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Derry rue missed chances as Wicklow pip them to gain NHL promotion

The introduction of Slaughtneil Brendan Rodgers almost swung the game for Derry in yesterday's League decider with Wicklow
The introduction of Slaughtneil Brendan Rodgers almost swung the game for Derry in yesterday's League decider with Wicklow The introduction of Slaughtneil Brendan Rodgers almost swung the game for Derry in yesterday's League decider with Wicklow

National Hurling League Division 2B final: Wicklow 1-9 Derry 0-8

THE little village of Inniskeen was no place for the faint-hearted yesterday as a “lucky goal” was just enough to see the Wicklow hurlers past Derry and gain promotion to Division 2A next year.

Played under brooding skies and a howling wind that turned the snug Co Monaghan GAA ground into an ice-box, Derry’s hearts were broken by Michael Boland’s opportunistic major with seven minutes of normal time remaining.

As the Oak Leaf defence attempted to clear the danger from a crowded goalmouth area, the ball squirmed out to Boland, a 50th minute substitute, whose scuffed effort had sufficient power and direction to find the bottom corner of Derry’s net.

Wicklow’s three-pointer put them in front, 1-7 to 0-8, for the first time in this feisty League decider.

Momentum was on Wicklow’s side after Boland's strike and they never looked like surrendering their hard-earned advantage in the closing stages.

Derry were left kicking themselves for not turning their territorial advantage into more scores in a wind-assisted first half.

John McEvoy’s men led 0-5 to 0-3 at the break and facing into a strong breeze in the second half, the smart money was always on Wicklow to overturn that two-point deficit.

And they finally broke the Ulstermen’s stout resistance through Boland’s 64th minute strike and they tagged on another couple of scores to put four points between themselves and Derry at the final whistle.

“I think ultimately the goal was the difference between the two teams,” said Wicklow boss Eamonn Scallan afterwards.

“To be fair to Derry, they were in that match for a long time only they didn’t convert their superiority on the scoreboard...

“They had a lot more ball than what Wicklow had for long spells but a lucky break, a lucky goal came for us.”

The Wexford native added: “Finals are notoriously the worst games of the year – it’s about how to manage them and how to make the most of your opportunities when they appear. I’d say if Derry had done that they possibly would have won that match today.”

Derry raced out of the blocks yesterday and fashioned a 0-3 to no score lead thanks to Richie Mullan (0-2, 0-1 free) and Se McGuigan finding their range.

But once Christopher Moorehouse opened Wicklow’s account with a 13th minute free, the Leinster men began to find some rhythm in their play.

Another Mullan free stretched Derry’s lead to 0-5 to 0-1 after 24 minutes but a couple of unforced defensive errors and some poor wides allowed Wicklow to gain a foothold in the game.

Either side of Eamon Kearns’ lovely 33rd minute score for Wicklow, substitute Brendan Rogers and Paul Cleary missed good chances that had they been converted may have had a demoralising impact on their opponents going in at the break.

Rogers, who entered yesterday’s final in the 26th minute for the injured Brian Og McGilligan (hamstring), was the biggest threat to the Wicklow defence.

His powerful running and ability to win ball he had no right to win unnerved the opposition.

The mercurial Slaughtneil dual player was introduced at wing half-forward before being posted on the edge of the square where he perhaps should have been from the start.

He gave a much-needed ball-winning dimension to the Derry attack and grabbed two excellent points in the 47th and 54th minutes.

“Brendan’s a good hurler; we’ve a lot of good hurlers. [But] he’s probably one of the best forwards in Derry,” said Oak Leaf boss John McEvoy.

“He loves hurling, wants to play hurling and going forward he’s a real option for us.”

While goals can change games, McEvoy explained why Derry didn’t go route one.

“We never really wanted to go down that route of trying to force a goal because if you start forcing it, it’s not going to come off.

“Look, a lot of our forwards did very well today in winning possession; it’s about that transition from winning possession to executing it. That’s what we need to work at before the Christy Ring.”

In fairness to McEvoy, his side had plenty of possession to win this tie without going for goals.

It was Derry’s scoreless patch – between the 24th minute and 47th minutes – that hurt them. They gave away cheap possession during that period and put their own defence under serious pressure.

Full-back Sean Cassidy might have made a couple of poor decisions that led to two Wicklow points – in the 13th and 37th minutes - but he defended brilliantly when Wicklow decided to go long in the second half alongside the equally impressive Paddy Kelly and Liam Og Hinphey.

With Wicklow nipping away at Derry’s narrow lead throughout the second period, Mullan missed a couple of long-range frees against a testing wind before Boland landed the knock-out blow to the Ulstermen’s promotion prospects.

“The wind did have a bearing on the game with puck-outs carrying a bit further and they were always going to be landing in the danger area,” said Scallan.

“So it was going to give you a bit of an advantage. But, against the wind, I thought Derry’s use of the ball was very good for long spells. Maybe some of that organisation that Derry had just left them for that crucial [scoreless] period.”

Wicklow forwards Andy O’Brien and Eoin McCormack, who bagged a goal apiece in their League meeting a week earlier, shared four points between them in the second half that rallied their team-mates.

“In fairness to Wicklow, they got a break, they took it, and we didn’t,” said McEvoy.

“We don’t have to sugar coat it for anybody. We wanted to win, we wanted to go up. But we can have no complaints, Wicklow won and good luck to them.”

Wicklow: C Staunton; B Kearney, B Cuddihy, M O’Brien; G Byrne, S Kelly, W Kavanagh; J Henderson, J Doyle; E McCormack (0-2), E Donohue (0-1 free), D Staunton; C Moorehouse (0-2 free), A O’Brien (0-2), J O’Neill Subs: E Kearns (0-2) for B Kearney (10), M Boland (1-0) for J O’Neill (50), L Evans for E Donohue (63), R Keedy for C Moorehouse (70)

Derry: S Kelly; P Kelly, S Cassidy, R McCartney; C Kelly, B Og McGilligan, L Hinphey; T Brady, P Cleary; G Bradley, R Mullan (0-5, 0-4 frees), M McGuigan; C Waldon, S McGuigan (0-1), M McGrath; Subs: B Rogers (0-2) for B Og McGilligan (26), J Mullan for T Brady (h/t), N Waldron for P Cleary (44), N Ferris for S McGuigan (69)

Referee: T Walsh (Waterford)