Sigersons see off the Brack boys

JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP QUARTER-FINAL

Strabane 3-15  Brackaville 3-10

AS was the trend across the weekend in the Junior Championship, heavy pre-match favourites Strabane had to endure a fair few sticky moments against outsiders Brackaville before getting the job done in decent enough fashion come the final whistle at Ballinamullan on Saturday.

Conal Crawford and Oran McGrath spearheaded the Sigersons attacking threat throughout, hitting 1-12 between them, and it was this greater clinical edge up front which proved the major difference between the sides.

The brave Brack boys stuck doggedly to their task throughout but spurned a series of chances, especially when they lay siege to Eoin Haire’s goal in the latter stages, which could have left Strabane sweating on the ouctome.

As it was despite the best efforts of the likes of Daire Fee, Colm Sharley and captain Ronan McHugh Brackaville came up five points short in the end up, with the Sigersons progressing into the semi-finals.

Crawford (twice) and McGrath each split the posts inside the first five minutes, as it seemed the anticipated script was set to unfold, with the Sigersons imposing their greater quality on the encounter.

However when first Tiernan McGlinchey registered a fine point, and then Dale McSorley and Jason O’Neill combined to tee up Fee for an eighth minute goal, the narrative took a sudden turn, as a madcap first half then played out.

Crawford took advantage of an ocean of room to fend off Conor Stock and plant home a goal for Strabane almost immediately, but McHugh and O’Neill replied with Brack scores to tie it up at 1-3 apiece.

Despite the concession of a pointed free to McGrath, Brackaville then swooped for a second goal on the quarter hour mark, Fee again rounding the keeper and sending a trickler across the line, after sterling work from McHugh paved the way.

McGlinchey then hoisted over a booming attempt, while Haire had to react sharply to tip aside McHugh’s shot which appeared destined for the bottom left corner. McHugh’s subsequent free left the Sigersons four in arrears, before Haydn McNamee and Crawford halved the deficit.

Dale McSorley planted another quality shot over the black spot as the Brack continued to defy the odds, but as the match ticked into injury time Oisin McGillion galloped onto Crawforrd’s pass to steer an effort low past keeper Sean Herron, and a brilliant follow up point from McGrath had the Sigersons one to the good- 2-7 to 2-6- at half-time.

Two McSorley pointed frees sandwiched between a McNamee placed ball conversion left things level again, before Strabane belatedly sprung to life.

Crawford casually split the posts and then in the 37th minute McNamee fed sub Gary Quigg to lash home a third Sigersons goal. Oran White followed up with a fisted point, and when McGrath rifled one over from close range and then landed a two point free, they had jumped into a 3-13 to 2-8 advantage with ten minutes remaining.

Brackaville however refused to limply surrender as defender Enda O’Neill landed a spectacular score and sub Daire Carberry cut inside to find the net in the 55th minute, but crucally for them other gilt-edged changes went abegging and Crawford and McGrath (’45’) copperfastened Strabane’s trumph at the death.

Scorers

Strabane: Conal Crawford (1-5), Oran McGrath (0-7, 1tpf, 1f, 1 ’45’), Gary Quigg (1-0), Oisin McGillion (1-0), Haydn McNamee (0-2,1f), Oran White (0-1)

Brackaville: Daire Fee (2-0), Dale McSorley (0-3,2f), Daire Carberry (1-0), Shea Fee (0-2), Ronan McHugh (0-21,1f), Enda O’Neill, Jason O’Neill, Tiernan McGlinchey (0-1 each)

Teams

Strabane: Eoin Haire, Ruairi White, Ryan McElroy, Jamie Hughes, Ronan McLaughlin, Kyle Morrison, Joe Bishop, Oran McGrath, Dan McHaghney, Martin Mongan, Conal Crawford, Adam Duffy, Oran White, Oisin McGillion, Haydn McNamee. Subs used: Gary Quigg for R White (33), Ruairi White for J Hughes (37), Dylan Arnold for D McHaghney (49), Warner Mullen for H McNamee (55)

Brackaville: Sean Herron, Enda O’Neill, Tiernan Ruddy, Ruairi McElhatton, Shane McIntyre, Daire Fee, Kyle O’Hagan, Conor Stock, Colm Sharkey, Jason O’Neill, Ronan McHugh, Ciaran Gervin, Tiernan McGlinchey, Shea Fee, Dale McSorley. Subs used: Conor Cullen for R McElhatton (14mins), Cailum Coyle for K O’Hagan (43), Daire Carberry for C Gervin (51), Sean Daly for T McGlinchey (53)

Referee: Cathal McCrory (Greencastle)