Ulster Senior Hurling Championship semi-final: Slaughtneil 1-17 Middletown 0-8
From Andy Watters at the Athletic Grounds
A WORKMANLIKE performance from Slaughtneil was enough to see off Armagh’s Middletown and send the Derry champions through to their third Ulster final in four years.
Despite never hitting top gear, the Robert Emmet’s outfit were quicker, slicker and stronger all over the pitch. Spearheaded by mobile frontman and deadeye free-taker Cormac O’Doherty (0-9), they had the spadework done by the end of the first quarter.
Underdogs Middletown came back into the game impressively from then until the break but Se McGuigan’s goal just before half-time and the dismissal of their lone scorer David Carvill midway through the second half were key moments as Slaughtneil progressed with a dozen points to spare.
The Derry men weren’t particularly flash or fluent despite the one-sided look on the scoreboard but, as their manager Mickey McShane said, semi-finals are for winning. All that really mattered was the result.
“You like to play with a bit of swagger and play to your potential when you are winning but we didn’t do that today,” McShane explained.
“We are all disappointed about how we played but it has been four weeks since we played in the Derry final. We had a challenge game and the lads have had football commitments so we haven’t had that intensity of hurling. Hopefully today’s game will stand to us, there are lots of things we can do better but on the positive side, we won by 12 points and we’re coming back in two weeks’ time to play in an Ulster final which is a step further than we went last year. So we’ll take it.”
McShane’s reaction gives an indication of the high standards Slaughtneil set for themselves. Back-to-back provincial winners in 2016 and 2017, they were well beaten by Down’s Ballycran last year and look determined to regain the Four Seasons Cup when they take on Antrim’s Dunloy in the decider on November 10.
“I said to the lads: ‘We can play better’ but we’re in an Ulster final now and that’s what we came here to do,” added McShane.
“We’ll try to get our A-game back the next time we come here (for the Ulster final) because we’re going to need it.”
McShane withdrew combative half-back Meehaul McGrath yesterday but it was purely precautionary and his squad emerged from the game with no injuries.
“I don’t want to come across as negative because we’re delighted to be back in the Ulster final,” he said.
“We left Corrigan Park last year with our tails between our legs and very down in the mouth. It seemed a long way away to the next season. Today we have won a semi-final, we’re in an Ulster final, it’s the biggest day in the calendar and we’re looking forward to it.”
Meanwhile, Sylvester McConnell, part of the Middletown management team, felt that his side had been undone as much by their mistakes as by Slaughtneil’s attacking threat.
“At half-time, bar a couple of our own mistakes, we were happy enough,” said the former Armagh manager.
“In the second half Slaughtneil went back, they’re good at defending from deep and we could not break them down. We couldn’t get a foothold, that left them more space up front and they wrapped it up,” he said.
“I thought Davy Carvill was unlucky in the sending off, he had turned out of a tackle and the player came into him. That was an unfortunate call for us because Davy was one of our better players.
“The referee had a good game but I think he read that one wrong and when you’re underdogs you’re looking for every wee thing to go for you.”
He added: “Slaughtneil are a very accomplished team, they’re used to playing together and they communicate well together. Their hurling will have to be sharper but it will be a good clash against Dunloy.”
McConnell had sweeper Shea Gaffney holding the centre of the Middletown defence but they were soon under pressure as O’Doherty, whose movement and workrate was impressive throughout the game, cracked over two long range frees.
David Carvill replied with a placed ball of his own after good work from full-forward Ryan Gaffney but it was a rare moment of respite for Middletown who were struggling to win their own puck-outs and conceded six points on-the-trot. O’Doherty scored four of them while Derry dual stars Chrissy McKaigue and Brendan Rogers chipped in with the others.
The Armagh men rallied with the next three scores – all Carvill frees – but Slaughtneil wiped out their hard work in one fell swoop. Gerard Bradley launched a long ball into the Middletown square that goalkeeper Fintan Woods failed to deal with and Se McGuigan turned the rebound into the net. The sides swapped points to leave it 1-9 to 0-5 at the interval.
The second half began with Brian Cassidy catching and splitting the Middletown posts in one movement to register the score of the game.
Middletown rallied again and went in search of the goal they needed but Carvill’s shot was saved by Morgan McEldowney. He did add two frees but they were cancelled out by O’Doherty and when the Middletown half-forward was shown a second yellow card the game was up for the Na Fianna club.
The match meandered to a close with O’Doherty, Rogers and Bradley all registering points as Slaughtneil cantered to a spot in the Ulster final.
They’ll have to produce better to win it but they are more than capable of that.
Middletown: F Woods; L Woods, T Nevin, O Curry; P Hughes, S Gaffney, P Lappin; P McBride, K McKernan; D Carvill (0-8, 0-7 frees), N Curry, M Maguire; D Gaffney, R Gaffney, M Moan
Blood sub: M McClatchey for R Gaffney (14), R Gaffney for M McClatchey (16)
Subs: C Carvill for Curry (43), M McClatchey for Maguire (48), C McCann for Moan (65), S Og McGuinness for D Gaffney (69)
Slaughtneil: Morgan McEldowney; K McKaigue, S Cassidy, Martin McEldowney; S McGuigan, S O Caiside, M McGrath; G Bradley (0-1), C McKaigue (0-1); M McGuigan, C O’Doherty (0-9, 0-7 frees), B Rodgers (0-2); S McGuigan (1-0), J McGuigan, B Cassidy (0-2)
Blood sub: C McAllister for K McKaigue (11), K McKaigue for C McAllister (12)
Subs: C McAllister for Martin McEldowney (41), G O’Kane for S McGuigan (52), C McKenna for J McGuigan (53), P Kearney for McGrath (69)
Referee: C McDonald (Antrim)
