Electric Ireland Higher Education Senior Football Division One Group A: Ulster University 3-13 St Mary’s University College 2-7
THE result really mattered for little when all was said and done at Jordanstown, with getting back out and playing top of the priority list as third level action makes its return for the first time since January 2020.
Queen’s had been due to host Ulster University last week, only for torrential rain to intervene and force that fixture’s postponement. Conor Deegan’s men eventually played their first Ryan Cup game of 2021 on Tuesday night, just edging out Oisin McConville’s Dundalk IT in the regionalised Division One grouping.
And last night it was the turn of UU and St Mary’s to get their campaigns under way, and to field teams at this level for the first time since the last Sigerson Cup took place almost 22 months ago.
Without county stars such as Conor Glass - who is preparing for Sunday’s Derry SFC final showdown with neighbours Slaughtneil - and Tyrone’s Darragh Canavan, who featured in Errigal Ciaran’s Tyrone championship exit to Coalisland on Sunday, UU still had too much class in the end.
Cavan’s Allstar midfielder Thomas Galligan helped Paul Rouse’s side dominate centrefield and chipped in with a goal early in the second half, while Ardboe’s David Mulgrew and Down pair Seamus Loughran and Andrew Gilmore all caught the eye with some sharp shooting into a difficult cross-field wind as UU pulled away in the end.
A dogged St Mary’s made life tough for their opponents at times, however, a free from Down U20 ’keeper Charlie Smyth and a superb Cormac McGettigan strike pulling them level at the first water break.
However, when Mulgrew, Gilmore and Loughran clicked they made all the difference, while the raiding runs of Ryan Jones from wing-back were a threat all night.
UU led by three, 0-7 to 0-4, at half-time and when Galligan followed in Paddy McLernon’s deflected effort to finish from close range just a minute after the restart, it looked like they could run away with it.
Aodhan McConnell had other plans though, lashing beyond Odhran Lynch two minutes later after a superb burst from Ryan Coleman. And when Coleman converted a free he had won to reduce the gap to two, 1-8 to 1-6, the momentum looked to have shifted.
A classy Loughran score with the outside of the boot was easily the best of the night, and when Gilmore finished to an empty net after being played in by Mulgrew, there would be no way back for the Ranch.
Clonduff’s Tom Close announced his arrival from the bench with a brilliant score before Jones’s goal, UU’s third of the night, settled the argument once and for all heading into the final 10.
St Mary’s did find the net again in added time when a long ball into the square from substitute Oisin Murphy managed to evade Smyth, with referee Kieran Eannetta sounded the long whistle moments later.
With the wait over, UU now turn their attention to Monday’s trip to Dundalk (7.15pm), with St Mary’s taking on Queen’s on Wednesday afternoon at Davitt’s (3pm).
And, despite last night's defeat, St Mary's boss Gavin McGilly was happy to look at the bigger picture.
“The most important thing tonight was to get boys back out playing in the jersey – that’s all that really mattered,” he said.
“The game was competitive right up until the second water break, so there’s plenty to build on going forward.”
UU boss Paul Rouse echoed those sentiments.
“Listen, all we’re about at the minute is getting boys back on the pitch and playing games.
“Third level is something a lot of us are very passionate about and we just want to see it back going again. You saw the GAA pathway put third level as an integral part of their plan, so you hope it would retain that status.
“Yes you’ve county players playing there but there’s a lot of boys that would see this as a massive step up and use this as a platform to try and really push themselves on for the future, especially during the winter.”
Ulster University: O Lynch; C Quinn, F McElroy, S Cowan; R Jones (1-0), C Devlin, M McKearney; T Galligan (1-0), R Gormley (0-1); P McLarnon (0-1), D McElhill, D Mulgrew (0-2); A Gilmore (1-3, 0-2 frees), E Brown, S Loughran (0-5, 0-3 frees). Subs: T Close (0-1) for Brown (48), T Prenter for McLernon (54), S Donaghy for McElhill (56), R Connors for Cowan (56)
St Mary’s: Charlie Smyth (0-1, free); S McAlinden, K Burke, J Diamond; C McGettigan (0-1), C Milne, D McCrossan; Cormac Smyth, T O’Kane; N Burns, R Coleman (0-2, frees), G McKibbon; A McConnell (1-0), S Donnelly, C Murphy (0-1). Subs: D Mooney for McKibbon (38), S Daly (0-2) for Burns (38), S Bogue for McAlinden (50), O Murphy (1-0) for McConnell (50), C Loane for Cormac Smyth (60+1)
Referee: K Eannetta (Tyrone)
