THE last time Bellaghy and Newbridge met in proper championship football three years ago, it was Peter Stuart’s injury-time 45 that saw them into a first quarter-final for six years.
He’d been a young sub in 2015, his first year on the panel coming off the back of winning an Ulster minor title with Derry as an outfield sub on a team containing Shane McGuigan, Conor Glass and Shea Downey.
Bellaghy reached the semi-final that year but were well-beaten by Slaughtneil.
Last-four appearances have become a rarity for the Tones.
It is closing in on 70 years since the first of Bellaghy’s record 21 county titles in Derry but it’s also touching 20 years since their last.
Next year will mark that unwanted anniversary unless they can navigate a path this autumn that begins once more with Newbridge on Saturday week, October 5.
Stuart’s injury-time penalty save from his winter team-mate at Aghadowey FC, Sean Kearney, helped Bellaghy across the line in a six-point win over Swatragh on Sunday afternoon.
It was make-or-break for both teams, with Niall Conway’s men eliminated.
“After the football’s over, I go and play soccer in the off-season for a bit of craic.
“I play with the Kearneys [who play for Swatragh]. It was probably a bit unfair for Sean, I’ve seen him hit 10 or 12 penalties, faced him in training. I had an idea.
“I’m proud of our boys, they kept to the gameplan really well there. When we’re moving that ball and not giving it away and winning our kickouts, we can do things.
“That’s more like the Bellaghy that we know compared to the last two or three games. I’m very proud of our boys there.
“It was make or break for us. We know what we have inside our changing room and our squad. I’m sure we’re well written off now after the last three games we’ve played but we don’t care about that. We know what we have and we’re gonna kick on from here.
“Newbridge are a really, really strong side but that’s championship football, you’re not gonna get anything else. That’s what you want to play against. That’s a real challenge. We know ourselves we can overcome that and if we do, we wouldn’t care who we face in the semi-finals, we’re ready for that challenge.
“I’ve been here nine or ten years, I was a sub in a semi-final and outside that we haven’t performed to the level the history of Bellaghy demands. We know that’s behind us but we’re a young team.
“We want to push forward and carve a path that our club is capable of. We needed that win today, that will give us the confidence to go further.”
He converted from outfield six years ago and since taking over as Bellaghy’s number one, he’s developed into one of the most sturdy and reliable goalkeepers in the county.
So much so that it’s a surprise he’s never had a call from Owenbeg to at least show what he’s worth.
He was at one work one day last year when his phone started pinging with messages congratulating him on his call-up. Initially bemused, he discovered that someone had posted it on a message board and that went around on WhatsApp.
The 26-year-old says he’s “never, ever thought about it” but that he would welcome the idea.
“Nothing’s ever been said to me. But you look at the county ‘keepers, [Odhran] Lynchy and Scud [Ryan Scullion], two unbelievable players.
“I played two weeks ago against Slaughtneil, Jack Cassidy, sublime. And he’s got Niall Morgan [now coaching Slaughtneil] behind him.
“There’s really, really strong ‘keepers up there. That’s what you aspire to.”