ON THIS DAY _ Sunday May 30 2010
Ulster Senior Football Championship first round: Donegal 2-10 Down 1-15 (after extra-time)
BENNY Coulter is one of the Championship game's arch-assassins.
Goals, the more dramatic the better, are Coulter's stock and trade.
He lives for the split-second when predator instincts come alive.
In the 86th minute of this twisting, turning quarter-final of hits and misses, Down's sharp-shooter struck.
Coulter will savour the replays for a few days. It meant the world to him to see the ball slam home as despairing defenders looked on.
He paid tribute to the calm vision and unselfishness of Danny Hughes and Martin Clarke, who orchestrated yesterday's match-winning chance.
The initial key to unlock Donegal was supplied by one of the six subs that James McCartan sent into Ballybofey's trenches, Conor Maginn robbing midfield giant Neil Gallagher.
Donegal's goalkeeper Paul Durcan could do nothing about it. A contender for the game's most influential player, Durcan had brilliantly saved to deny Coulter after 24 minutes.
He also produced a superb reflex moment of skill to fingertip away Dan Gordon's punched effort on 67 minutes with the tie all-square at 2-6 to 0-12.
But Mayobridge marksman Coulter, who gave former Allstar corner-back Karl Lacey a few torrid spells, made up his mind instantly as soon as
Clarke played him in.
“I knew as soon as it was coming through the air that I was taking it round the 'keeper. I took it round him and, empty net, I put a wee
cushion on it,” he said.
Donegal:P Durcan; F McGlynn, N McGee, K Lacey; M Maguire, K Cassidy, B Dunnion; B Monaghan,NGallagher; R Kavanagh (0-1), C Toye, D Walsh (0-1); D Molloy (1-3, 0-2 frees), M Murphy (0-1 free), C Dunne (1-0).
Subs:A Hanlon (0-1) for C Toye (43); A Thompson for B Monaghan (53); M McHugh (0-1) for N Gallagher (63); C McFadden (0-1 free) for D Molloy (66)
Extra-time:N Gallagher for C Dunne (70); P McGrath for F McGlynn (78); E Waide (0-1) for M Maguire (80).
Yellow cards:B Dunnion (37); A Thompson (55); A Hanlon (65)
Down:B McVeigh; B McArdle, D Rooney, D Rafferty; K McKernan, J Colgan, C Garvey; D Gordon, K King; D Hughes (0-4), M Poland (0-3, 0-2 frees), P McComiskey; B Coulter (1-4), J Clarke (0-1), M Clarke (0-3, 0-1 45).
Subs:C Maginn for J Clarke (47); P Fitzpatrick for P McComiskey (55); D O'Hagan for K McKernan (63).
Extra-time:S Kearney for D Rooney (70); C Laverty for M Poland (79); R Murtagh for C Garvey (86).
Yellow cards:K King (5); K McKernan (9); M Poland (22); D Rooney (65); R Murtagh (87); C Maginn (88), D O'Hagan (90).
Referee:Joe McQuillan (Cavan)
Attendance:13,727
THE Antrim hurlers suffered a heartbreaking defeat at Parnell Park yesterday as they fell to Offaly on a 2-26 to 3-16 scoreline after extra-time.
What was most galling for the Saffrons was the fact that they had led by two points entering injury time, but a point from Dylan Hayden followed by a Shane Dooley 20-metre free in the 74th minute ensured a further 20 minutes of action.
The Leinster side had played much of the second half with 14 men after Derek Molloy had picked up two yellow cards, but this numerical disadvantage did not apply to extra time and they resumed with a full complement.
This, coupled with the momentum secured in the final stages of normal time, allowed them to overpower their opponents and they outscored Dinny Cahill's side on a 1-5 to 0-1 scoreline over the two additional periods to eventually ease home
BIG BEN STRIKES: Benny Coulter can't hide his delight after scoring an extra-time major to finally see off Donegal in the Ulster SFC first round tie in Ballybofey on Sunday May 30 2010
- Who is runner-up to Lionel Messi on Argentina's top-scorer list?
- That player finished his European career on loan at which Italian club?
- How many times did Steven Gerrard win the FA Cup?
- Kaizer Chiefs FC are based in which South African city?
- In what year was Andy Farrell voted the best rugby league player in the world?
- Who is the only female jockey to win a Triple Crown race?
- In which race was she victorious?
- Who was the first unseeded player to win Wimbledon?
- Who came runner-up in the 2019 World Series?
- Which county won the All-Ireland GAA Senior Football Championship final in 2012?
- Gabriel Batistuta
- Inter Milan
- Twice
- Johannesburg
- 2004
- Julieann Louise Krone
- Belmont Stakes
- Boris Becker
- Houston Astros
- Donegal, defeating Mayo by 2–11 to 0–13
-
Phil Brown
soccer
former Southend and Hull City manager, born 1959.
-
Ian Austin
cricket
former Lancashire and England all-rounder, born 1966.
-
Thomas Hassler
football
former Germany footballer, born 1966.
-
Paul Grayson
rugby union
former England fly-half and Northampton coach, born 1971.
-
Andy Farrell
rugby union
former England and Saracens centre who currently coaches Ireland, previously Great Britain and Wigan rugby league captain, born 1975.
-
Steven Gerrard
soccer
former Liverpool captain and England midfielder, current Rangers boss, born 1980.
-
James Simpson-Daniel
rugby union
former Gloucester and England winger, born 1982.
-
Nikolay Bodurov
soccer
Bulgarian former Fulham centre back, born 1986.
-
Jonathan Fox
swimming
Paralympian who won gold in the 100m backstroke S7 at the 2012 London Paralympics and holds several S7 world records, born 1991.
- 1911
Ray Harroun won the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in a Marmon Wasp.
- 1971
Essex's Keith Boyce set a John Player Sunday League record when he took eight Lancashire wickets for 26 runs.
- 1996
England's footballers returned from a tour of Hong Kong amid allegations of a drunken binge which started in a club and continued on the flight home. The airline, Cathay Pacific, reported £35,000 of damage to its plane.
- 1999
Manchester City scored twice in the dying stages to force extra time in their play-off final against Gillingham at Wembley and went on to win a penalty shoot-out which secured their promotion to Division One.
- 2002
Former Great Britain international Karl Harrison took over as coach at Super League Salford on the same day the club suspended Bobbie Goulding over an alleged training-ground bust-up.
- 2005
West Ham were promoted to the Premier League after a 1-0 win over Preston in the Championship play-off final at the Millennium Stadium.
- 2006
Theo Walcott became England's youngest international at 17 years and 75 days in a 3-1 friendly victory over Hungary at Old Trafford.
- 2007
Wales captain Ryan Giggs confirmed his decision to retire from international football.
- 2009
Chelsea beat Everton 2-1 to win the FA Cup final.
- 2011
Swansea beat Reading 4-2 to win the Championship play-off final and promotion to the Premier League.
- 2012
Brendan Rodgers told Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins he wanted to take up an offer to manage Liverpool. He was soon installed as the new boss at Anfield.
- 2013
Mark Hughes was appointed Stoke manager, six months after being sacked by QPR.
- 2015
Alastair Cook became England's all-time leading Test run-scorer, surpassing mentor Graham Gooch's 8,900, during the match against New Zealand. On the same day, Arsenal secured back to-back FA Cup triumphs with a 4-0 win over Aston Villa at Wembley.
- 2016
Alastair Cook became the first Englishman and youngest ever to score 10,000 Test runs in England's nine-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second Investec Test.