AIB Ulster Club Junior Football Championship quarter-final: Newtownbutler First Fermanaghs 3-18 Patrick Pearse’s, Belfast 1-6
WHEN the dust settles on their season, north Belfast club Pearse’s can be proud of what they achieved in 2022. A junior championship was banked, there was some county Allstar recognition and positive headlines that should leave a warm glow among its membership.
But they will want to airbrush yesterday’s Ulster experience from their collective memory after being totally outclassed by formidable Fermanagh champions Newtownbutler at a rain-drenched Brewster Park.
Boss Darren Chapman has assembled a physically strong, fast and creative unit that will take some stopping at this grade.
From the early exchanges of yesterday’s quarter-final, the signs were ominous for the Antrim champions, who ended a soggy afternoon with 13 players.
Newtownbutler hit the visitors' net three times in the opening half and should have raised a few more green flags in a clash that was well and truly over by half-time.
Trying to curtail roving attacker Ger O’Keefe was like asking the Pearse’s defence to nail jelly. The Newtownbutler man ghosted in unmarked to plant the ball past Niall Largey on 13 minutes before Ryan Carson buried two further goals in the 19th and 22nd minutes.
Carson should really have had a first-half hat-trick in what was still a memorable afternoon for the 41-year-old veteran full-forward, while Conor Courtney saw his penalty come off the foot of the post four minutes before the break with Largey getting the merest of touches to it.
With the First Fermanaghs leading 3-8 to 0-4 at the break, the second half had damage limitation written all over it for Pearse’s. They lost the second half 0-9 to 1-2, with substitute James Smyth landing a consolation goal for them in the 54th minute.
Stephen Fitzsimmons, who was arguably Pearse’s best forward on the day, was red-carded for lashing out at Newtownbutler’s James Connolly in the 41st minute and with seconds remaining defender Darren O’Neill picked up a second yellow card to reduce the Belfast men to 13 players by the final whistle.
“We’ve been carrying the favourites tag all year, so this was just like opening a valve for us," said Newtownbutler boss Darren Chapman.
“We prepared very well for this game. I was up in Belfast last week watching Pearse’s playing Queen’s Freshers ‘B’ at The Dub.
“And I just felt from watching the Antrim final that the intensity level of the game and the way I saw Pearse’s play, if we put them under big pressure that they mightn’t be able to cope. I think we had 12 or 14 offensive turnovers in the first half and we scored heavily off those turnovers and our discipline was good too.”
Largey, Darren O’Neill, Nathan Gorman, Piaras Donaghy, Philip Murray and James Begley all gave good accounts of themselves for Pearse’s, but they needed every green and gold jersey to be hitting the high notes to stand a chance yesterday.
Jason Flanagan’s forward bursts for Newtownbutler were hugely impressive while the Pearse’s back-line never came close to solving the puzzles set by Carson, O’Keefe, James Connolly and Diarmuid King.
Perhaps the most glowing aspect of Newtownbutler’s performance was Carson’s economy of movement, set-up play and his two classy goal finishes that had a demoralising impact on their opponents.
“Ryan Carson is revered by the younger players,” said Chapman.
“He’s a very, very positive influence around the dressing room and he works very hard. Sometimes I have to tell him to have a rest because of his age.
“He’s a great player for the club and will go down as one of the greats in Newtownbutler. He’s a wonderful player to work with.”
Although yesterday was a chastening experience for the Pearse's club, they should view 2022 as something of a renaissance year.
Given Newtownbutler's heavy artillery, the Ulster title is very much in their range.
First Fermanaghs Newtownbutler: G Mullaney; J McCaffrey, P O’Brien, R O’Keefe; R Rooney, J Jackman, D McDaid; S Conlon, J Flanagan (0-1); C Courtney (0-1), J Connolly (0-1), G O’Keefe (1-4); C McBride, R Carson (2-4, 0-1 free), D King (0-5, 0-3 frees) Subs: P Mullaney (0-1) for D McDaid (h/t), D Martin for C Courtney (46), F Mulligan (0-1) for G O’Keefe (54), S Carson for J Jackman (55), L Martin for D King (58)
Yellow cards: G O’Keefe (40), J Connolly (42)
Patrick Pearse’s, Belfast: N Largey; D O’Neill, C O’Neill, N Gorman; A Bannon, A McCavana, T McFarlane; R Bannon, P Donaghy (0-1 free); S Moreland (0-1), S Fitzsimmons (0-2), P Murray; F Grew (0-1 free), L Deegan, N O’Cuilin Subs: P Begley (0-1) for A McCavana (25), P Johnston for S Moreland (25), J Smyth (1-0) for N O’Cuilin (49)
Yellow cards: R Bannon (21), D O’Neill (27), P Johnston (33), J Smyth (50), N Gorman (62)
Red cards: S Fitzsimmons (41), D O’Neill (27 & 61)
Referee: R Donoghue (Derry)
