EirGrid Ulster U20 Football Championship round one
Section A Derry 2-14 Down 1-9
DERRY eased to a first win of the campaign against champions Down on Saturday afternoon in Páirc Esler.
Oisin Doherty and Johnny McGuckian hit the net for Hugh McGrath’s side, who built on their 1-5 to 0-4 interval lead.
Down were unable to build on four Eoin Loughran points and Ronan Kelly plucking possession at midfield in the third quarter.
The Oak Leafers fielded with six of last year’s minor All-Ireland winning team and were never behind over the hour.
Cahir Spiers had his hands on an ocean of possession as Derry held control for much of the game.
Niall O’Donnell, who was forced off early with a tight hamstring, kicked the opening score of the game and Derry were 0-4 to 0-0 ahead before Loughran raised a white flag at the other end.
Conleth McGrogan was shown a black card 10 minutes before half-time and Down started making inroads into their deficit, pulling level by the time McGrogan came back on.
Derry then edged ahead before the turning point in the game on the cusp of half-time.
Spiers and McGuckian’s combined width opened the centre. Eoin Higgins was involved in the incisive move finished with Doherty’s injury-time goal to hand the Oaks a four-point lead at the break.
Derry were out the blocks in the third quarter with points from Higgins before McGuckian’s goal ended the game as a contest.
Doherty blasted a chance over the bar before Derry had a later goal chance blocked with a series of shots off the crossbar, post and a Down defender.
A high ball into the defence wasn’t dealt with late on and Ruddy finished Down’s only goal of the game.
Scorers
Derry O Doherty 1-5 (3f), E Higgins (2f), C McGrogan 0-3 each, J McGuckian 1-0, N O’Donnell. C Heron and T Rogers 0-1 each
Down E Loughran 0-4, S Carr 0-3 (2f), D Ruddy 1-0, L Quinn and D Mussen 0-1 each
Section A Antrim 0-7 Tyrone 8-16
TYRONE made an emphatic start to their bid for a second title in three years, overwhelming Antrim by a huge 33 points margin at Dunsilly.
There was never any doubt about the outcome of this opening fixture in the new round-robin format once Gavin Potter fired in the first of his side’s four first-half goals after six minutes.
Tom Shivers led the Saffron challenge with an immense midfield performance, but they were unable to match Red Hand pace, organisation and clinical finishing.
Shivers and Enda McCartan sent over a couple of scores for the home side, but Tyrone were expansive and creative as they racked up the scores, and led by 2-3 to 0-2 at the end of the opening quarter after Oisin Gormley had hit the net.
Eoin McElholm grabbed the first of his hat-trick of goals on 21 minutes, and after Conor Owens had netted a penalty, they led by 4-5 to 0-5 at the interval.
Antrim pressed in the early stages of the second half through Shivers, Johnny Hannon and McCartan, but found little joy against a solid Tyrone defence.
And the scoreboard was soon ticking again at the other end, with wing-backs Odhran Brolly and Shea O’Hare finding the target.
Cormac Devlin added goal number five, and two in the space of a minute from McElholm piled on the agony for the Saffrons, before full-forward Owens hit his second goal for a personal 2-6 tally.
Section B
Fermanagh 0-7 Armagh 1-10
ARMAGH got their campaign off to a winning start on Saturday, running out six-point winners over hosts Fermanagh in Ederney.
The Orchard county produced a furious first-half display that saw them 1-8 to 0-1 in front by the break and, although Fermanagh produced a more creditable second-half performance, they couldn’t manage to reel the visitors in.
Brendan O’Hagan was in accurate form in that impressive first half for Armagh, with midfielder Pierce Blessing also chipping in. James Austin got the Armagh goal in what was the Orchard county’s first win at this grade since 2018, when they reached the Ulster final.
The other round one game in Section B, sees Cavan and Donegal, face off at Kingspan Breffni on Wednesday night (8pm).
