All-Ireland Club Junior Hurling Championship quarter-final: Fullen Gaels 0-6 Eoghan Rua, Coleraine 1-11
EOGHAN RUA, Coleraine are one step away from Croke Park after a comprehensive victory over British champions Fullen Gaels at a blustery Pairc na hÉireannin Birmingham on Saturday afternoon.
With treacherous conditions at Pairc na hÉireann underfoot due to torrential rain in the build-up to this quarter-final, it was the Derry champions who outmuscled their opponents to deliver a powerful performance and take the win.
With inter-county football stars Niall Holly, Sean Leo McGoldrick and man of the match Barry McGoldrick (above) looming large in the Coleraine ranks, the first Derry club to win an Ulster hurling title took a firm grip on proceedings.
Ciaran Gaile landed seven points (five from frees) as his side pulled away in the latter stages before they sealed the win with a Thomas Magee goal.
After their historic win over Down’s Ballela at Owenbeg last month, Coleraine lined up with five McGoldrick brothers plus their cousin Holly, who lined up in a strong half-back line.
Fullen Gaels needed to match their opponents for physicality in conditions that were always likely to be challenging given the torrential downpours in the build-up to the match.
An early Darragh O’Brien score for the Manchester side, a close range swipe that narrowly flashed over the bar, was one of three decent goal chances for Fullen Gaels in the opening half.
Yet as the half wore on, Eoghan Rua grew in stature with their marquee players coming to the fore.
They should have found the back of the net when Ciaran McGoldrick created space in front of goal, only for his strike to be charged down, yet points from Holly and sharpshooter Gaile (two frees) pushed them into a lead they were to keep a hold of until the end.
Goalkeeper Paddy Mullan needed to be at his best to parry a rasping drive from Gaels midfielder and former St John’s player Conall Maskey, while at the other end Magee forced a fine save from Tom Goulding after the wing-forward found space to shoot from a narrow angle on the right.
Gaile was proving a nuisance to the Gaels, landing his third point on the turn before stepping up to drill over two more frees just before the half-time whistle.
Leading by five going into the second half, Eoghan Rua needed to keep the momentum on their side against a side that have twice been All-Ireland finalists in the last three years.
They quickly added two more points to raise the stakes as Gaile made his mark yet again with a long-range belt and a free, while Barry McGoldrick’s inspirational point midway through the half raised the spirits of an away bench that sensed another championship day out was close.
With their tails up, Eoghan Rua struck the decisive blow moments later when a scramble from a throw-in resulted in Magee scooping up a loose ball to race in from the left and drive a sweet strike past Goulding and into the net.
Gaels rallied well in the closing stages but it’s Eoghan Rua who progress to the semi-final stage, one step away from Croke Park.
