O’Neill’s Sportswear MFC ‘C’ Final: Greenlough 0-15 Lissan 1-11
Following their semi-final victory over Craigbane at Owenbeg, Greenlough met Lissan in the All-County Minor C Championship final at Ballinderry on Monday night, 23rd September.
In a frantic start, Lissan went two points up before two minutes had fully elapsed, the first from a 20 meter free the second from play. Just over thirty seconds later Greenlough pulled one back when Cathal McErlean played the ball long to Matthew Bradley, who in turn beat his man to fire over.
Just over a minute later Matthew then turned provider, setting Caolan Diamond up who drew the sides level with a well taken point. Straight from that kick out Michael P Henry caught the ball, and making a rare burst into the forward line fired over from distance wide on the left to put Greenlough in front for the first time.
Again from the kick-out Greenlough won the ball after good work from midfielders Caolan Diamond and Niall Loughlin, before Matthew Bradley finished the move by firing over the bar.
After the game’s first wide in the 7th minute when Lissan registered the first of what would eventually be eleven shots off target, Niall Loughlin pointed his first of the day to push the young St Oliver Plunkett’s men three ahead.
Lissan however then hit a period of domination in terms of possession, however after pulling one back in the 9th minute, they then hit three wides in just over a minute. The gap was eventually down to one by the 13th minute following a pointed free, but again a chance to bring the sides level was squandered, but this time thanks to some dogged defending by Michael P Henry doing enough to force his man’s shot wide.
When Matthew Bradley was fouled in the 16th minute Niall Loughlin made no mistake from the free, before Matthew then himself scored from play, rifling the ball just over the cross bar to restore the lead back to three.
Lissan responded immediately at the other end with a point of their own, and but for a good block from Niall Loughlin could have been in on goal. However that block saw the ball go over the endline, and from the resulting ’45, Lissan closed the gap to one.
It only took a further minute for the Lissan to wipe out the lead entirely with their seventh point of the game, leaving the sides level with just over three minutes of the first half remaining.
After the mini spell of dominance for Lissan, it was Greenlough’s turn to create the scoring chances in the final few minutes of the half.
In the 23rd minute Niall Loughlin did brilliantly to get his shot away under severe pressure to put Greenlough in the lead, and when Matthew Bradley’s shot was put out for a ’45; Caolan Diamond’s resulting kick dropped short into the hands of Niall Loughlin again, and again with little room to manoeuvre, Niall hooked the ball over his shoulder and between the posts to leave his side two points up as the half-time whistle blew.
Half-Time: Greenlough 0-09 Lissan 0-07
Having had the last kick in the first half, Niall resumed his scoring with one of the first kicks of the second half, when he pointed a free following a foul on Caolan Diamond after just thirty seconds of the resumption of play.
Lissan started their second half wides tally a minute later, but it was Caolan who next got on the scoresheet himself in the third minute of the half to move Greenlough four up for the first time in the contest. Lissan hit back with a pointed free two minutes later.
Another Niall Loughlin block resulted in Lissan’s second ’45 of the night, but this time the ball dropped short and was cleared, before Matthew Bradley recorded Greenlough’s first and amazingly only wide of the game in the 7th minute. Almost immediately after that shot dropping short and rolling wide, Lissan were back up the pitch and saw an effort rattle the outside of Greenlough net as the continued to push for scores to drag themselves back into the game.
A further Lissan wide, from a free this time, followed in the 9th minute, before Caolan Diamond restored the four point gap for the St Oliver Plunkett’s from a free following good work from Cathal McErlean and a foul on Matthew Bradley.
Just as Greenlough looked to be maybe pulling away the sides were suddenly level in the space of a minute. Firstly Lissan were awarded a penalty following an adjudged foul in Greenlough’s large rectangle; the taker sending Darren Brown in the Greenlough the wrong way before slotting the ball to the back of the net, and then the sides were level when Lissan pointed almost directly from the kick-out.
The St Michael’s boys then had two great chances to claim the lead, but both efforts drifted wide, meaning Caolan Diamond’s monster point from over 45 meters with just over seven to go edged Greenlough in front yet again.
Lissan were level within a minute after eventually finding their scoring range, but Greenlough hit back and moved ahead once more when Matthew Bradley scored a great point from an acute angle on the right.
A minute later the gap was up to two when Niall Loughlin played a one-two with David McLaughlin before hitting his sixth of the night from well over forty meters out. With just four minute of normal time remaining, Lissan launched an all out assault on the Greenlough goal desperately searching for scores to reel their rivals back in.
The gap was closed to one a minute later, and could have been level soon afterwards, only for the ball to sail wide for the eleventh and final time. The St Michael’s boys still had time to mount a final attack, but after the ball returned back off Greenlough’s left upright, the St Oliver Plunkett’s men gained possession and held on for the final whistle soon afterwards; ensuring victory and the All-County C Championship; the club’s first Minor Championship since 2005 and only 5th in total at any Minor level.
Congratulations to St Oliver Plunkett’s Greenlough – Derry Minor Football ‘C’ Champions 2013.
Proud Sponsors of Derry Minor Football Club Competitions
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