Connollys of Moy Tyrone SFC quarter-final replay
Killyclogher v Carrickmore (tonight, O’Neills Healy Park, 7.30pm)
CARRICKMORE and Killyclogher return to O’Neills Healy Park tonight for the second time in a week to face off in a Connollys of Moy Tyrone SFC quarter-final replay.
A dramatic finish last Friday saw Dara Hayes grab a stoppage-time goal to rescue a Killyclogher side that looked dead and buried.
It was the second successive game in which they hit the net in added time to keep themselves alive in the championship, having stunned Omagh right at the death in the previous round with a Sean Broderick goal. Carrickmore have also struck late for victory, Lorcan McGarrity launching a mighty score to scrape past Dromore by a point in the opening round.
So it was no surprise that two teams with a primal instinct for survival took it right to the wire when they clashed head-on.
Killyclogher will go into this evening’s rematch with a sense of relief that they’re there at all, while Carmen carry the weight of regret that they didn’t get the job done on day one.
Expectations of another close encounter are likely to be played out, in the true spirit of a championship guaranteed to thrill, and this one could go all the way to extra-time, possibly even to a penalty shoot-out.
Both sides have potential match-winners who could have the decisive say, such as Killyclogher’s Gavin Potter and Mark Bradley, who hit three superb second half points in the drawn game to drag his side back into contention, while Danny Fullerton or McGarrity may emerge as the Carrickmore hero.
The winners’ semi-final opponents will be either Errigal Ciaran or Clonoe, who will also be involved in a replay on Saturday following their own drama-packed tussle.
