AQUINAS ARE EAMON SO HIGH

STEPHEN MCDONALD admits even he’s been taken aback by Aquinas’s sparkling start to the season with the 2A new boys riding high at the top of the table.

The Rathmore Grammarbased outfit hammered Ballysillan Swifts 5-1 on Saturday to tighten their grip on top spot in the table, albeit at this very early juncture in the season.

The victory clinched back-toback victories over the two teams who finished ahead of them in 2B last season following last week’s defeat of Lower Shankill, with all three teams promoted to

Junior football’s top tier over the summer after a restructuring of the league.

Eamon Black was the main man on Saturday, with his hat-trick, complemented by strikes from Paddy Lowe and Martin Ramsey, condemning the visitors to a first defeat of the season, and extending Aquinas’ unblemished league record to a flawless four from four. “We’re delighted with the start we have made but we know each game is going to be difficult,” said Mcdonald who is part of a management team which includes Noel Mckee and John Mccormick.

“I think we can compete this year but the start has even surprised us. It is unlike last year where we actually struggled at the start which stopped us doing better than we ended up doing.

“The slow start held us back but it’s been a good start this season. Every game is going to be tough because there are no easy games in this league but all we want is to just get settled into this league and we’ll take it from there.”