Hayes hands Killyclogher a dramatic late draw with Carmen

Carrickmore 1-12   Killyclogher 2-9

WELL, it’s fair to say that neither of these two teams do things by halves. For Killyclogher, it was a case of riding the donkey too close to the tail – again, on Friday evening at Healy Park.

For the second game running, they conjured up a last-minute goal to salvage their Senior Championship hopes, on this occasion Dara Hayes pouncing to set up a quarter-final replay against Carrickmore this Thursday night.

The old adage goes that you make your own luck and they wouldn’t have been in the position to salvage something from a riveting championship encounter only for the immense leadership provided by a certain Mark Bradley in the closing stages.

Carrickmore had assumed control of the contest in the third quarter after an underpar first-half performance. They trailed by two points at the break and the complexion could have been a hell of a lot worse (Killyclogher had one goal to their name but it could easily have been three).

You just knew they’d come out all guns blazing in the second-half and a hypercharged Carmen scored five points without reply to open up a 1-9 to 1-6 lead heading into the final 15 minutes.

Proving vulnerable at the back in the first half, Carrickmore made the very necessary adjustments but there’s no legislating for moments of individual genius and Mark Bradley stepped up the plate and then some with Killyclogher’s championship hopes were hanging by a thread.

In a six-minute spell, Bradley scored three incredible points from play to drag Killyclogher back into the contest. If we delved into the intricacies of each score, we’d be here all day but the third was arguably the pick of the bunch; felled by Carrickmore full-back Brian Conway and with nowhere to go, Bradley did the only thing that was available to him – he got back on his feet and split the posts from a ridiculously unforgiving angle.

It was unbelievable stuff from Bradley and in the context of the game, it was huge. Killyclogher had got their second wind, and even though Carrickmore pushed ahead with points from the impressive Lorcan McGarrity and sub Martin Penrose, the door had been left ever so slightly ajar and there was always that danger of a late goal. And so it came to pass.

Aside from all that, it had been a thoroughly entertaining contest. It had everything you want – yeah there were some classy scores, but the intensity levels were through the roof with big hits flying in everywhere and it all combined for one of those magical Tyrone Club Championship games. If the replay packs the same punch, it’ll be a treat.

The first-half was entertaining in its own right and it was apparent from very early on that Killyclogher had come to the party. Nathan Donnelly and Co were lording the skies in the middle sector, and their directness in attack had Carrickmore in panic stations.

An early Killyclogher goal was disallowed for square ball but the same protagonist – the eel-like Gavin Potter – made amends later in the half after a long ball from Conall McCann.

Down the other end of the pitch, Carrickmore’s dangermen were watched like hawks but they did conjure up a 10th minute goal when the ball spilled kindly to Rory Donnelly (who had an exceptional second half) and he did the needful, opening up a 1-2 to 0-3 lead.

It was something of a false dawn, though, as Killyclogher played the better football for the remainder of the half, getting a goal of their own and almost adding a second when Mattie Murnaghan was played through after yet another havoc-inducing ball from deep.

When all was said and done, Killyclogher deservedly led by 1-6 to 1-4 at the break, no lead at all in the circumstances.

Carrickmore upped the ante considerably in every respect after the break, starving the Killyclogher players of oxygen on the ball and playing some brilliant football into the bargain.

The scores started coming; Lorcan McGarrity was utterly assured from the dead ball, Sean Donnelly clipped over a nice point and Tiarnan Murray, such an exciting player to watch, added another and before you knew it they’d opened up a 1-8 to 1-6 lead.

Then when Danny Fullerton, who was given his fill of it by Killyclogher full-back Danny Gorman, scored his first from play in the 44th minute, you had the sense that this was going to be Carrickmore’s night.

Killyclogher weren’t done yet though.

Mark Bradley grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck, scoring three magical points in the space of just over five minute and we were all set for a grandstand finish.

Carrickmore pushed for home with late points from McGarrity (another free but he was posing the Killyclogher defence plenty of problems) and veteran performer Mark Bradley and it looked like the day was theirs.

Then came one last roll of the dice from Killyclogher and they got their reward with the last play of the game as Dara Hayes scrambled home a goal to keep their championship hopes alive.

The neutrals aren’t complaining, put it that way.

THE SCORERS

Carrickmore: Lorcan McGarrity (0-5f), Rory Donnelly (1-0), Tiarnan Murray (0-2), Danny Fullerton (0-2, 1f), Rory Loughran, Sean Donnelly and Martin Penrose (0-1 each)

Killyclogher: Mark Bradley (0-4), Dara Hayes (1-1, 1 ‘m’), Gavin Potter (1-0), Michael Rafferty, Matthew Murnraghan and Nathan Donnelly (0-1 each), Marc Flanagan (0-1 ‘45)

TEAMS

Carrickmore
Ryan McGarrity, Michael McCallan, Brian Conway, Oisin McElroy, Rory Loughran, Tiarnan McGarrity, Sean Donnelly, Lorcán McBride, Cormac Munroe, James Donaghy, Rory Donnelly, Tiarnan Murray, Daniel Fullerton, Lorcan McGarrity, Aidan McGarrity. Subs: Martin Penrose for A Fullerton, Seamus Sweeney for T McGarrity, Niall Allison for Loughran, Caolan Daly for McBride

Killyclogher
Simon O’Neill, Sean Broderick, Danny Gorman, Michael Rafferty, Jordan Barton, Matthew Murnaghan, Gábhán Sludden, Tiernán McCann, Marc Flanagan, Nathan Donnelly, Conall McCann, Gavin Potter, Dara Hayes, Mark Bradley, Emmett McFadden. Subs: Patrick Corcoran for Barton, Matthew Devlin for Flanagan, Oisin McCann