Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup round one: St Mary’s University College, Belfast 1-9 Ulster University 0-17
IT is coming up on a decade in April since Ulster University last won a Sigerson Cup but they took a significant step forward yesterday by dethroning Belfast rivals St Mary’s.
And if you want to look for comparisons, the Jordanstown men beat their other Belfast rivals Queen’s en route that year, with the Sigerson having rested in their halls the previous year.
There are seldom guarantees in football and it is hard to ever be sure of what Jordanstown will produce on any given day. Indeed, yesterday proved the point as they turned in two very different halves of the one game.
This ‘journey’, as manager Paul Rouse referred to it after the game, is partly about dispelling ‘myths’ about a lack of harmony engendered by the white and blue in comparison to other university sides.
There is more to do to reach that end game but in terms of positive signs, their ability to hang tight in a tricky first half was a standout.
The game began with an all-too familiar backdrop, with St Mary’s having objected to UU trio Ronan McNamee, Mark Bradley and Conor Burke, but they were all deemed eligible earlier in the week.
St Mary’s were the better, more organised outfit in the first half. Their defensive structure was solid, they forced turnover after turnover, they were an effective unit on the break and their own kick-outs were a source of great joy.
And yet for all of that, they led by just a single point at the interval having played with the benefit of a strong, icy wind that cut through the hardy souls of a decent crowd in west Belfast.
Only a madman would have come out to watch football as the snow threatened on several occasions, but St Mary’s workrate kept them warm in the opening half.
As was the way last year, theirs was a game of patience. At times they had all 15 men inside their own half and they refused to press any higher than halfway.
It did frustrate UU for long periods too. For all their attacking talent, it was the move to push Ryan McAnespie up on to Conor Meyler that perhaps had the biggest impact for the winners.
The Monaghan man didn’t quite run the show but he did get two valuable first half scores, one off either foot, while Mark Bradley did most of the probing from deeper than he might have liked.
They were also somewhat indebted to a couple of soft frees, most notably the one awarded to Johnny Munroe just after St Mary’s had gone 0-7 to 0-4 ahead.
The holders had initially struggled to find any attacking rhythm but soon started to get joy off a rotating one-man full-forward line, with Darragh Kavanagh notably effective in linking the play at times.
Cathal McShane had started inside as per last year but when he came out, himself and Oisin O’Neill began to completely dominate midfield and build the platform off runners from there.
The Crossmaglen man kicked three in the first half, the last of them a huge effort from a 45 just after Niall Toner had blasted over from 30 yards. That put three between them before two Brennan frees cut the gap back to the minimum, 0-7 to 0-6, at half-time.
Given their style of play, St Mary’s were reliant on the lead and it was wiped out within 20 seconds of the restart, with Daire Gallagher firing over a long-range score that was met by the loudest cheer of the day from the Jordanstown faithful.
While Darragh Kavanagh clipped the maroons back in front, Niall Madine quickly levelled again as the gaps began to appear more and more frequently in the Ranch cover.
That score from the Down forward started a run of seven unanswered points, and 10 of the next 11 in total, that took UU into an unassailable position.
The St Mary’s kickout was completely deconstructed, the wind holding up Marc Reid’s restarts and the full Jordanstown press allowing them to break everything and dominate on the ground.
Ronan McNamee kicked them ahead off his right foot and his growing influence was another factor in the turnaround, which continued apace even in spite of a black card for Eoin McHugh.
St Mary’s lost midfielder Liam Devlin to a black card for a third-man tackle on Gallagher, and his work in the engine room was also missed.
By the 50th minute, Ulster University had moved into a 0-14 to 0-8 lead, with Madine having finished the seven-in-a-row run just as he’d started it, clipping over from close range after good work by Michael McKernan.
An Oisin O’Neill free was the first riposte in over 20 minutes but Jordanstown almost sealed it moments later when Mark Bradley went clean through, but the Killyclogher man’s low effort was well saved by Marc Reid.
Lee Brennan, in front of the watching Mickey Harte, kicked two late scores from play while sub Terence O’Brien bustled his way in along the endline to fist over as the gap grew to eight, 0-17 to 0-9.
It was a reflection of the comfort with which Jordanstown had managed the last 25 minutes of the game, prising the gaps wide open when they appeared, and the scoreline was only glossed for St Mary’s when Oisin O’Neill managed to blast home a goal from a 13-metre free through a wall of bodies on the line.
The flatline response to the goal told you all you needed to know. St Mary’s had long known that their crown was about to fall. Jordanstown have a bit to go to be the ones who take it, starting with regular Sigerson weekend visitors University Limerick next week.
But there was just enough to suggest that this might not be another false dawn.
St Mary’s: M Reid; C Byrne, J Hannigan, K Mallon; C Mac Iomhair, C McConville, L Rafferty; L Devlin, C McShane (0-2); S McConville (0-1), O O’Neill (1-4, 1-3 free), J Óg Burns; N Toner (0-1), D Kavanagh (0-1), C Meyler
Subs: C Convery for Burns (49), C Corrigan for Rafferty (49)
Black card: L Devlin (44) replaced by A Boyle
Ulster University: S Fox; M Magee, M McKernan, R Brennan; R McAnespie (0-2), R McNamee (0-1), G McKinless; F Burns, J Munroe; E McHugh, M Bradley (0-3), D Gallagher (0-1); L Brennan (0-6, 0-4 frees), N Madine (0-2), D Tallon (0-1)
Subs: M McEvoy for Tallon (58), C Burke for McKernan (58), C McCann for Magee (58)
Black cards: E McHugh (42) replaced by T O’Brien (0-1); R McGlone (60) no replacement
Referee: B Cassidy (Derry)
