Stewartstown see off stiff Scottish challenge

Stewartstown 2-10

Glasgow Gaels 2-5

STEWARTSTOWN march on. Sunday’s ‘Twinning Final’ against Glasgow Gaels was no walkover, but the Harps showed enough quality to emerge with the victory on a memorable weekend trip to Glasgow.

Played on a bitterly cold afternoon, this was one of those games where all that really mattered was the result (they now have an All-Ireland Junior Championship semi-final in early January to look forward to), but the Harps produced a stellar performance in the first ever GAA match played under floodlights in Britain. And for the record, it now means that Stewartstown will have gone through the entirety of 2022 without losing a single game – a fine accomplishment indeed.

Glasgow Gaels to their credit did themselves proud and momentarily led for a short period in the first-half, but Stewartstown were professional in their efforts and the only bum note was a second-half red card to their talismanic forward Gareth Devlin, who wasn’t on the pitch long after recovering from a hamstring injury sustained in the Ulster final.

Stewartstown couldn’t have dreamt of a better start, getting the first goal of the game with a minute on the clock, Dan Lowe doing what Dan Lowe does and finding the net after a pass-cum-shot from Cumhai O’Neill. Moments later they tagged on a well-constructed point from Dylan McElhatton, and those in attendance would have been forgiven for thinking we were in for an entirely one-sided affair.

The Harps were dealt a setback when Kyran Robinson was black carded for a foul on Jack O’Connor (not that one) early in proceedings, and though the decision itself was harsh, O’Connor eventually was taken off after receiving medical attention.

There was a protracted period without a score from either team, but Glasgow got their account up and running with a point from Meath native Shane O’Brien after some fine build-up play from team captain Tomas Clarke, a giant of a man who exerted a considerable influence on proceedings.

The Glasgow-based side added another through Darragh Elliot, followed by a neat score from Anton Coyle, one of the heroes of Stewartstown’s Ulster final success over Drumlane, ably deputising for the injured Gareth Devlin.

Sub Richard Stevenson reduced the deficit further from a free, and Glasgow Gaels, the rank outsiders, momentarily moved into a 1-3 to 1-2 lead when Letterkenny man Darren Ashmore deftly flicked the ball to the back of the net after a probing long ball with 25 minutes gone.

It could’ve been a huge moment in the contest but Stewartstown responded right away, winning a penalty which Dan Lowe coolly converted, sending the Glasgow goalie the wrong way, for their second goal of the game.

It proved the final score of the half, and once proceedings recommenced, Dan Lowe got the score of the game thus far with an exquisite effort Stephen O’Neill would have been proud of. It seemed that a fuse had been lit and an Anton Coyle free made it 2-4 to 1-3 in Stewartstown’s favour.

Lowe almost got his hat-trick only for a fine save from the Glasgow goalie Diarmuid McGovern, but the momentum was firmly in the Harp’s favour, forcing turnovers and attacking at pace with Kyran Robinson, Macauley Quinn and Cumhai O’Neill among others getting through a mountain of work in the middle third.

With dusk falling and 20 minutes remaining, Stewartstown extended their advantage with a fine point from Gareth Devlin, entering the fray in the second-half after recovering from a hamstring injury. Moments later, however, Devlin, so important to the Harps cause, was dismissed for a straight red, a decision one would expect they’d appeal ahead of their All-Ireland semi-final.

Glasgow got their first score of the second-half with 47 minutes on the clock with a Richard Stevenson free, and they didn’t have to wait long for their second, a super effort from substitute Leo Ryan.

Stewartstown half-forward Dylan McElhatton got his second of the afternoon prior to a point from corner-back Connor Quinn, who ghosted upfield..

Their 2-7 to 1-5 lead heading into the home straight wasn’t a bad one, and a magnificent effort from veteran forward Anton Coyle with 53 minutes gone had all the air of an insurance score.

Glasgow never gave up and Darren Ashmore pounced for his second goal of the game after a long ball, but it proved immaterial as Stewartstown got the last score of the game, fittingly from the classy Dan Lowe.