All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers Round Three/Derry 0-13 Limerick 0-9: A persuasive hour of football from Derry brought down the curtain on the Liam Kearns era with Limerick in Connacht's football heartland yesterday. Three thundering points from Paddy Bradley at the critical period in the game were enough to break the back of a tough but poor contest where the result was everything.
It was a bleak close to Limerick's summer and a match that must have reminded their travelling supporters through rhymes of the frustrations of the past half-decade. Derry are not Kerry - though they are travelling in the same direction - but they illustrated the same shortcomings that have cost Limerick on their epic quest for a Munster championship under Kearns.
Here, they did not let their latest provincial disappointment cloud their chances of making an impact in the qualifying system. They wanted nothing for gas and were full of athleticism and heart, but those qualities will only take a team so far.
Perhaps it was those heartbreaking strikes from the blue by Bradley that provided Limerick with the starkest presentation of where their trouble lay.
The Glenullin man has been shining all championship and, after weathering an uneven spell, he stepped up to land two huge points from over 50 metres and a great point from the sideline on 63 minutes that was like a punch in the gut to Limerick.
While he kicked scores from all angles, Limerick struggled to find anyone to produce a reply. Their full-forward line failed to find the target all afternoon and it was left to Muiris Gavin to employ his excellent dead-ball radar as Limerick sought to stay in contention. Gavin could not be faulted, firing eight points including a skilful score from play early in the second half when his team looked like they might just come storming into the qualifying picture.
But while Stephen Kelly's pace troubled the Derry defence periodically, they were rarely stretched.
Jason Stokes and Seánie Buckley half unlocked the fullback line early in the second half, but goalkeeper Barry Gillis parried the snap shot and Derry were never as vulnerable again.
Gavin hit two frees after that chance to leave Limerick 0-7 to 0-6 in arrears, but Bradley simply booted another point from nothing to keep the northern team on the scent of victory.
Overall, it was a strange day in Castlebar and the crowd of 10,713 was an indication that the romance of the qualifiers is beginning to wear thin. News of events in Croke Park was broadcast around the ground as if to tantalise the crowd with notions of a different championship elsewhere. If that is the case, then Derry have the right stuff to make a telling impact upon it.
Clansmen from the Loup, from Slaughtneil and from Ballinderry greeted each other emotionally, like long-lost friends reunited after making it on the Oregon trail. Mayo's wild west is the last place Derry folk expected to find themselves, but there is a sense that Mickey Moran's team are growing as this season goes on.
Their arduous route through Ulster has not been helped by the county board's decision to run off the county championship and their beanpole forward star Enda Muldoon was the latest to suffer injury as a result.
But while slim on resources, Derry are appealing. Even without senior midfielder Fergal Doherty, Patsy Bradley won some hard-earned ball at midfield and Johnny McBride had a smart, busy afternoon. Eoin Bradley has the same calibre radar as his brother and his two second-half points were immense.
Seán Marty Lockhart was absorbed with Gavin, but Paul McFlynn stormed into attack with raids reminiscent of his stunning debut year of 1998. His point on 10 minutes - a neat, trademark kick - settled Derry and they never trailed.
Ballinderry superstar Conleth Gilligan came in with 15 minutes to go, when the score stood at 0-9 to 0-9, and his calm, intelligent distribution from deep helped turn the game in Derry's favour.
When they move the ball swiftly, Derry are a treat to watch. Michael Lynch's point on 27 minutes was the pick of the day, originating from a block by Kevin McCloy on Michael Reidy.
Eoin Bradley's score on 63 minutes was similar, with Kevin McGuckin playing Gilligan, who picked out the "other" Bradley with a perfect pass.
By then, the writing was on the wall for Limerick. John Galvin was posted in around the square as they forlornly chased a goal.
They must have been one of the most honest teams of the last five years, but at the end they probably did not quite get the return their efforts deserved.
Derry's resilience underlines the strength of northern football and they must be the pick of the counties to have come through the qualifiers.
Moran has a fortnight now to get his squad back to health for the dog days of August.
DERRY: B Gillis; K McGuckin, K McCloy, M Kelly; F McEldowney, SM Lockhart, P McFlynn (0-1); J McBride, P Bradley; P Murphy, E Bradley (0-3, 50), G Donaghy (0-1); M Lynch (0-2, 1 free), P Bradley (0-6, 3 frees), C Devlin. Subs: G O'Kane for M Kelly (half-time), P Murphy for C Devlin (46 mins), C Gilligan for F McEldowney (56 mins), P Wilson for P McFlynn (73 mins inj).
LIMERICK: S O'Donnell; M O'Riordan, T Stack, J McCarthy; P Browne, S Lucey, C Mullane; J Quane, J Galvin; S Kelly (0-1), M Gavin (0-8, 7 frees), S Buckley; C Fitzgerald, M Reidy, M Crowley. Subs: J Stokes for J Quane (half-time), J Donovan for M Reidy (half-time), M O'Brien for S Buckley (57 mins). Booked: J Stokes (55 mins), J McCarthy (66 mins), J Galvin (71 mins).
Referees: J Bannon (Longford, inj half-time),
M Daly (Mayo, second half).
