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Burt faces relegation playoff
04.11.09
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Burt...0-5 (J. Boyle 0-3 (2 frees); K. McDermott 0-1 and P. McDermott 0-1) Naomh Columba...1-8 (D. O’Donnell 1-2; A. O’Gara 0-2; O. McGinley 0-2; C. O’Gara 0-1 and M. Byrne 0-1 (1 free)) by Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent, at Hibernian Park BURT'S recent poor run continued with a third straight league defeat, this time at the hands of fellow relegation candidates Naomh Columba. Sunday’s game was vital to both sides, with the winners extricating themselves from the relegation mire and the losers being sucked down into the relegation play-offs. Naomh Columba did more than enough to take both league points and ensure their survival in Division 3 next year. Burt play Cloughaneely next week and need a win to force a play-off with Carndonagh to see who will play Na Rossa in the relegation play-off proper. Should Burt lose to Cloughaneely, Carn will be safe and Burt will go straight into the play-off with Na Rossa with the losers of that game joining Robert Emmet’s in Division 4 next season. Burt can still avoid relegation, but the odds of them doing so have been cut sharply following Sunday’s defeat. |
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Despite heavy overnight
rain that caused the cancellation of fixtures elsewhere,
the Hibernian Park pitch, while greasy on top, was
perfectly playable. That said, a stiff breeze and
driving rain made playing conditions difficult for both
sides and there was a litany of dropped possession as
the football did a passable impression of a bar of soap. With the wind on their backs Naomh Columba dominated the first half and led by 0-7 to 0-0 at half time. Burt were more competitive in the second half, but an already difficult task was made even harder when they had a man sent off within minutes of the restart. But as so often is the way, the 14 men upped their performance and reduced the deficit to just three points with five minutes remaining. But Dara O’Donnell sealed the win for Naomh Columba in injury time when he pounced on a ball fumbled by Burt ’keeper Ronan McLaughlin and slammed it to the empty net. Naomh Columba started well and had two points on the board from right half forward Andrew O’Gara within the first three minutes. |
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They were making good use
of the wind, releasing long ball into their target man
Oisin McGinley and he was able to bring his fellow
forwards into the game. Indeed McGinley hit Glen’s next
two points, in the 10th and 16th minutes as they raced
into a 0-4 to 0-0 lead. While Enda McDermott and Ciaran Dowds were winning possession in midfield, and Mickey McCann and Martin Donaghey were eager to turn defence into attack, Burt’s forwards were easily contained by the Glen defence, for whom Kevin Cunningham was especially impressive. Burt could only muster a couple of wides, while points from Dara O’Donnell, Clement O’Gara and a monster 50m free kick from Michael Byrne gave Naomh Columba a 0-7 to 0-0 interval lead. The second half was only minutes old when Burt were reduced to 14 men with the sending off of Ciaran Dowds. But with the wind now in their favour they came more into the game. Joe Boyle opened the scoring with a point from play in the 37th minute before Dermot Callaghan fed Kevin McDermott for the tall full forward to double Burt’s tally five minutes later. A free from Boyle reduced the deficit to four points by the 44th minute. Burt were in the ascendancy, but some poor decision-making saw them concede possession time after time. Naomh Columba used Noel McGinley as the spare man, deploying him between their full back and half back lines, and his experience and ability to read the game saw him sweep up a fortune of ball over the second period as Burt persisted with long balls into the two man full forward line of Kevin McDermott and Joe Boyle. A point from Dara O’Donnell disrupted Burt’s scoring sequence, but a free from Boyle and a point from 45m from Paddy McDermott after good play involving Martin Donaghey, Paul McHugh and Jonathan Downey, reduced the deficit to three points with five minutes remaining and an unlikely comeback still looked to be on the cards. But Naomh Columba struck the killer punch early in injury time. A harmless looking ball got caught in the wind and dropped short of the Burt goals. Ronan McLaughlin came out to catch it but it squirted from his grasp and Dara O’Donnell had the simple task of slotting the ball to the back of an empty net to the despair of the home support. Burt: Ronan McLaughlin; Jonathan Downey, Andrew Wallace, Martin Donaghey; Benny Harrigan, Eamon Reddin, Mickey McCann; Enda McDermott, Ciaran Dowds; Mark McGavigan, Joe Boyle, Paddy McDermott; Dermot Callaghan, Kevin McDermott, Paul McHugh. Subs: Shane O’Donnell for M. McGavigan (42 mins); Dara Grant for D. Callaghan 55 (mins). Naomh Columba: Shane O’Gara; Kevin Cunningham, Martin Cunningham, Ciaran McBrearty; Clement O’Gara, Michael McGuire, Kenneth Byrne; Dermot McGuire, Gerard Cannon; Andrew O’Gara, Noel McGinley, Declan McGuire; Michael Byrne, Oisin McGinley, Dara O’Donnell. Subs; Gavin McGinley for D. McGuire (half-time); Noel Hegarty for G. Cannon (50 mins); Conal McGavigan for K. Byrne (60 mins). For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent. |
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