Ulster Senior Club Football Championship: Kilcoo (Down) 1-11 Magherafelt (Derry) 0-9
From Andy Watters at Pairc Esler
IS THIS finally the year of the Magpies? There was evidence yesterday, when Kilcoo once again found a way to win a nip-and-tuck game, that it could be.
A ruthless 1-2 early in the second half gave the Down champions the platform to survive some nervous late moments and progress to a semi-final meeting with Fermanagh’s Derrygonnelly.
Mickey Moran’s men were deserving winners in a tight affair in which they never trailed and, crucially, were able to conjure up the next score every time battling Magherafelt got back on terms.
Credit to the Derry side who fought to the end and were understandably aggrieved at being denied the opportunity to force a grandstand finish.
They trailed by six points when Simon McErlain’s injury-time ‘goal’ was disallowed because referee Joe McQuillan had called play back to award a free for a foul on Emmet McGuckin in the build-up.
“I have no complaints about Kilcoo; I have complaints possibly about the referee,” said Magherafelt manager Adrian Cush afterwards.
“We waited 52 minutes to get a scoreable free inside the 50, they were getting them handy in my opinion. But I’m not going to bitch, Kilcoo won the game and deserved to win the game.”
He described McQuillan’s decision not to play advantage for McErlain’s ‘goal’ as “unbelievable” and added: “Even if we had got that goal, it was no guarantee we were going to win. Yes, it would have narrowed the gap but we didn’t get it so we move on.”
Kilcoo move on to a meeting with Derrygonnelly and, as Cush said, they were deserving winners yesterday. The Magpies have a formidable mix of commitment, experience, pace and attacking panache and, with 1-1, Jerome Johnston topped their list of eight scorers yesterday.
“It looked like one of those games that was going to go right to the wire and then we got that goal,” reflected Kilcoo assistant-manager Conleith Gilligan.
“We got a couple of points before it and that gave us the five-point breathing room that meant we were able to sustain that onslaught at the end. Credit to Magherafelt, they really went heavy at it and they were a wee bit unfortunate at the end that they could have made it a bit closer.
“The whistle had gone but the team that is in the ascendancy wants that (advantage). They didn’t get it today and that’s just football.”
The pre-game favourites raced into a three-point lead in the opening five minutes. Their scores came from Aaron Branagan, Richard McEvoy (after Eugene Branagan had intercepted a jittery short kick-out) and Daryl Branagan, who ran onto a first-time pass from Conor Laverty.
With Niall McEvoy operating as full-time sweeper, it was obvious that Moran and Gilligan had done their homework on their opponents. Aaron Branagan picked up Shane Heavron, his brother Aidan marked McGuckin and Magherafelt struggled to break down the Kilcoo defence in the early stages.
But the Derry men settled after John Young found a yard of space on the right touchline and fisted the ball to the far post where McGuckin was waiting. His punched effort clipped the top of the crossbar on its way over.
Four other Magherafelt efforts dropped short into the wind but Cormac Murphy forced his way through the Kilcoo rearguard to score and then Conor Kearns equalised with a swerving effort from the left wing.
Kilcoo replied with a Paul Devlin free but the well-drilled Derry champions attacked and defended as a unit and McGuckin gave them a cutting edge when he went up to full-forward.
The county star rose highest to grab Danny Heavron’s long ball and shrugged off two defenders to split the posts on the turn and level it again.
Once again Kilcoo replied and another Devlin free made it 0-5 to 0-4 in the closing stages of the half. It was intense stuff and tempers frayed before the break. First McGuckin was shown a yellow card and Daryl Branagan followed him into the referee’s notebook after McQuillan gave him the benefit of the doubt for a challenge that incensed the Magherafelt bench.
The O’Donovan Rossa outfit were level for the third time in the game early in the second period thanks to another superb score from Kearns but once again Kilcoo rallied, this time definitively. Anthony Morgan and Eugene Branagan both landed points and Kilcoo turned the ball over from the next kick-out. Sensing blood, Eugene Branagan played in Laverty and Jerome Johnston took his pass and beat Odhran Lynch with a left foot shot into the right corner.
Suddenly Kilcoo led by double-scores and Cush was forced to ring the changes. He pushed sweeper Jared Monaghan up front and sent three substitutes into the fray. Towering number eight Monaghan landed a point but, with Kearns off after being shown a black card, the multiple personnel changes meant Magherafelt temporarily lost their defensive shape and Kilcoo exploited that through points from Laverty, Eugene Branagan, who was running riot, and Laverty again.
Cormac Murphy and Johnston swapped scores but with their team six behind, Magherafelt fans were heading for the exits when four additional minutes were signalled.
Those who left to beat the traffic missed the late drama. Ball after high ball was dropped into the Kilcoo square towards McGuckin and Monaghan. The pressure almost paid off when McGuckin grabbed one and was fouled as he turned and played in McErlain who shot through McCourt’s legs.
That would have left three in it had referee McQuillan waited a few seconds but he blew his whistle and all Magherafelt got was a free that McGuckin smashed over the bar.
He had another goal chance a minute later but Kilcoo goalkeeper Martin McCourt eased his side’s nerves by turning the rasping shot onto the post.
Afterwards there was applause in the Kilcoo dressingroom as Magherafelt manager Cush generously congratulated his opponents on their victory.
“Kilcoo are a brilliant team,” he said.
“They have brilliant footballers – very athletic, powerful, smart players. They know what to do and they have serious pace. Crossmaglen and Gweedore are out now so there’ll be a new winner in Ulster this year and Kilcoo will be hard to talk to.”
After losing two semi-finals and two finals since 2009, is this finally the year of the Magpies? We shall see..
Kilcoo: M McCourt; N Branagan, Aidan Branagan, N McEvoy; A Morgan (0-1), Aaron Branagan (0-1), M Rooney; D Branagan (0-1), R McEvoy (0-1); E Branagan (0-2), P Devlin (0-2 frees), R Johnston; D Ward, J Johnston (1-1), C Lavery (0-2)
Subs: J Clarke for R Johnston (46), S Johnston for Rooney (51)
Yellow cards: D Branagan (30), Laverty (44), R Johnston (44)
Magherafelt: O Lynch; S McErlain, D O’Neill, G Lupari; C McCluskey, F Duffin, C Kearns (0-2); J Monaghan (0-1), D Heavron; P McLarnon, S Heavron (0-1 free), J Young; A McElhone, C Murphy (0-2), E McGuckin (0-3, 0-2 frees)
Subs: M Lynch for McLarnon (39), D Martin for McElhome (40), C Rafferty for Young (44), J Keenan for Lupari (50), M Higgins for S Heavron (51)
Yellow cards: McGuckin (29), Monaghan 44
Black card: Kearns replaced by P O’Kane (50)
Referee: J McQuillan (Cavan)
