Late heroics secure Ulster final glory for Errigal Ciaran

Errigal Ciaran 1-8

Kilcoo 0-10

By Niall Gartland

ERRIGAL Ciaran are Ulster Champions – it’s nearly all that needs to be said.

There can only be one – one club annually who get their hands on the illustrious Seamus McFerran Cup – and this was no overnight success, but the culmination of years of Trojan effort from what we can now refer to as the three-time Ulster Champions Errigal Ciaran.

But in the end up, it all came down to a single moment. Peter Og McCartan was the hero of the hour with a stoppage-time winner and a magnificent effort it was too. He, nor anyone else involved with Errigal Ciaran, won’t forget that one in a hurry.

As a game, it was helter skelter stuff. The Athletic Grounds set the scene for a box office pairing of Errigal Ciaran and a vaunted Kilcoo team, both of whom – before yesterday – had two Ulster titles to their name on the role of honour list. In the end, after a pulsating, event-laden contest, it would be Errigal that would add a third.

Aside from the concession of the opening point of the game – the source being Kilcoo’s Darryl Branagan – Errigal couldn’t have dreamt of a better start, plundering a fifth minute goal to settle any pre-match nerves.

Ruairi Canavan found captain Darragh, Darragh flicked the ball enterprisingly across to Joe Oguz, who made good use of his lengthy frame to palm the ball to the net.

Already it was evident that referee Noel Mooney was happy to keep the game flow. In the opening ten minutes, he called for a single solitary free. Fulsome defensive play was permitted – nout wrong with that – though at times he drew the ire of both sets of supporters aggrieved with one decision or another.

Kilcoo don’t do panic and nabbed the next two points, more or less one after the other, goalkeeper Niall Kane sweetly converting that aforementioned free before Miceal Rooney spotted the gap in the 12th minute and took full advantage.

Errigal Ciaran goalkeeper was quick off his line to stop a possible goal chance, but even though they were happy to pour men forward, a number of attacks came to nought between misplaced passes and the alertness of the Kilcoo full-back line.

They mustered a free from Tommy Canavan following purposeful play from Ben McDonnell, but Kilcoo enjoyed something of a purple patch in the middle of the first-half, the sublime Miceal Rooney leaving two Errigal defenders with twisted blood before further scores from Paul Devlin (a free) and Eugene Branagan (the third member of the Kilcoo half-back line to register a score in the first half).

In between times, Errigal were a refereeing decision away from getting their second goal of the game, Tiarnan Colhoun’s goal stricken from the record as it was deemed to be as a result of a square ball. Whether it was or not is ripe for debate.

Errigal did, however, muster the final point of the half and a clinker it was too – Ciaran Quinn, their immeasurably experienced corner-back, showing composure to play the ball to Darragh Canavan, who jinked into space and clipped the ball over the bar. Both men were under considerable pressure but they kept cool in the maelstrom.

That left it 1-3 to 0-6 at the half-time interval and the game was coming to the boil nicely.

Ciaran Quinn, having a stormer on the big stage, raided forward for the opening point of the second-half within a blink of an eye.

Two Errigal men – Quinn and Tommy Canavan – found themselves yellow carded in the space of a minute amid the mounting intensity levels, and Kilcoo edged level with a point from Paul Devlin as the clock ticked into the final 20 minutes.

Low scoring yes, but there were some pronounced moments of equality as evidenced by a superbly worked score from Eugene Branagan having played a one-two with his colleague in the half-back line, Darryl Branagan.

Kilcoo were applying massive pressure on the Errigal restarts but the game was becoming increasingly fractured with the free rate ramping up.

Then, a massive moment in the game. Captain Darryl Branagan was red carded for an elbow to the head of Odhran Robinson. Daft and dangerous, he could have no complaints.

Moments later, Errigal restored parity through Peter Harte before newly introduced sub Mark Kavanagh did extremely well to win possession at the other end, Errigal fans starting to believe that this might just be their day.

But it was still all level on the scoreboard and the game was there to be won. Indeed, it was Kilcoo that got the next score from Paul Devlin, a fine effort from distance.

Down manager Conor Laverty entered the fray, a man who’s won more with his club than we have time to mention, while there were wides at either end as the clock ticked into the final 10 minutes.

Errigal had the extra man and the sides were level once again as Peter Og McCartan curled over a beautiful effort in the 54th minute.

Kilcoo edged ahead, again, this time via Anthony Morgan, but it still looked like it was going to go right down to the wire.

Errigal’s fitness levels were evident as they pushed up on their opponents and got their reward when they earned a free thanks to the sterling work of Ben McDonnell, then converted by Tommy Canavan as full-time approached.

It was nerve-jangling stuff but there was still time for either side to find a winner. Errigal had possession and it looked for all the world like extra-time would be called for after an enterprising attack came to nought.

However, it wasn’t over yet – Errigal weren’t to be denied.

They regained possession and Peter Og McCartan had the chance – the chance to win an Ulster Senior Championship title for his club. He isn’t a marquee forward, he wears number five on his back but he backed himself in a moment he’ll never forget of the rest of his days, booming over a sensational winning point that will go down in Errigal Ciaran folklore. What a way to win an Ulster final!

Scorers and teams

Errigal Ciaran: Joe Oguz (1-0), Thomas Canavan (0-3f), Peter Og McCartan (0-2), Darragh Canavan, Ciaran Quinn, Peter Harte (0-1 each)

Kilcoo: Paul Devlin (0-3f), Miceal Rooney and Eugene Branagan (0-2 each), Darryl Branagan and Niall Kane (0-1f each)

Errigal Ciaran: Darragh McAnenly, Cormac Quinn, Aidan McCrory, Ciaran Quinn, Peter Og Macartan, Niall Kelly, Tiarnan Colhoun, Ben McDonnell, Joe Oguz, Thomas Canavan, Peter Harte, Ciaran McGinley, Ruairi Canavan, Darragh Canavan, Odhran Robinson. Subs: Mark Kavanagh for Ciaran Quinn, Padraig McGirr for Robinson, Ronan McRory for McGinley

Kilcoo: Niall Kane, Niall Branagan, Ryan McEvoy, Callum Rogers, Miceal Rooney, Darryl Branagan, Eugene Branagan, Aaron Morgan, Ryan Johnston, Jack Devlin, Anthony Morgan, Shealan Johnston, Ceilum Doherty, Jerome Johnston, Paul Devlin.

Subs: Conor Laverty for Devlin, Christopher Rooney for J Johnston