Danske Bank Dalton Cup final: St Patrick’s, Maghera 1-11 St Colman’s, Newry 1-8
DEEP in injury time in this terrific Danske Bank Dalton Cup final at the Dub, James Ward pulled off a brilliant save to prevent St Colman’s Newry completing an incredible comeback that would have taken the game to extra-time.
Just a minute earlier Newry midfielder Ethan Harty had crashed home a goal to prove that a six points lead means nothing in finals between these great rivals. However Harty was denied a second goal by Ward’s heroics.
St Colman’s will regret taking 15 minutes to open their account despite playing with the aid of the breeze. By that stage Maghera had registered points through Joseph Conway and Aodhán Scullion.
However two from Patrick Joyce and a third from James Morgan edged St Colman’s ahead and they held that single point advantage, 0-5 to 0-4, at the break.
Joyce pointed a free on the re-start, but Maghera took control of the game with an unanswered 1-5 between the 33rd and 47th minutes.
Ronan O’Loughglin’s goal and a point in the middle of that run opened the gap and Joseph Conway made it 1-9 to 0-6 with ten minutes remaining.
Joyce and James Morgan reduced the deficit to four points, but O’Loughlin cancelled those scores with two points. Maghera looked safe.
Harty’s goal at the start of injury time lifted St Colman’s and they very nearly pulled off a Houdini escape.
St Patrick’s scorers: R O’Loughlin 1-3, A Scullion 0-4, J Conway 0-2, L McAteer and B Bradley 0-1 each
St Colman’s scorers: E Harty 1-0, P Joyce, 0-6, D Barber and J Morgan 0-1 each