Morgan Fuels Down SHC semi-finals
Portaferry 1-31 Ballycran 3-14
THREE second-half goals from Ballycran couldn’t save them from a nine-point defeat in the Morgan Fuels Down SHC semi-final in Portaferry as the home side stayed on course for a third successive title.
The pair have met in the last six deciders, with no more than a couple of points between them, but there was no doubting Portaferry’s superiority yesterday, with Ballycran’s goals from Paul Sheehan (57 minutes) and Conor Woods (61) coming far too late to change the outcome.
Portaferry’s dominance started from the back where Pearse Smyth was able to fire puck-outs with pin-point accuracy to an attack that was constantly on the move and creating space for the inside forwards.
Tom McGrattan was excellent and finished with an impressive 1-12, only 1-5 of which came from placed balls. There was also plenty of danger posed by the Sands brothers, Finn Turpin and Niall Milligan.
Helped by a McGrattan goal from a 15th-minute penalty, they pulled away to lead by 1-14 to 0-9 at the break, with almost all of the front six and captain Matthew Conlan already on the scoresheet.
Portaferry had added three points to their half-time lead before substitute Ayrton Gleeson pounced on a long free from Conor Woods that dropped short in the 36th minute.
The goal mattered little, however, as the winners immediately went 10 points clear at 1-22 to 1-12 by the midway point of the half.
Goals from Sheehan and veteran Conor Woods from a penalty in added time were mere footnotes as the Ports signalled that the three-in-a-row was very much on their minds.
Ballygalget 2-15 Liatroim 0-16
GOALS in added-time in both halves were the decisive scores in a feisty championship encounter in Ballygalget yesterday that had outsiders Liatroim on the brink of a first senior final appearance in 96 years.
Liatroim took the game to Ballygalget, who had topped the group stages of the competition with five straight victories, despite Shea Pucci giving the Ards side the lead in the opening minute.
Cormac Lynch, PJ Davidson, Conor and Pearse Óg McCrickard reeled off Liatroim points in the opening 10 minutes before the latter took over from dead balls. He added five points, with brother Conor and Willie McCartan chipping in with scores, and as the game moved into first half added-time they led by double scores, 0-12 to 0-6.
However, Ballygalget drove up the field a minute into injury-time and defender Michael Toner pulled a ground shot to the net to leave them a more manageable target for the second half.
Nevertheless, Pearse Óg McCrickard increased Liatroim’s lead on the restart, pointing a sideline from 20 metres out.
Ballygalget fired over seven of the next eight points to take the lead, including four from defenders Ben Taggart, John McManus (two) and Michael Toner.
Liatroim reduced the gap during the final 10 minutes thanks to points from Eoin and Conor McCrickard, but a goal from Danny Toner in injury-time scuppered any hopes of a shock result.
