EirGrid Ulster U21 FC semi-final: Derry 0-21 Armagh 1-15 (aet)
DERRY advanced to their first Ulster U21 final since 2008 with a hard-earned extra-time win over a resilient Armagh in perfect conditions at Celtic Park last night.
Points from Danny Tallon, Peter Hagan and a fisted Eamonn McGill effort sealed the game in the closing stages to take the Oak Leafers through to face Donegal in Monday night’s decider.
Fergal P McCusker’s side learned from their failings at the end of normal time when Tallon’s free looked to have won it. Derry lace the composure to see the game out and Oisin O’Neill’s 64th minute points forced extra-time.
Derry were out of the blocks early with a long-range Patrick Kearney point in the first minute. Armagh hit back when Caolan McConville played in Oisin O’Neill for a score in the fourth minute.
Ben McKinless’s kicking saw Derry boss midfield and race into a 0-3 to 0-1 lead by the seventh minute with points from senior panelists Peter Hagan and Danny Tallon.
Then the game swung at midfield as Armagh got grips with the channels of space at midfield limiting Derry’s dominance. At the other end goalkeeper Ryan Kearney was flawless with his kicking.
McConville and Shea Loye levelled matters by the 10th minute as Armagh settled into the game.
With Danny Tallon and Shane McGuigan operating well inside, they were accurate from paced balls and Patrick Kearney delivering the passes Derry went 0-7 to 0-4.
Ben Creely and captain Jack Rafferty had a spell of dominance for Armagh. Paddy Coney had a shot blocked and, on the counter-attack, Oisin O’Neill passed to brother Rian for a point.
From a fluffed kick-out Oisin O’Neill narrowed the gap to a single point, but Shane McGuigan replied with a score after a foul on Cathal Mulholland.
With three minutes to the break Armagh struck for a goal, Rian O’Neill passing to Oisin who drilled high past Ben McKinless.
Two points from Danny Tallon had Derry ahead 10 minutes into the second half. It didn’t hinder Armagh as they began to take control. Too often Derry ran into tackles and a stronger Armagh side hit them on the break.
The Armagh defence, led by Barry McCambridge began to shut down the space in the Derry attack that struggled to influence the game.
A fisted point from Shea Hoey was followed but points from the O’Neill brothers and wing back Callum O’Neill put Armagh 1-10 to 0-10 ahead with 10 minutes to go.
Tallon and two McGuigan points, the second one from play brought the sides level with five minutes to go. Danny Tallon’s 59th minute free looked to have done enough before Oisin O’Neill forced extra-time.
In the extended period Peter Hagan and Danny Tallon with a gem of a score edged Derry ahead, but they were lucky when Shane Hoey had a glimpse of a goal only to find the side netting.
Shane McGuigan opened up a three-point lead as Derry threatened to pull away, but Stephen Morris pegged one back for the Orchard County on the blow of half-time.
Dean Curran notched a vital score in the second period of extra-time, but Armagh were still full of running. Substitute Tom O’Kane scored two points in quick succession to bring the game back to a point before Derry’s late rally saw them through.
Derry: B McKinless; N Keenan, O Duffin, C McGrogan; C Mulholland, M McEvoy, J Curran; J Doherty, P Kearney (0-2); P Coney, D Tallon (0-8, 0-4 frees), P Hagan (0-3); S McGuigan (0-6, 0-5 frees), R McElwee, C Doherty.
Subs: T Flanagan for R McElwee (h-t), B Grant for P Coney (h-t), E McGill (0-1) for C Mulholland (BC 47), D Curran (0-1) for
B Grant (58), P McNeill, K Feeney for J Curran (h-t,e-t),
Black Card: C Muholland (46), J Curran (65).
Yellow Card: C Mulholland (45), P Hagan (79).
Armagh: R Kearney; P McArdle, A Rushe, C McConville (0-1); K Higgins, B McCambridge, C O’Neill (0-1); B Creeley, J Rafferty; P Quinn, O O’Neill (1-5, 0-2 frees), C Boylan; S Loye (0-2 frees), J Duffy, R O’Neill (0-2, 0-1 free).
Subs: J McAlinden for P McArdle (40), S Hoey (0-1) for J Rafferty (40), R Owens for P Quinn (48), T O’Kane (0-2) for S Loye (48), F Quinn for J McAlinden (BC 53), S Morris (0-1) for C Boylan (61), J Burns for B Creely (69), M McNamee for J Duffy (72).
Black Cards: J McAlinden (52).
Yellow Cards: C O’Neill (36), R Kearney (66), R O’Neill (65).
Ref: N Cullen (Fermanagh).
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EirGrid Ulster U21 FC semi-final: Donegal 3-17 Cavan 0-13
DONEGAL were simply irresistible in this 13-point mauling of Cavan in the Ulster U21 Championship semi-final at Brewster Park last night.
The three goals may have all come in the second half but it was to be the 10 points in-a-row that Declan Bonner’s men kicked in the first half that was to be the winning of the game.
Leading by seven as the second half resumed, Cian Mulligan put the game beyond all doubt with the first green flag for Donegal.
Like the subsequent goals from Michael Carroll and substitute Caolan McGonigle lighting quick hands was coupled with speed and timing from the runner to slice through a ragged Cavan defence.
Carroll’s goal arrived 10 minutes into the second half while McGonigle’s came as the game entered its dying moments.
Cavan were set up with men behind the ball, as were Donegal, but the bodies in defence simply didn’t manifest itself into any meaningful defence for the Breffni boys as Donegal had too much all over the field.
In defence, the winners were on top also with Tony McCleneghan marshalling a well-drilled unit from centre half-back with Stephen McMenamin also catching the eye in the full-back line.
Some of Donegal’s shooting in the first half was truly excellent. Stephen McBrearty hit three sublime points during that period and his ability to take the ball at speed off the shoulder of his team-mate and follow that up with a shot on the run was something that Cavan had no answer to.
Michael Langan was a towering figure in the middle of the field for the winners and he added a brace of points, one from play and one from a free. Lorcan Connors at corner-forward registered five first half scores, adding a point from play as the half wound down to go with four placed kicks as Donegal had stars throughout their line up.
Ultimately, however, it was their ability to work as a cohesive unit that was the most impressive facet of their play. Each man knew his role and performed it to a high level with no sign of ego on display.
For Cavan, things had started brightly and they led by three points to two after five minutes with Conor Bradley hungry for possession and registering the first point of the game.
Ryan Connolly added two frees and, while Langan and McBrearty answered for Donegal, there is no doubt that the Breffni youngsters would have been happy with the start to the game.
Donegal seemed to change gears for the next 20 minutes, however, and they started to take over around the middle of the field, winning possession time and again from
kick-outs. Jason McGee was a destructive presence in this sector, and with the pace of the Donegal half-back line joining the attack Cavan were finding matters exceptionally tough.
They did come back into the game as the half drew towards a close and kicked three of the last four points to leave seven points between the teams at the break. But it was to prove a false dawn and the second half simply belonged to Donegal.
Donegal: D Rodgers; C Morrison, S McMenamin, E Ban Gallagher; D O Baoill, T McCleneghan, B McCole; J McGee, M Langan (0-3, 0-1 free); J Brennan, C McLaughlin, M Carroll (1-2); L Connors (0-6, 0-5 frees), C Mulligan (1-1), S McBrearty (0-4).
Subs: C Doherty for McLaughlin (h-t), N O’Donnell (0-1) for McBrearty (42), C McGonigle (1-0) for Carroll (46), E O’Donnell for Langan (47), R Carr for Connors (51), N Freil for McCleneghan (55)
Black Cards: Carroll (45)
Cavan: L Brady; M Smart, D Monaghan, L Fortune (0-1); S O’Connor, E Sommerville, P O’Reilly; T Galligan, C Daly; P Smith, C Bradley (0-1), M McKenna; C O’Reilly (0-4 frees), B Magee (0-1), R Connolly (0-5, 0-4 frees)
Substitutes: C Smith for M McKenna (36), B Argue for O’Reilly (42), D Brady (0-01) for Smith (42), K Donohoe for Daly (45), T E Donohoe for Magee (49), R Clarke for Bradley (55)
Yellow card: Fortune (59)
Referee: S Laverty (Antrim)
