Premier Electrics Derry Junior Football Championship Final
Doire Trasna 2-11
Limavady 0-9
Doire Trasna completed the league and championship when they defeated Limavady for the fourth time this season with an eventually comprehensive eight point victory, a crowd of 1804 in Celtic Park to witness that feat, and minor titles for Ballinascreen and Glen.
After the game their manager Paul Simpson remarked, “As you know, in championship, goals win games and both were crucial scores at crucial times, the first a fisted one from Cormac Carlin in the 3rd minute to give us a huge start, the second in the 22nd minute, a blistering strike by Micheál McNaught, when Limavady had fought back to level at 0-5 to 1-2.”
When it was most needed Doire Trasna had fantastic displays from key players all over the pitch, Cormac Carlin poised and confident as a ‘sweeper’ behind the full back line, Conor Houston quite magnificent at left half back with his dangerous and penetrative raids on the flank, Colin Murray (0-6) Micheál McNaught and Cormac Carlin (1-1 each) in an outstanding attack.
When Pearses scored their second goal to move 2-2 to 0-5 ahead it looked as if they had weathered the Wolfhounds storm that had yielded points from King (2), Ruairi O’Kane and a Cormac Quigley pointed free for 0-5 to 1-2 ten minutes from half time.
Still Pearses were good value for their 2-2 to 0-6 interval lead and they put paid to any hopes Limavady might have harboured with a blistering third quarter.
The irrepressible Colin Murray hit three superb points inside five minutes, Micheál McNaught extending the lead to five points in the 40th minute.
Eugene O’Kane and Murray exchanged points from frees by the midpoint of the half but Murray from a free, Caolan O’Connell with a second point of the game and substitute Dee Starrett completed the victory , a late Limavady siege yielding just a point from Richard King.
Paul Simpson stressed the importance of the win , “I am really delighted with the overall performance of the players and the team. This is massive for us as a club. We set out at the start of the year with the target of getting promotion in the league. Once we reached the final we wanted so much to win the championship. “
Doire Trasna
J McGilloway; D McDermott; C Deery, C McKane; C McGowan, T McCrossan, C Houston; P Quigley, C Doyle; C O’Connell, S McNaught, M McNaught; C Murray, C Carlin, E Carlin
S Fleming for C McKane 24, D Harkin for M McNaught 45, D Starrett for C Carlin 50, N Callan for C Houston 59, D Crossan for C McGowan 64
Doire Trasna scorers: C Murray 0-6, 4f, M McNaught 1-2, 1 f, C Carlin 1-0, C O’Connell 0-2, D Starrett 0-1
Limavady
D McInnes; M McVeigh, H McLaughlin, B Deery; C Carton, C Boyd, K McGlinchey; S McLaughlin,
J Deery; E Rogers, R King, E O’Kane; R O’Kane, C Quigley, A McGregor
M McGroarty for E Rogers H-T, R Hasson for R O’Kane 43, O Hasson for C Cartin 52,
N McKeever for K McGlinchey 57
Limavady scorers: R King 0-4, 1f, E O’Neill 0-3, 2f, C Quigley 0-2
Referee John Joe Cleary Castledawson
FAO Irish News Sport
As requested by text on Saturday afternoon by Thomas
Seamus Mullan
