Champs Errigal blow Ardboe away

SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP FIRST ROUND

Errigal Ciaran 4-21 Ardboe 1-7

SO much for a potential banana skin! Reigning Tyrone and Ulster champions Errigal Ciaran sent out an ominous warning to would be challengers that they are in no mood to meekly surrender their hard-earned spoils with a thumping 23 point first round victory over Ardboe at O’Neill Park on Thursday evening.

Three first half goals from Ben Oguz, Odhran Robinson and Darragh Canavan had the holders firmly in the box-seat at half-time, leading 3-6 to 0-6, and they refused to ease up after the break, piling further misery on the lough shore side. A late Shea McDermott fisted goal capped a more than satisfactory night for Errigal.

For the Rossas Davin McKeown, captain Michael O’Neill and Cormac Devlin toiled gamely (the latter with a consolation goal) but this was a sobering experience for them, with three thousand plus supporters at rain-swept Dungannon watching a virtual procession for the Tyrone kingpins.

McKeown and Shay McGuigan (free) gave Ardboe the early ascendancy but it was ultimately false hope, as Errigal then cruised through the gears, Ben Oguz and Ben McDonnell lording proceedings around the middle.

McDonnell floated over a beauty to get them off and running, before Ruairi Canavan found the range in style from out on the right flank to level things up.

In the ninth minute Oguz was afforded acres of space to surge up the middle and rifle a shot past Ardboe keeper Gary Mallaghan. It was already looking bleak for the Rossas with Errigal flexing their attacking muscles.

Darragh Canavan joined in the fun with a lovely effort, after one of a litany of forced turnovers, and on the quarter hour mark, Odhran Robinson swooped to bundle home a second goal, when Tommy Canavan’s attempt for a point was spilled by the keeper.

With McDonnell registering another top notch attempt and Tommy Canavan tagging on a free, it capped a 2-6 to scoring blitz from the champs in 17 minutes, with Ardboe firmly up against the ropes.

Young Darragh Devlin stopped the rot for them with the first of his hat-trick of excellent scores, but when the Ardboe rearguard was sliced open again in the 26th minute Darragh Canavan zipped through to drill home low for goal number three. While Darragh Devlin (two) and Cormac Devlin did split the posts with neat conversions, their cause was looking fairly forlorn.

There was a brief revival on the restart as a low shot from Cormac Devlin squirmed under Errigal keeper Darragh McAnenly into the bottom left hand corner of the goal, but Errigal remained merciless in their pursuit of victory.

A brace of superbly executed Darragh Canavan scores underlined his class, while Robinson also fisted over, and Ruairi Canavan planted a two point free.

Ardboe’s final score of a disappointing night was a 37th minute Jamie Concannon point.

At the other end Errigal ran up 1-10 without reply down the home straight, the contest turning into a virtual turkey shoot.

The highlights included a sparkling two pointer by sub Peter Og McCartan with his first touch, while Ruairi Canavan also found the range from outside the 40m arc. Shea McDermott’s fisted late goal almost seemed cruel on a demoralised Ardboe outfit.

Scorers

Errigal Ciaran: Ruairi Canavan (0-7, 1tp,1tpf,1f), Darragh Canavan (1-3), Odhan Robinson (1-2), Joe Oguz (1-1), Shea McDermott (1-0), Ben McDonnell (0-2), Peter Og McCartan (0-2,tp), Cormac Quinn, Cathair Quinn, Padraig McGirr (0-1 each), Thomas Canavan (0-1,f)

Ardboe: Cormac Devlin (1-1), Darragh Devlin (0-3), Jamie Concannon, Davin McKeown, Shay McGuigan (0-1,f)

Teams

Errigal Ciaran: Darragh McAnenly, Ciaran Quinn, Aidan McCrory, Dermot Morrow, Tiarnan Colhoun, Niall Kelly, Cormac Quinn, Joe Oguz, Ben McDonnell, Odhran Robinson, Padraig McGirr, Ciaran McGinley, Thomas Canavan, Ruairi Canavan, Darragh Canavan. Subs used: Ronan O’Sullivan for Ciaran Quinn (29mins), Peter Og McDermott for P McGirr (43), Shea McDermott for T Canavan (49), Pauric Traynor for O Robinson (52), Cathair Quinn for B McDonnell (54)

Ardboe: Gary Mallaghan, Jeimi Muldoon, Oisin Devlin, Conor Devlin, Shea O’Hare, Davin McKeown, Shea Quinn, Shay McGuigan, Michael O’Neill, Jamie Concannon, Cormac Devlin, Conan Devlin, Darragh Devlin, David Mulgrew, Caolan Mallaghan. Subs used: Eoghan Devlin for C Mallaghan (40), Cormac Morgan for J Muldoon (40), Manus Teague for C Devlin (47), Conall Morgan for J Concannon (54)

Referee: Paul Gallagher (Castlederg)