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Burt qualify for first ever Junior
A final
07.10.11
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Burt...2-7 Red Hugh’s...0-8 Report: Inishowen Independent SIX days after winning the Senior Hurling Championship against Setanta from Killygordon, Burt defeated the footballers of Red Hugh’s – also from Killygordon – to qualify for a first ever Junior A Football Championship final. First half goals from Enda McDermott and Ciaran Dowds and the accurate free taking of Joe Boyle set Burt on the road to victory and they led by 2-4 to 0-1 at half time. Red Hugh’s had a goal ruled out for a square ball offence just before the break, and while they made a better fist of it in the second half they were almost entirely reliant on Damian Brown’s free-taking. They really needed a goal to get back into the game, but they failed to create a single goal chance and Burt keeper Stephen Gillespie didn’t have a save to make over the hour. Red Hugh’s did halve their ten point half time deficit to five points mid way through the second half, but Ciaran Dowds hit two late points to maintain a comfortable cushion for the Burt men. Missing a couple of men through injuries picked up in the hurling final, Burt lined out with seven hurlers in their starting 15 on Saturday night and they started in whirlwind fashion with Enda McDermott hitting the post from a good goal chance with only ten seconds gone. |
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A 13m Joe Boyle free, for a
foul on Enda McDermott, opened Burt’s account in the
fourth minute and Burt’s intention was already clear:
deploy a three man forward unit of Joe Boyle, Enda
McDermott and Ciaran Dowds, withdraw everyone else into
defence, and try to exploit the space in Red Hugh’s
half. Paul McHugh embarked on a long solo up the right wing in the tenth minute and when his shot struck the right hand upright, Enda McDermott was on hand to finish the rebound to the net. |
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Burt were dominant in the
first half, with Kevin McDermott fetching lots of clean
ball at midfield, and Niall Campbell, Rory Grant and
Seamie O’Donnell getting in smartly to pick up any
breaks. They were camped in the Red Hugh’s half for long
periods, but failed to convert a couple of goal chances
that came their way, especially one that fell to Enda
McDermott when, under pressure from Carl Scanlon, he
lost possession just as he was about to pull the
trigger. He made amends somewhat in the 23rd minute after Grant and Martin Donaghey halted a Red Hugh’s foray into the Burt half. Grant fed Ciaran Dowds down the right sideline, and he played the ball into McDermott for a well worked score. Two further Joe Boyle free had Burt 1-4 to 0-0 ahead before Burt notched up their second goal with another well worked move. Johnny Downey intercepted a Red Hugh’s pass deep in his own half, slipped the ball off to Eamon Reddin whose long ball over the top put Ciaran Dowds in space. He shrugged off his marker and found the back of the net past Michael Shiels at the second attempt. Ten points clear, the writing was already on the wall for a Red Hugh’s team that couldn’t figure out a way around or through Burt’s swarming defence. Their only score of the half came on 29 minutes through a Damian Browne pointed free. They did have the ball in the net through Gerard Gallagher on the stroke of half time, but that was ruled out for a square ball infringement. Trailing by nine points, Red Hugh’s had it all to do in the second half and thanks to the accurate free taking of Damian Browne, they made a better first of things in the second period. Browne and Joe Boyle exchanged pointed free early on, before the Red Hugh’s man – one of two who had lined out in the colours of Setanta six days earlier – hit three unanswered points to reduce the deficit to six points. Red Hugh’s hit their only point from play in the 48th minute when they patiently worked the ball out of a dead end in the left corner and back to Marty Bonner who pointed from nearly 40 yards. The Killygordon men were on top at midfield, winning most kick outs in the third quarter, but once they reduced the deficit to five points Burt, who had looked content to defend their big half time lead, reignited their play. Eamon Reddin won a kick out and passed to Ciaran Dowds who drove forward to point and re-establish Burt’s six point advantage. Damian Browne responded with yet another free, but Burt were on top in the middle and Kevin McDermott punched down a Killygordon kick out for Dowds to run onto and he sprinted down the middle to point off the outside of his boot. Browne hit a 56th minute free to reduce the deficit again to five points, but Red Hugh’s needed a goal and they never looked like finding it with Burt patiently holding possession and running down the clock. Beaten semi finalists last year, Burt have now qualified for a first ever Junior A Championship final. The club’s only other Donegal football final was in 1989, when they lost to Gaoth Dobhair reserves in the Junior B final. However, Burt did win the Derry Senior Football Championship 80 years ago. At that time, Inishowen clubs played in Derry competition and Burt defeated Waterside club St Patrick’s Corrody at Celtic Park to win the senior football crown of 1931. Burt: Stephen Gillespie; Johnny Downey, Paul O’Brien, Mark McGavigan; Paul McHugh, Martin Donaghey, Seamie O’Donnell; Kevin McDermott, Eamon Reddin; Niall Campbell, Paddy McDermott, Rory Grant; Ciaran Dowds (1-2), Joe Boyle (0-4, 4f), Enda McDermott (1-0). Sub: Benny Harrigan for J. Boyle (54 mins). Red Hugh’s: Michael Shiels; Gary Kelly, Carl Scanlon, Peadar McGlinchey; Thomas McMenamin, Marty Bonner (0-1), Carl Gallen; Michael McMenamin, Eugene Browne; Damian Browne (0-7, 7f), Calvin Brady, Gerard Melaugh; Gerard Gallagher, Richie Gallen, Colm Melaugh. Subs: Gerard Melaugh for C. Gallen (37 mins); Niall McMenamin for G. Gallagher (52 mins), Referee: Shane Toolan (Ballyshannon). Man of the match Johnny Downey impressed in defence, Seamie O’Donnell made several good interceptions and Eamon Reddin stood up when he was needed, but Ciaran Dowds gets the nod. He alternated between midfield and Burt’s forward unit, netting a fine individual goal in the first half. But his leadership in hitting two points late in the second half to kill off a mini-revival from Red Hugh’s was crucial in helping his team win. The referee Once upon a time Shane Toolan played his football with Buncrana, but work took him to the south of the county and with his football playing days behind him he now referees with Aodh Ruadh Ballyshannon. He had a good match on Saturday night allowing advantage when appropriate and talking to the players like adults throughout the 60 minutes. Talking like that is rarer that one might think. Turning point Red Hugh’s might point to their disallowed goal on the stroke of half time, but Burt’s second goal – even though it came as early as the 28th minute – all but won the match for them. Johnny Downey intercepted an attempted pass deep in his own half, fed the ball out to Eamon Reddin who played a long ball into Ciaran Dowds in the full forward line. Dowds beat the full back and while the keeper saved his first attempt, Dowds made no mistake when finishing the rebound to the net. What next? A bit of this and a bit of that! Burt’s Ulster Junior Hurling Championship campaign is up in the air with Strabane Shamrocks under investigation for playing a suspeneded player in the Tyrone final. Until that’s finally decided (ie, until Strabane are thrown out), the Ulster semi final versus Derry side Na Magha is on hold. The reserve footballers will play Convoy in the semi final of the Junior B Championship on Sunday, while the Junior A Final is fixed for Sunday week, 16 October. And there’s still the small matter of another seven football league games to be played before the end of November! For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent. |
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