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Middletown come up trumps against Lisbellaw in dramatic Ulster quarter-final

Middletown survived losing Shaun Toal and Nathan Curry, left, to progress to the Ulster Senior Hurling semi-finals
Middletown survived losing Shaun Toal and Nathan Curry, left, to progress to the Ulster Senior Hurling semi-finals Middletown survived losing Shaun Toal and Nathan Curry, left, to progress to the Ulster Senior Hurling semi-finals

TWO men sent off, seven minutes of injury-time at the end of the game and a penalty save in the dying moments were just some of the talking points in what was a fiercely contested Ulster Club Senior Hurling Championship quarter-final in Maguiresbridge yesterday. 

With his side trailing by three points with six minutes of injury-time played, Declan McGarry’s well struck penalty was brilliantly saved by Dean Gaffney in the Middletown goal. 

The Armagh champions cleared the danger and the full-time whistle was greeted with delight by the travelling support and relief by the Middletown players and officials as they sealed a three-point victory. 

For long periods of the game the Armagh men looked like the better team but a dogged and determined Lisbellaw simply refused to go away.

Middletown didn’t do themselves any favours with Shaun Toal seeing red in the first half for striking and Nathan Curry following him in the second after picking up two yellows in the space of 10 minutes. 

Lisbellaw got off to a whirlwind start with Sean Corrigan shooting to the net after finding space from a long ball and he was to be one of the start performers of the game, hitting 1-6 including three brilliant points from play. 

Corrigan’s goal aside, it was Middletown who were to dominate the opening 15 minutes, with Ryan Gaffney hitting five frees over the bar. 

The Armagh men were getting the better of things around the middle of the field and wing half-forward Martin Maguire was proving a real outlet on his own team’s puck-outs. 

He caught two in quick succession turning and racing through on one occasion to score himself and setting up wing half-back Padraig Lappin to fire over from his second high fetch. 

Lisbellaw were keeping in touch, however, with John Duffy firing over a brace. 

It was at this stage that Toal saw red and the Fermanagh men took immediate advantage, striking over three points in-a-row to tie things up – Duffy with a free from distance and Corrigan with two scores. 

David Carville broke free for a vital score just before the break for Middletown to leave them one ahead at half-time. 

They continued where they left off in the second half and outscored the home side four points to two over the third quarter. 

Pauric Hughes, who starred throughout for the Orchardmen, notched one of those scores and he picked up a mountain of ball in the half-back line. 

But just as the game looked to be going away from Lisbellaw, they came back with a goal through substitute Conor McShea who reacted quickest to the breaking ball fire home. 

Lisbellaw picked up three of the next five points, all coming from the hurl of Sean Corrigan with two absolute beauties from play to give the home side the lead and with Middletown down to 13 men things were not looking good for the Armagh champions. 

Cathal Carville and Gaffney were always dangerous in attack for Middletown and they were to take the game by the scruff of the neck to hit five points between them. 

Lisbellaw would not go away and when the referee awarded a penalty they were just three behind. But Dean Gaffney dived high and to his right to stop McGarry’s piledriver and secure the win for Middletown. 

Lisbellaw: M Curry; David Teague, M Slevin, A Breslin, F Bannon, K Kehoe, B Duffy, J Duffy (0-3, 0-2 frees), Daniel Teague, JP McGarry, T Cleary, R Bogue, S Corrigan (1-6, 0-2 frees), D McGarry, C Corrigan (0-1). Subs: C McShea (1-0) for Daniel Teague (ht), Daniel Teague for Cleary (48), J Gavin for McShea (57)


Yellow cards: D McGarry (34)


Middletown: D Gaffney; L Woods, P Hughes (0-1), O Curry; S Gaffney, N Curry, P Lappin (0-1); A Toal, K McKernan; M Maguire (0-1), C Carville (0-3), R Gaffney (0-11, 0-10 frees); S Toal (0-1), D Carville (0-1). Subs: JJ Hughes for Lappin (61)


Yellow cards: N Curry (44, 53)


Red cards: S Toal (23), N Curry (53)