O’Neills Derry SFC final: Eoghan Rua, Coleraine 1-12 Erin's Own, Lavey 0-12
AND so Eoghan Rua’s golden generation have earned their shimmer.
It was eight years in coming, but from the moment Barry Daly half-volleyed past Ciaron O’Boyle midway through the first half in Celtic Park yesterday, they were never caught by a gallant Lavey side.
Daly’s had a habit of popping up in opposition territory and although he initially fumbled the pass from his skipper Colm McGoldrick, the corner-back improvised to meet the hopping ball and fire home the only goal.
It was one part of the 1-4 contribution provided by Eoghan Rua’s full-back line, with the other four points presented by the outstanding man-of-the-match Liam McGoldrick.
He got his hands on a first county medal, as did Daly, Ciaran Lagan, Ruairi Mooney and Gavin McWilliams, but the rest of them all date back to their 2010 win over Ballinderry.
The levels they’ve consistently maintained in the time since would have been undermined had they not won a second John McLaughlin. But that hangs over them no more.
“They’re a great group. The attitude they have, the commitment they have, I don’t think you’d find any better in the country,” said their ever-moderate manager Sean McGoldrick, who along with Sean McLaughlin go away back to a long time before 2010.
“Despite the disappointments in the last few years, some of the performances in the championships weren’t good, and we were a bit immature and indisciplined.
“They’ve been learning as they go along, and they always would do because they’ve such a great attitude to training and preparation for games. It’s no surprise that they were able to win another one.”
For Lavey, they’ll wake with Monday morning regrets. The obvious one is that Cailean O’Boyle only played the last 30 minutes. He kicked seven points, and while six of them were from frees, many of them were of his own winning.
“The impact he had and fresh legs, but he’s been carrying an injury all season. We brought him on a short period of time in other matches, more the last game and he was a massive impact coming on,” said John Brennan, a loser in a county final for a first time in 11 goes.
“If we’d taken our chances early on, some were unforgivable, and we missed others from play and took wrong options on shots. Those things came back to haunt us.
“We thought we’d be in a decent position to bring Cailean on and add to it. He had a big influence when he came on, as he should have. He did well
“Hindsight’s a wonderful thing. Other matches, the inside men we had did well. We just lost our way.”
The former Derry forward, who was his club’s captain this season, became the fulcrum of an attacking that malfunctioned in the first half.
Lavey started much the brighter but after 11 minutes of almost complete dominance, they found themselves only level at 0-2 apiece.
Chrissy Henry kicked them into the lead with the first shot of the game, and the spritely Eamon McGill capped a good started with their second score on five minutes, but it was to be the opening minute of the second period before they scored again.
McGill began on Sean Leo McGoldrick to great effect, and it was nine minutes before the Eoghan Rua playmaker touched the ball, but once he found his stride he would go on to force a defensive shake-up and have a massive impact that was capped by the winning score.
Anthony McGurk kicked two wides and dropped a free short, while at the other end Gavin McWilliams and Colm McGoldrick kicked points from Eoghan Rua’s three shots in the same period.
And then came the goal that winded Lavey. Niall Holly, who took some brilliant fetches at midfield to arrest an early struggle, won another and off Colm McGoldrick came the marauding Daly to finish.
He constantly popped up in attack, the chief benefactor of Lavey’s system that left Michael Drumm free as their sweeper.
Liam McGoldrick kicked a score similar to his winner against Slaughtneil before Colm McGoldrick was fouled and tapped over his own free.
Then the Eoghan Rua full-back drove forward, swivelled out of tackles and on to his weaker left-foot before kicking an inspirational effort that made it 1-5 to 0-2.
That was how it stayed until the break, and it was no surprise that O’Boyle was sent for at the interval. He went straight to full-forward and 28 seconds in, he came on the loop, took the ball off Shane McGill and fired over.
That lifted the large Lavey crowd on the terrace side of Celtic Park, but their optimism was dimmed by a black-card for Drumm, who pulled down Ruairi Mooney. Colm McGoldrick pointed the free and Lavey were now minus a vital experienced hand.
Eoghan Rua had been showing their experience by using their lead to draw their opponents out, and then probing into the space.
But Lavey dug in, in a big way. They pressed up and forced a lot of Eoghan Rua’s kickouts long, and orange shirts started to dominate on the breaks. They started to look for O’Boyle with early, but measured, supply and it paid dividends.
Two frees from the big full-forward cut the gap to four, and although the winners hit four of the next five to push 1-10 to 0-6 clear, Lavey came strong with six of the next seven to make a real game of it.
It felt like a reverse of the 2015 final, where Eoghan Rua trailed Slaughtneil by six late on and only lost by one. As Colm McGoldrick alluded to in his speech, there was a sense of losing one to win one about it.
There was always the feeling that Lavey needed the goal, but half chances for Eamon McGill, which was turned on to the top post in the first half by Ryan McGeough, and a late effort that Niall Toner blazed over were as close as they got.
That made it a three-point game and when Cailean O’Boyle landed a 30-metre free two minutes into stoppage time, the belief was coursing through the underdogs.
But into the gap at the back strode Sean Leo McGoldrick, carrying until it was absolutely safe to add the sealant from 20 yards.
The uncharacteristic show of emotion in his celebration was that of a man who’d just become a father for the second time, adding a little boy to the clan the previous evening.
That’s the next generation. This generation has their reward, and it’s overdue.
MATCH STATS
Eoghan Rua: R McGeough; C Lagan, L McGoldrick (0-4, 0-2f), B Daly (1-0); C Mullan, B McGoldrick, C Lenehan; N Holly, P Daly; R Mooney, SL McGoldrick (0-1), G McWilliams (0-2, 0-1f); M McTaggart, Colm McGoldrick (0-4f), Ciaran McGoldrick (0-1)
Subs: D Mullan for McTaggart (37)
Lavey: Ciaron O’Boyle; A Toner, C Mulholland, S Lagan; C Dillon, C McGurk, M Drumm, E McGill; D Chivers, K O’Neill; S McGill, N Toner, A McGurk; C Henry, N Toner
Subs: Cailean O’Boyle (0-7, 0-6f) for O’Neill (HT), C Murphy for Dillon (HT), L Murphy (0-1) for Henry (50), R Farren for Lagan (55)
Black card: M Drumm (34) replaced by S Dodds
Yellow cards: K O’Neill (30), D Chivers (36), D Hughes (45), E McGill (57)
Referee: D Harkin (Slaughtmanus)
Attendance: 3,700
