Derry SFC final: Slaughtneil 0-11 Magherafelt 1-4; Cavan SFC final replay: Crosserlough 0-13 Kingscourt Stars 0-8
SLAUGHTNEIL’S attack had been lauded all year but it was their scoring power from deep that helped them win back the John McLaughlin Cup this evening.
On a day when the two starting forward lines contributed just a single point from play between them, man-of-the-match Chrissy McKaigue landed two points while Brendan Rogers, Conor McAllister and 39-year-old Francis McEldowney lifted white flags as they took the crown from Magherafelt’s head.
In a game that went largely as expected in terms of style, with both teams loading bodies behind the ball and waiting for the gaps to appear, the cushion of the early lead that they created stayed with Slaughtneil all afternoon.
The contest never really caught fire properly, and it was only with the introduction of Cormac Murphy and his instant creation of a goal for Jared Monaghan that the holders came to life. That was on 41 minutes and they had just two points to their name at that stage. They would finish with just 1-4, undoing the at-times brilliant work of their defensive unit in dragging Slaughtneil’s score down to 11 points having come in with an average-per-game of 2-17.
In Cavan last night, Crosserlough dispelled any notions of a hangover from the drawn game, with a 0-13 to 0-8 victory over Kingscourt Stars at Breffni Park. Crosserlough had got off the hook in the first game but made the most of their good fortune and were full value for their win.
“The boys believed they could win it,” said manager Jimmy Higgins.
“They knew that they had the character to win it and you can see what it means to everyone.”
