O’Neills Derry SFC final: Magherafelt 3-17 Newbridge 0-20
ADELE’S dulcet tones are drowned out by 45 backing singers dressed in sweat-stained red. From the winners’ enclosure, Derry’s urban powerhouse are making themselves heard again.
When Magherafelt ended a 41-year wait for a senior title in 2019, they were half expected to overwhelm Derry football for a decade.
So many of that team have moved on in the seven years since. Big men. Darren O’Neill and Joe Keenan and Conor Kearns and Jared Monaghan and the rest. This kind of feels like Magherafelt 2.0, with a bit left over.
They have absorbed the lessons of last year.
In their own words, Newbridge “bullied” them in that decider. Everything that came down from the skies was gobbled up by green.
Not this time.
“Dan Higgins and Eoin McEvoy,” replies Shane Heavron when asked what had really changed from the game 12 months ago.
It was far from a case of having it all their own way but the pair of them stood up. They got their hands on enough ball that Magherafelt could break even.
McEvoy came off with three points then launched the 60-yard rocket downfield to Conall Higgins that resulted in the goal that finally finished a gripping decider with the last kick.
Now we’re on the subject, was this the best Derry final in a long time? It was absolutely compelling.
But back to the Higgins’. What a show Conall put on in the first half. Ridiculous stuff at times. Shane McGrogan has been an incredible man-marker for Newbridge. He knew Higgins wanted to go on the left, but was powerless to stop him doing it. All nine of Higgins’ points came in a first half that ended with Magherafelt six points up.
They had played with the breeze and halfway through the half, looked in real trouble. Oisin Doherty was having his own field day. He had four from play in an incredible start. The youngest brother of Conor and Mark ended the day with 0-13, of which seven were from open play.
On any other day, he’d have been man of the match.
Mind you, Aidan McCluskey had a serious case on the Magherafelt side too. Brother of captain Conor, he did an incredible amount of link work. He was Odhran Lynch’s primary option for shorts and he’d find himself constantly punching lines a minute later in attack.
There were so many performances all over. James Murray added to his growing portfolio. Johnny McErlain nets at one end, makes a goal-saving block at the other.
The turnover rate of Callum and Conor McGrogan for Newbridge in the second half, the punch from Shea McAteer and Mark Doherty.
As the wind ripped down towards the flagpoles at the corner of the clubhouse end, the game left everyone breathless.
When Magherafelt went in six up, you wondered how that happened in light of having been 0-7 to 0-4 down at the quarter mark.
Then when they went 12 points up and saw that whittled all the way down to two in stoppage time, you thought the same in reverse.
Newbridge died with their boots on. The Rossa supporters barked at their team’s inability to control the ball in the second half. They kept getting turned over, time and time and time again, everywhere on the field.
But there are very few club teams in Ulster or anywhere that can bring the energy to hounding you that Newbridge did. It’s grand saying keep the ball when you don’t have a posse of McGrogans sprinting to take it off you.
What makes it all the sweeter for Magherafelt is that Newbridge played well. Kevin Brady felt as much afterwards. The joint-manager of the deposed champions was happy with all of the big things in their game, as he had right to be.
That nothing went drastically wrong for a team as good as Newbridge shows you where Magherafelt had to be to win it.
When Johnny McErlain nipped in and palmed home three minutes into the second half, the team with Enda Muldoon, Gavin Devlin and Stephen Kernan on the line were 1-14 to 0-7 to the good.
Eoin McEvoy adds another, Shane Heavron punishes a breach. The kickouts briefly go awry. The road back for Newbridge is very dimly lit at that stage.
It all sparked with one Conor McGrogan turnover on Sean Young. Then he wins another and Oisin Doherty points. Odhran McGlone turnover, Shea McAteer goal chance drilled over. McGlone turnover, Doherty free. Eamon Young turnover, Callum McGrogan point.
The beast cannot believe the feast in front of it. Twelve becomes six becomes three.
Shane Heavron leaves one in. Aidan McCluskey flies up and squeezes it into the roof from the tightest of angles. Six up, five to go. Surely now? Not even.
With 90 seconds of stoppage time played, Newbridge have it back down to two again. Conleth McGrogan gets hands on the kickout but 24-year-old first time referee Cianan Canney, a young lad with a great future ahead of him, says overcarrying. Eoin McEvoy points at the other end.
The last kick of the game sums up the carnage. Magherafelt almost manage to make a mess of the insurance score. Heavron, slipping, hits the post. The ball falls to Higgins and with no angle for anything else. He shovels it across the goal to the wee green flag monster Cormac Murphy.
Magherafelt have done it.
They might do it a lot more often from here on.
MATCH STATS
Magherafelt: O Lynch; J McErlain 1-0, J Murray, C Heron; C McCluskey, M McEvoy, G Lupari; D Higgins, E McEvoy 0-3; A McCluskey 1-0, C Spiers, P McLarnon; Conall Higgins 0-9 (0-6tp, 0-1 45), C Murphy 1-0, S Heavron 0-3 (2f)
Subs: R Small for Spiers (45), C Quinn for M McEvoy (58), C Quinn for J McErlain (60)
Newbridge: J Henry; S McAteer 0-1, S McGrogan, M Doherty; Callum McGrogan 0-1, P McGrogan, Conor McGrogan; C Doherty 0-3 (0-2tp), Conleth McGrogan; S Young, E Young, O McGlone; C McAteer 0-3 (0-2tp), P McMullen, O Doherty 0-13 (0-4f, 0-2tpf)
Subs: C McBride for McMullen (53), A McGlone for O McGlone (54)
Referee: C Canney (Na Magha)