Sport

Back in the day: Feb 22 1998: Dungiven pay dearly as sending off sends Corofin through to final

BOTTLED UP...Dungiven star Joe Brolly was quadruple-marked in yesterday’s clash with Connacht club champions Corofin who held too much punch for weakened Ulster champions
BOTTLED UP...Dungiven star Joe Brolly was quadruple-marked in yesterday’s clash with Connacht club champions Corofin who held too much punch for weakened Ulster champions BOTTLED UP...Dungiven star Joe Brolly was quadruple-marked in yesterday’s clash with Connacht club champions Corofin who held too much punch for weakened Ulster champions

AIB All-Ireland Club Football semi-final: Corofin 0-11 Dungiven 0-9

JOE Brolly's typically succinct post-match analysis summed up a miserable afternoon for Dungiven.

“The extra man killed us,” he stated.

Things had been progressing nicely for the Ulster champions until Seoirse McGonigle’s 17th minute sending off.

At that stage Dungiven, playing into a gale-force wind, were only a point in arrears with Corofin’s nerves fragile after squandering several scoring chances.

Dungiven fans may point out that James Lardner had been fortunate to escape the ultimate sanction after cynically fouling Kieran McKeever four minutes earlier.

But the Galway team used the extra man perfectly and their management showed a flexibility and improvisation which was lacking in the Dungiven dug-out.

Brolly spoke afterwards of his exasperated exhortations to colleagues during the second half to support the Dungiven attack.

He said: “Jesus, I came out screaming, push the damned thing up.

“They only had one extra man but there were times out there when you would have thought it was three or four because our men were all retreating into our defence.”

Corofin captain Ray Silke revealed that half back James Lardner could now be ruled out of the All-Ireland final against Erin’s Isle on St Patrick’s Day.

But Lardner’s replacement looked a more than accomplished player so Corofin should not be unduly weakened by the absence. Indeed Tom Greaney was used as the spare man on occasions during the third quarter.

Corofin: M McNamara, O Burke, K Newell, John Lardner, A Fahy, R Silke, James Lardner, A Donnellan (0-3), G Burke (0-1), M Donnellan (0-2), E Steede (0-2), J Killeen, D Reilly (0-1), T Burke (0-1), S Conlisk (0-1).

Sub: T Greaney for James Lardner (26).

Dungiven: E McCloskey, S Heavern, K McKeever (0-1), S McGonigle, E Lynch, E McKeever, B McGonigle, B McGilligan, R McCloskey, P Murphy (0-2), E Kelly, R Murphy, J Brolly (0-4), G McGonigle (0-2), C Grieve.

Subs: B Kealey for R Murphy (half time), B Kelly for R McCloskey (45 mins).

Ref: P Casserly (Westmeath).

HOLDING JOB...Dungiven’s Geoffrey McGonigle shields the ball from Kevin Newell of Corofin during yesterday’s semi-final at Ballyshannon
HOLDING JOB...Dungiven’s Geoffrey McGonigle shields the ball from Kevin Newell of Corofin during yesterday’s semi-final at Ballyshannon HOLDING JOB...Dungiven’s Geoffrey McGonigle shields the ball from Kevin Newell of Corofin during yesterday’s semi-final at Ballyshannon

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AIB All-Ireland Club Football semi-final: Castlehaven (Cork) 0-17 Erin’s Isle (Dublin) 2-12

A HIGHLY-CONTROVERSIAL decision to award the Dublin champions a second, match-winning goal two and a half minutes into stoppage time left Castlehaven shocked and stunned.

TV replays were no doubt watched closely last night on RTE, but the result stands.

A bizarre finish to a game Cork’s top guns looked to have won with an exhibition of fabulous finishing, yesterday’s semi-final in Thurles produced an incredible sting in the tail.

Niall Crossan’s tight angled shot, with the game in its dying throes and Erin’s Isle trailing 1-12 to 0-17, struck the far post, rebounded across the face of the goal, struck the opposite and spun back into play.

An umpire judged the ball had travelled over the line during its flight from one post to the other, and the referee awarded the goal and blew full-time.

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QUEEN’S powered their way to a second successive Ulster third level title, with a powerhouse display in the second half at Jordanstown yesterday to lift the Dowd Cup defeating St Mary's 3-14 to 1-6.

With the sides level on five points at the break – Eilish Gormley contributed St Mary’s total – nothing could halt Queen’s as Eimear Stewart, Pauline McCoy and Joanne Lavery ran riot registering 2-6 between them.

Saturday’s cup semi-finals saw Jordanstown fall by four points to the Queen’s ladies in what many neutrals may have seen as the perfect final pairing.

A Jordanstown goal by Shauna Keenan midway through the second half of this contest left Queen’s leading by the narrowest of margins. But despite the efforts of Aoife Hegarty and Michelle McCreesh for Jordanstown, late points by Lisa McGirr and Pauline McCoy secured a hard earned victory for the eventual champions.

Queen’s: H Boyle, S Daly, D Martin, C Cranny, J Agnew, O Gilkrist (0-1), O Murtagh, O Kirk (0-1), L McGirr (0-1), J Lavery (1-3), C Daly (1-1), E Stewart (1-2), C Kelly, P McCoy (0-2), C Holland (0-3).

St Mary’s: D Crumlish, N Haughey, N Scott, M McGuckian, A Haigney, A McCloskey, E Murphy, U McKay, M Googan, N Harris, E Kelly (0-1), A McGarvey, G O’Neill, E Gormley (1-5), R McCallen.

Ref: O McNally (Monaghan).