CBS relinguish MacRory title after conceding last gasp goal

Omagh CBS 1-7  Southwest Donegal 2-7

OMAGH CBS had their three-in-a-row hopes dashed as Patrick O’Donnell hit a late injury time goal for Southwest Donegal in the MacRory Cup quarter-final at O’Neills Healy Park on Sunday.

Diarmaid McNulty’s lads  had a good start and were 1-3 to 0-2 ahead after 15 minutes, thanks to Adrian McGurren’s goal, but Darragh Hennigan hit an added time goal to leave a point in it at the break.

Shane Callaghan hit two frees and Max Campbell levelled the game at 1-6 apiece with a minute to play before Shane Sweeney put the Donegal men ahead.

McGurren kicked an added time free to level, bringing his tally to 1-4 for the day, but in the 64th minute O’Donnell caught a high ball in and fired into the net to end Omagh’s journey.

Both sides had to be patient and work hard for scores, but Southwest ‘keeper Pádraig Mac Giolla Bhríde opened the scoring with a point from just outside the ‘D’ after two minutes.

Luke Clerkin and Adrian McGurren had a wide each, but McGurren curled over for the first Omagh score.

Clerkin then kicked a super score from distance after patient play, while Omagh came under pressure in attack but captain Brian Gallagher did well to keep possession and kick over from the left.

Peter Colton broke through the Southwest defence and split the posts with an outside of the boot effort and a minute later, they struck for goal on a quarter of an hour.

It came via a long ball from midfield through Gallagher, which went over Southwest full back Thomas McDevitt and was caught by McGurren, who then curled the ball into the bottom corner.

It was ten minutes before the next score, which came through a McGurren mark, while Southwest got their first score for 20 minutes through a Danny Brown free.

Just into added time of the first half Southwest made it a one point game as again a high ball tortured the defence. It was played in by Cianan McDaid into Darragh Hennigan who expertly caught it and on the turn, poked into the bottom left corner, leaving it at 1-4 to 1-3 in Omagh’s favour at the interval.

They should have extended their lead after the restart, but the impressive McGurren had an uncharacteristic couple of efforts not have the distance or accuracy, while Colton also had a ’45 drop short.

But when the Dromore full forward got an inch of space down the left, he made no mistake with a laces effort.

Shane Callaghan replied with a free and Colton kicked over from a very tight angle, but Callaghan again responded from a placed ball to leave just the point in it with 10 minutes to play.

Southwest started to get on top in the game and they finished the game stronger, but Cathal Ó Gallachóir and Eoghan Ban McNelis both had poor wides while Cathal Mac Aoidh’s effort was well blocked by the men in maroon.

And with two minutes left on the clock, Omagh were being patient in possession until Max Campbell did superb to turn over possession from Michael McNamee and the Omagh man received a black card for taking down Campbell.

Campbell and Callaghan worked the ball well down the left from the free and the former cut in on his left foot and curled over the levelling score.

Omagh looked to get back ahead but Aaron Neely made a super tackle by the touchline and turned over possession.

McNelis got the ball and played in Hennigan who had rounded the ‘keeper but couldn’t see the net through a sea of bodies, so laid it off to substitute Shane Sweeney who kicked over from close range on 60 minutes.

Both sides looked nervous and the ball was turned over on a couple of occasions in added time, but Omagh were awarded a free from just outside the arc in the third minute of added time.

McGurrin stepped up for it and it looked to be dropping short, but the Southwest defence could only put it over the bar for a point.

Exuberant celebrations after the leveller saw referee Enda Mallon give Omagh midfielder Thomas Meehan a straight red, but there was still one attack left to go in the game.

Southwest worked the ball up the right and Ó Gallachóir found Callaghan who was at a tight angle, but he got his head up and kicked the ball into substitute Patrick O’Donnell.

O’Donnell initially tried to punch the ball in but he didn’t connect, although he held the ball and kicked in for a vital goal.

Teams & Scorers

Omagh CBS: Oisin Watson; Jack Gartland, Oisin McCreanor, Owen Griffiths; Michael McNamee, Brian Gallagher (0-1), Sean McCann; Enda Donaghy, Thomas Meehan; Harley Patton, Fearghal McGurren, Mark Kennedy; Conan Hegarty, Adrian McGurren (1-4, 0-1f, 0-1m), Peter Colton (0-2). Subs: Padraig Goodman for Patton (45 mins), Diarmuid Martin for Hegarty (53 mins).

Southwest Donegal: Pádraig Mac Giolla Bhríde (0-1); Cathal Mac Aoidh, Thomas McDevitt, Aaron Neely; Cathal Ó Gallachóir, Jordi Gribben, Max Campbell (0-1); Darragh Hennigan (1-0), Luke Clerkin (0-1); Ethan Byrne, Cianan McDaid, Alex Cunnea; Liam Breathnach, Shane Callaghan (0-2, 2fs), Danny Brown (0-1f).

Subs: Patrick O’Donnell (1-0) and Eoghan Ban McNelis for Breathnach and Brown (40 mins), Shane Sweeney (0-1) for Byrne (50 mins).

Referee: Enda Mallon (Armagh)