Stewartstown too strong for Down hosts

Teconnaught  0-5   Stewartstown 2-20

TYRONE double winners Stewartstown produced a polished display to comfortably clear the challenge presented by Down representatives Teconnaught at Pairc Esler in Newry on Saturday in the first round of the Ulster Junior Football Championship.

Sunny early November sunshine greeted players and spectators alike in the land of Mourne as Stewartstown maintained their high level of form on the back of an unbeaten domestic league and championship campaign.

Downpatrick-based Teconnaught had won the Mourne county title in mid-October when battling back from five points behind against Dromara at Pairc Esler to emerge victorious by four points (1-13 to 0-12). A week later, Stewartstown entered the Ulster arena after denying Aghaloo 2-12 to 0-12 in their domestic decider.

Patrick Grant chalked up 0-11 (6f) in that Down final for Teconnaught. Grant looked to play a prominent role again here but was reduced to 0-3 this time around as Stewartstown soon set out their stall in stylish fashion.

Tougher tests are likely to wait up ahead and the Harps will be keeping collective feet on the ground as they eye a Provincial final ticket. Stewartstown are in bonus territory at this stage of the season with two trophies plus promotion in the cabinet room, so they can give Ulster a real rattle in the quest to continue a very productive 2022.

Teconnaught came up against an away team here that moved the ball swiftly through slick passing and strong running plus support play. Stewartstown’s flowing football, allied to crisp finishing, presented problems that Teconnaught struggled to contend with.

The task facing Teconnaught became crystal clear in the opening quarter as Stewartstown established an eleven point advantage before the Down team scored for the first time. Teconnaught had it all to do by that juncture and the gap got bigger in the rundown to the interval.

Dan Lowe started brightly and lobbed over two points prior to a Gareth Devlin place kick. It got better for Stewartstown seven minutes in when Macauley Quinn finished a tidy move to the net. Harps points followed from Dan Lowe and the lively Theo Lowe; Macauley Quinn and Conor Quinn also on target as the Tyrone team kept pressing forward forcibly.

Dylan McElhatton fired over to herald a 1-8 to 0-0 lead passing the 17th minute, a fleeting interlude arriving then for Teconnaught as Patrick Grant converted a 19th minute free. They were soon back, however, on defensive duty.

Stewartstown maintained a tight grip on the game as half-time beckoned, with some well-worked attacks culminating in points courtesy of Jason Park, Gareth Devlin (2), Macauley Quinn, Kyran Robinson and Dan Lowe.

The Mourne team turned round facing into a 1-14 to 0-1 deficit but they did make something of a rally as play resumed. Teconnaught managed to chip over some points through Patrick Grant (free) and a Ciaran Carville double in open play. Conor Quinn had one in reply for the Harps.

Teconnaught could have done without a black card to cut their number to fourteen for ten minutes but it was still an awful long way back anyway. Stewartstown sprung sharply into attacking mode again and a Dan Lowe point preceded a stinging shot to Teconnaught’s net by Gareth Devlin on 46 minutes following more effective approach play.

Patrick Grant sent over Teconnaught’s closing point, with Stewartstown wrapping up a convincing victory via Gareth Devlin and a Dan Lowe brace.