Sport

In The Irish News - Feb 19 1998: Queen’s Fitzgibbon Cup dreams shattered again

QUEEN’S Fitzgibbon Cup dreams were shattered for another year as they were thumped 2-12 to 0-4 by a fine UCD side at the Dub yesterday.

Before Queen’s had time to settle, UCD had fired over four points, three from the hurl of Waterford’s Pat Fitzgerald.

In the 23rd minute Pol Ormond of Tipperary fired a clearance up to the left-hand comer, and corner-forward Michael Gordon raced through to slot the ball past ‘keeper Ciaran Taggart and put the Dubliners into a 1-8 to 0-3 half-time lead.

If this left Queen’s with an uphill struggle, the task became almost hopeless when they conceded a second goal in the 34th minute.

UCD were awarded a penalty three minutes later which Fitzgerald pointed, and at 2-9 to 03 there was no way back for the Belfast students.

Despite good performances from Chris Hamill and the half-back line, and in patches from Clare’s Joe Considine in midfield, UCD were rampant.

QUB: C Taggart; B Laverty; G Brunton; S O’Neill; C Hamill; R McNaughton; P Mcllwaine; J Considine; R Kennedy; R Laverty; S Higgins (0-1); P McCormack; A McCloskey (0-3); M Collins; P Sidebottom

Subs: P McCabe for S O’Neill (35); P Kelly for P Sidebottom (51).

UCD: P Dempsey; C Murphy; T Donohue; P O’Keefee; T Brennan; P Ormond; H Flannery; R Moore (0-2), N Murphy (booked 22); C Roche; G Mernagh; 0 Carter (0-1), P Fitzgerald (08), D M Carthy (0-1), M Gordon (2-0).

Subs: J Hughes for 0 Carter; D O’Riordan for P O’Keefee (47); E Fitzgibbon for P Fitzgibbon (60).

Ref: John Anthony Gribben (Down).

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DUNGIVEN have kept faith with the side which defeated Errigal Ciaran in the Ulster decider for Sunday’s AIB All-Ireland Club championship semifinal against Corofin.

Both central defenders Kieran McKeever and his brother Emmett, plus midfielder Ronan McCloskey have been nursing injuries in recent weeks but there was never any question of them missing the Ballyshannon game.

Barry Kelly and Brian Kealey were said to be pushing hard for promotion from the substitutes’ bench, but team manager Eugene Kelly has opted not to change his line up.

There is a school of thought which suggests that it is better for both men to be held in reserve for the Dungiven team.

Kelly and Kealey came on against Errigal Ciaran and both can be expected to join the action at some stage in Ballyshannon.

Dungiven: E McCloskey, S Heavern, K McKeever, Seoirse McGonigle, E Lynch, E McKeever (capt), B McGonigle, B McGilligan, R McCloskey, P Murphy, E Kelly, R Murphy, J Brolly, Geoffrey McGonigle, C Grieve.

Subs: Gregory McGonigle, B Kealey, B Kelly, R Tracey, P Beatty, P McCloskey, G Murphy, D McElhinney, P McCaul.

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All-Ireland Freshers quarter-final: Sligo IT 0-8 UUJ 3-4

TWO goals from former Tyrone minor Richard Thornton helped ensure a place in the semi-finals for UUJ against a determined Sligo Institute of Technology.

In a drab encounter at Markievicz Park the three goals scored by the Jordanstown outfit, two of these in the second half, ultimately decided the issue.

Eight minutes into the game, an excellent goal from UUJ midfielder John Toal gave UUJ a two-point lead.

UUJ: B Matthews, E McLarnon, N Farren (0-1), P McGurk, R Lynch, P Matthews, F Devlin, J Toal (1-0), J Quinn, G Diamond (0-2), D McCourt, G Cunningham (0-1), M McMurray (01), R Thornton (2-0), N McParland.

Sub: K Brady for McParland.

Sligo IT: E Lyons, A McDermott, J Garvey, C Reilly, D Higgins (0-1), J Feeney, J Rolston, B Og Murphy, J Curley (0-1), E Traynor, D Brennan (02), S Rochford (0-2), E Fleming, P Maguire, P McGroarty.

Sub: D Cryan (0-2) for E Traynor. Ref: P Conway (Sligo).