Drumragh reach the decider after dramatic Cookstown clash

JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINAL REPLAY

DRUMRAGH 2-18 COOKSTOWN 2-17 (aet)

CLANABOGAN’S cardiac kids put their supporters through the wringer again at Killyclogher on Saturday afternoon as Drumragh essentially had to win this topsy-turvy Junior Championship semi-final replay twice.

Leading 2-12 to 0-10 as the match ticked towards the hour mark, the Sarsfields appeared to have booked a clash with Clogher in the decider this weekend, with even a black card for captain Niall McCarney heading into stoppage time, looking like a mere blip in their triumph.

However with their influential skipper off the pitch the side collectively started to suffer a case of the yips, and sensing a psychological shift Cookstown struck, and how some, in the five minutes of stoppage time.

A goal and point by captain Matthew McNeill raised their morale and after Karol McGuigan stroked over a free to leave one score in it, there was still time for one final attacking move which incredibly ended with Karol Wawrynkiewicz finding the net with a low shot past keeper Patrick Colgan to level things up at 2-12 apiece and send the match into stoppage time.

The fired up Fr Rocks carried the momentum through into extra time to build up a four point cushion. Job done we thought with Drumragh still looking shell shocked.

But to their huge credit, the Sarsfields were determined to pen their own more upbeat narrative and down the home straight they found a second wind again, with McCarney, Kian Murphy and defender Alex McGlinchey knocking over the last three scores to seal an epic victory.

The Sarsfields were the more fluent and assured team in the first half, McCarney and Eoin Montgomery asserting their dominance around the middle, while the experienced presence of Gareth Haughey also caught the eye in their defence.

McCarney banged over a two point free to get them off and running, before Michael McElhatton and Niall McMurray slotted over quality efforts to square things up for Cookstown.

A fine score by Michael Roche was soon followed by a spectacular diving block at the other end by the same player to deny Sheehy, that epitomising the verve and determination in Drumragh’s play. With Eoin Montgomery then splitting the posts they doubled their advantage, yet by the quarter hour mark it was 0-4 apiece. Nathan Connolly capitalised on a sloppy Drumragh clearance to arch one over, and McElhatton converted a close range free.

The dynamic centre field tandem of Montgomery and McCarney thumped over two further points, underlining their confidence, before a skier from Kian Murphy also dropped over the Cookstown crossbar.

However by the break the gap was down to the bare minimum (0-7 to 0-6) as Matthew Carberry and Wawrynkiewicz put over super scores for Cookstown.

A two point free by Wawrynkiewicz more than cancelled out Murphy’s single from the placed ball to put the Fr Rocks back on a level pegging, but in the 35th minute Drumragh received a major boost when Sean McGale’s slide rule delivery picked out Daniel O’Neill and he finished to the Cookstown net in style.

With McCarney then belting over a free to raise another orange flag the gap was up to five (1-10 to 0-8) and that remained the difference with Darragh McHugh and McCarney (’45’) trading scores.

It requited a great close range stop by Cookstown keeper Danny McElhatton to deny Murphy a goal but his net was breached again in the 54th minute as O’Neill teed up sub Eamonn McCann to dispatch with some aplomb.

Another Sarsfields replacement Ben Monk fisted over another score on the counter-attack and even down to 14 men with McCarney black carded it seemed like job done for Drumragh.

Suddenly though Cookstown found their mojo, inspired by the likes of Conall Sheehy and Matthew McNeill. The skipper palmed over a point and then rattled the net to halve the deficit, before that stunning goal by Wawrynkiewicz set up extra-time.

He added another four to his own tally when action resumed (including a two point free) but back came Drumragh with a conventional free and two point placed ball strike by McCarney.

Sheehy drove up the middle to tap over and leave Fr Rocks two to the good (2-17 to 2-15) but after a marathon afternoon the Sarsfields simply were not going to be denied and they had the final say with that spate of late points.

Scorers

Drumragh: Niall McCarney (0-10, 3tpfs, 1f, 1 ’45’), Daniel O’Neill (1-0), Eamonn McCann (1-0), Kian Murphy (0-3,1f), Eoin Montgomery (0-2), Michael Roche, Alex McGlinchey, Ben Monk (0-1 each)

Cookstown: Karol Wawrynkiewicz (1-7, 1tp, 1tpf, 1f), Matthew McNeill (1-1), Nathan Connolly (0-2), Michael McElhatton (0-2,1f), Niall McMurray, Darragh McHugh, Conall Sheehy, Karol McGuigan, Matthew Carberry (0-1 each)

Teams

Drumragh: Patrick Colgan, Carraig McKenna, Barry Fitzgerald, Alex McGlinchey, Aaron Montgomery, Gareth Haughey, Oran Devlin, Niall McCarney, Eoin Montgomery, Michael Roche, Sean McGale, Malachy McManus, Kian Murphy, Ronan Maguire, Daniel O’Neill. Subs used: Ben Monk for M McManus (44mins), Aiden McCarney for S McGale (44), Eamonn McCann for R Maguire (50), Ryan Montgomery for M Roche (58)

Cookstown: Danny McElhatton, Ronan Donnelly, Conan Donnelly, Callan Kelly, Michael Oscar Devlin, Luke Neeson, Darragh McHugh, Conall Sheehy, Matthew McNeill, Niall McMurray, Karol Wawrynkiewicz, Michael McElhatton, Nathan Connolly, Matthew Carberry, John McIvor. Subs used: Karol McGuigan for N McMurray (50mins), Eoghan Donnelly for N Connolly (60), Barry Potter for M Carberry (71)

Referee: Stephen Campbell (Stewartstown)