Kilcoo 1-12 Glenswilly 1-6
Kilcoo are through to the Ulster semi-final after a bruising encounter with Glenswilly in Newry.
The turning point in the game came in the 42nd minute when Cathal Gallagher was red carded for Glenswilly after he fouled Conor Laverty. It was a double whammy for Glenswilly as Darragh O’Hanlon fired home the penalty.
Minutes earlier Gallagher should have had a goal for Glenswilly when they led 1-6 to 0-7. He blazed wide from point blank range. The penalty goal put Kilcoo ahead by 1-8 to 1-6 and they never looked in danger after that.
They were able to close out the game with some good points as Glenswilly wilted. In the end they were comfortable winners, and Glenswilly were reduced to 13 just before the end when Brian Farrelly was red carded for a late challenge.
In a very close opening half, Kilcoo had the better start and were camped in the Glenswilly half for the opening ten minutes.
Daragh O’Hanlon had Kilcoo on the board on four minutes from a free and Paul Devlin doubled the lead two minutes later from a 45m free.
But there were signs that Michael Murphy was going to cause Kilcoo problems, although he picked up a yellow card early on.
Then a high ball was fielded by Murphy and he offloaded to Brian Farrelly to open the Glenswilly account.
Ryan Johnston had Kilcoo’s third while Murphy was short with a 45m free and Eugene Branagan opened the gap to three by the 15th minute.
But the second quarter belonged to Glenswilly with Caolan Kelly finding Murphy who tapped over. After a good offload by Murphy, Brian Farrelly fluffed a good goal chance while Paul Devlin went short from a free at the other end to set up Ryan Johnston for a fifth point.
Gary McFadden tapped over a free after Murphy was fouled on 21 minutes and Oisin Crawford followed up with a magnificent score from the sideline.
Then came the big score of the half on 26 minutes, Murphy setting up Brian Farrelly, who was upended as he went for goal. From the penalty Murphy found the corner of the net to put Glenswilly into a 1-4 to 0-5 lead.
On the stroke of half-time Paul Devlin converted a 20m free from near the sideline to leave it 1-4 to 0-6 at the break.
Kilcoo: N Kane (0-1,45); N McEvoy, D O'Hanlon (1-1,1-0 pen,f), N Branagan; D Branagan, E Branagan (0-1), A Branagan; J McClean, F McGreevy; C Doherty, A Morgan, R Johnston (0-3); M Devlin, P Devlin (0-4,4f), Conor Laverty (0-1). Subs: D Kane (0-1) for M Devlin 43; J J McLoughlin for A Branagan 46; S O'Hanlon for P Devlin 58; Gary McEvoy for McLoughlin bcard 61; Gerard McEvoy for C Laverty 62
Glenswilly: J Gallagher; P McFadden, E Ward, A McDevitt; C Gibbons, R Diver, J Gibbons; N Gallagher, C Kelly; O Crawford (0-2), C Gallagher, B Farrelly (0-1); C Callaghan, M Murphy (1-2,1-0pen), G McFadden (0-1,f). Subs: C Bonner for Crawford 45; L Kelly for Diver 49; D McGinley for Callaghan 52; K McFadden for C Gibbons 56
Referee: B Cassidy (Derry)
Killyclogher 2-10 Cargin 1-8
Killyclogher’s first ever Ulster Club SFC win, helped by a magnificent Mark Bradley goal, set up a semi-final clash with Slaughtneil.
The Tyrone champions were always in charge of this Healy Park tie, and restricted their opponents to just two scores from play until Ryan McKernan scrambled home a stoppage time goal.
Bradley smashed home a brilliant 13th minute 18 yard strike for his side’s first score, after Tomas McCann and Kieran Close had edged the Antrim men ahead.
And the Tyrone champions added a second goal in the 17th minute, this one an eye-catching team score finished to the net by James Carlin from Conall McCann’s cross.
Paul McCann’s 21st minute point was Cargin’s only score from play in the opening half, but they trailed by just three at the break, after McCann and Close hit the target again from placed balls.
It was 2-2 to 0-5 at the interval, but the Red Hand title-holders stepped up the tempo with five points inside the opening ten minutes of the second half.
Bradley converted a couple of frees, and there were quality scores from play from Simon O’Neill and Conall McCann.
The McCann brothers, Michael and Tomas, pulled back points, but the Saffron representatives were seven behind going into stoppage time, before full forward McKernan grabbed a consolation goal.
Both sides finished with 14 men after Cargin’s Tony Scullion and Killyclogher captain Martin Swift picked up second bookings.
Killyclogher: S Fox, M Swift, D Gorman, G Sludden, T McCann, E Bradley, G Wallace, C McCann (0-1), F Meenagh, A Kelly, J Carlin (1-1), N Donnelly (0-1), E McFadden, M Bradley (1-3 (0-2f), S O'Neill (0-4, 2f). Subs: T Flanagan for Carlin, C Donnelly for E Bradley, T Cox for C McCann, D Leonard for A Kelly.
Cargin: J McNabb, D McKeever, M Kane, K O'Boyle, R Devlin, J Crozier, J Laverty, G McCann, J Carron, K Close (0-2, 2f), M McCann (0-1), P McCann (0-1), T McCann (0-4, 4f), R McKernan (1-0), M Magill. Subs: T Scullion for O'Boyle, M Kelly for Magill, E McGroggan for Close, K McShane for Devlin, D Johnson for Carron (BC) Referee: P Hughes (Armagh).
Slaughtneil 0-12 Derrygonnelly 0-7
Slaughtneil eventually overcame an obdurate Derrygonnelly to progress to the Ulster Club semi-final with a five point victory at Celtic Park.
Free-taker Paul Bradley top-scored for the 2014 provincial champions who now meet Killyclogher in a fortnight’s time.
With lessons clearly learnt from last year’s sound thrashing by the same opponents, Derrygonnelly adapted a much heavier manned defensive formation with, at times, no player in the Slaughtneil half. The tactic worked well with the Fermanagh champions running in just a point off the pace at 0-6 to 0-5 down at the break. Indeed, scores from Leigh Jones and brothers Garvan and Ryan Jones edged Harps into a surprising 0-5 to 0-4 lead after 22 minutes as the Emmet’s toiled in vain to pierce a tightly knitted Derrygonnelly blanket defence.
A late Paul Bradley free and a collector’s item from the outside of Patsy Bradley’s right boot handed Micky Moran’s men the smallest of leads at half-time.
Bradley’s heroics were short-lived, however, with the Derry talisman and Maurice Cassidy both black-carded within minutes of the restart.
Shane McGuigan - a beauty with his fast becoming famous left peg - and Leigh Jones traded points as both sides tussled for supremacy at Celtic Park.
However, the dismissal of Paul Ward for a second yellow card in the 44th minute proved fatal for the Fermanagh champions as Slaughtneil hit five of the last six points to run out eventual winners. Paul Bradley notched up his fifth of the day, before Cormac O’Doherty, Shane McGuigan, Karl McKaigue and Barry McGuigan all split the posts to put a gloss on a below par performance from the favourites.
Slaughtneil: Antoin McMullan, Frank McEldowney 0-1, Brendan Rogers, Karl McKaigue 0-1, Paul McNeill, Christopher McKaigue, Keelan Feeney, Patsy Bradley 0-1, Padraig Cassidy, Shane McGuigan 0-2 (0-1f), Paul Bradley 0-5 (0-4f), Meehaul McGrath, Christopher Bradley, Se McGuigan, Cormac O'Doherty 0-1 Subs: Paudie McGuigan for P Bradley (BC 32), Barry McGuigan 0-1
for P McGuigan (52), Ronan Bradley for M McGrath (52)
Derrygonnelly: Dermott Feely, Shane McGullion, Steven Burns, Dennis Greene, Neil Gallagher, Michael Jones, Garvan McGinley 0-1, Ryan Jones 0-1, Garvan Jones 0-3 (0-2f), Maurice Cassidy, Kevin Cassidy, Declan Cassidy, Paul Ward, Stephen McGullion, Leigh Jones 0-2 (0-1f) Subs: Lee Jones for M Cassidy (BC 34), Jonny McGurn for K Cassidy (43), Tiernan Daly for S McGullion (43), K Cassidy for N Gallagher (62)
Referee: Noel Mooney (Cavan)
Maghery 1-13 Ramor United 1-10
Maghery manager Shane McConville may have watched his side seal an Ulster club football championship semi-final place against Armagh but he was certainly not dishing out plaudits at the Athletic Grounds, Armagh on Sunday.
“When all is said and done, these players are going to have to learn how to play in this competition,” rapped McConville, “We did not play anywhere nearly as well as we can. Our decision-making was poor and we were forced to make changes up front. But that’s what happens when men don’t do their job.”
Despite the almost total midfield dominance of skipper James Lavery and gangling teenager Ben Crealey, Maghery’s lack of invention and penchant for over-carrying in attack severely disrupted their rhythm.
Yet they looked as if they were about to stamp their authority on the contest when Aidan Forker fisted in a 10th minute goal.
But within a minute Ramor were back on level terms at 1-1 each when James Brady stole in to tuck a neat shot past Maghery goalkeeper Johnny Montgomery.
An Aidan Forker point helped to sustain Maghery’s challenge before Jack Doyle with his second score eased Ramor into a 1-5 to 1-2 interval lead.
But that was as good as it got for the Cavan side. They enjoyed parity of esteem on three occasions in the second-half but in the closing stages the stunning finishing of the deadly Forker duo Stefan and Seamus ultimately killed off Ramor’s bid to salvage the game.
Their cause was not helped by the black cards dished out to two of their best forwards Adrian Cole and Conor Bradley nor by their inability to curb Maghery’s ball-winning capacity in the middle third of the park.
Yet manager McConville’s “must do better” report will certainly form the basis of Maghery’s semi-final preparatory programme.
Maghery: J Montgomery; E Scullion, O Lappin, G Campbell; D Lavery, C Higgins, N Forker 0-1; James Lavery 0-1, B Crealey; S Fox, C Mackle, S Forker 0-6 (3f); R Lappin, A Forker 1-1 (1f). S Cusack 0-1. Subs: S Tennyson for R Lappin (12), P Forker for Mackle (36), Seamus Forker 0-3 for Fox (36), Jack Lavery for A Forker (38).
Ramor United: L Brady; M Magee, A O'Connell, J McEnroe; M McGee, B O'Connell, E Somerville; S Monaghan, S Cadden; C Maguire 0-1, C Bradley 0-4 (2f), James Bradley 0-1; James Brady 1-0, A Cole, K Mulvany 0-1. Subs: J Doyle 0-3 for Cole (BC 6 mins), G McNamee for Cathal Maguire (43), Killian Maguire for O'Connell (46), S Cole C Bradley (BC 56).
Referee: Niall Cullen (Fermanagh)
