Green Gate Ulster Club Minor Football Championship final: Slaughtneil 1-9 Ardboe 1-8
WITH more fire-power up front Slaughtneil collected the new Jimmy McConville Cup yesterday after squeezing out Ardboe in the final of the Green Gate Ulster Club Minor Football Championship at St Paul’s Complex in Belfast.
After Patrick Bradley opened the scoring for the new champions in the second minute, Ardboe took over with Brian McGuigan plus Aidan and Ryan Quinn slicing through the opposition.
Four Ardboe points flew over before the excellent Larry Bradley, after a great run, got Slaughtneil’s second score in the 18th minute.
Ardboe’s Paul Ryan later went off with a knee injury and three minutes into overtime Slaughtneil centre-forward Kevin O’Neill (Man of the Match) got the score that eventually won the game.
A looping lob from midfield bounced off a few hands in the Ardboe goalmouth and O’Neill punched the ball home for a goal which dramatically changed the fortunes of the game.
The losers full-back Connor McFlynn and centre-back Gavin Devlin beat off various raids but the constant pressure had to tell.
Patrick Bradley put Slaughtneil ahead for the first time in the 43rd minute, Ryan Quinn levelled from a free-kick but points from O’Neill and Bradley in the 54th and 55th minutes gave Slaughtneil the cushion they needed.
Slaughtneil: K O’Neill 1-2, P Bradley 0-4, N Convery 0-2, L Bradley 0-1.
Ardboe: R Quinn 1-1, A Quinn 0-3, T McGuigan 0-2, B McGuigan 0-1, P Ryan 0-1.
Referee: P Mullan (Antrim).
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Smirnoff Irish League Premier Division Omagh Town 1 Cliftonville 1
THIS was an entertaining game, especially in the first half and the closing stages of the second, but it was more because both defences were so poor that plenty of chances were created.
Omagh had around half a dozen good opportunities to score but it took the chief culprit Harry McCourt, making his debut on his second stint at Omagh, 44 minutes to eventually find the target.
Marty Tabb conceded a free left of the penalty area which Nixon swung in. Some dire Cliftonville defending resulted in the ball not being cleared at the near post leaving McCourt a tap-in against his former club.
The equaliser was always coming and it was Larry McMahon who deservedly put Cliftonville back in the game.
Omagh Town: Bradley, Johnston, McGill, McElroy, Donnelly, Wilson, McCourt, Gallagher, Callaghan, Crilly, Sheridan
Subs: Nixon for Gallagher (19), Beattie for Wilson (73). Cliftonville: Ingham, Small, Murray, Tabb, Mulvenna, Sliney, McCallion, Collins, Tolan, McMahon, Donaghy
Subs: McCleave for Murray (HT), Johnstone for Mulvenna (85).
Referee: Brian Kane (Newry).
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MULTIPLE Irish champion jockey Charlie Swan enjoyed his first double as a trainer when the traditional New Year’s Day fixture was staged in very testing ground at Fairyhouse yesterday afternoon.
Having partnered 12-1 chance Ash Baloo to an allthe-way success in the New Year Maiden Hurdle, Swan had to await the outcome of a photo-finish before stablemate Pateley was confirmed the victor in the concluding bumper.
Teenage amateur John O’Meara kept 7-1 chance Pateley going long enough to hold the late run of 9-2 chance Three Kings in one of the tightest finishes of the meeting to prevail by a neck.
