive, the Cowboys’ pressure was rewarded with a touchdown when quarterback Conor Fearon snuck in on the goal line to shorten the gap to 13-9. However, Trinity came back on the offensive and despite their efforts, the Cowboys couldn’t contain running back Rob McDowell for much longer as he found space on the outside to run for a 35 yard touchdown. That made it 19-9 to Trinity after the failed PAT attempt. Although the lead was extended, the Cowboys refused to drop their heads and their efforts were rewarded when Conor Fearon found his receiver Christian Cowan, who reined in the catch for a 65-yard completion. The PAT was successful, with Shallow putting it over, and cut the score down to merely 3 points at 19-16.
McDowell put the nail in Craigavon’s coffin and finished off the scoring for Trinity, picking up his second touchdown from the goal line. Although the extra point effort was missed, Trinity came away with the 25-16 victory and their 4th win of the season.
Trinity proved that, although not playing to their usual high standards, they could still grind out wins. This should further secure their place at the helm of the South Conference. Despite suffering their second loss, the Cowboys should be proud of their efforts and were unfortunate not to have come away with something more. They are showing signs of improvement and are more than capable of picking up wins before the seasons end.
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