Kickhams Creggan Vs Lamh Dhearg

Sunday, November 13, 2011

All County U21 Football Championship Final
10 November 2011
 
Kickhams Creggan 1-09
Lamh Dhearg 0-09


Report taken from the County website (with a few corrections):

Late points from substitutes Tiernan McLarnon and Fintan Burke sealed the Antrim Under 21 football title for Creggan Kickhams at Casement Park on Thursday evening and finally ended the stout resistance of a gallant Lamh Dhearg side in a thrilling contest. 

A goal from corner-forward Odhran Mc Larnon nine minutes from the end of normal time followed soon afterwards by a David McGukian point appeared to have put Creggan in the driving seat, but the Hannhstown side fought back and two points from their excellent corner-forward Ryan Murray had thrown the game wide open again. 

However as the clock ticked towards injury time good movement by Creggan saw county hurling star Conor McCann place substitute Finatan Burke for a well taken point, and no sooner had the cheers for that score died down than Tiernan McLarnon added another to seal the win.

Creggan took a long time to settle in the opening half and after an early exchange of points Lamh Dhearg opened up a 0-3 to 0-1 lead with points from Declan Bunting and Michael Hughes and David McGukian for the Creggan men. It was twenty-one minutes before Creggan added their second score of the game through Oran McCann, but it signalled the start of a purple patch as Hugh McNulty fired over a point, right-half back Declan McCann added one and Odhran McLarnon hit his team’s fourth in as many minutes to open up a 0-5 to 0-3 lead. 

Lamh Dhearg cut the gap to a single point by the break and early in the second-half they drew level when Murray again found the target from a narrow angle. The same player was unlucky in the fortieth minute when he cut in along the endline and hand-passed the ball across the Creggan goal only to see the ball go directly to the net which referee Garret Duffy correctly ruled out. 

Left-half back Brendan McCrudden did manage to edge Lamh Dhearg ahead in the forty-ninth minute when he came up to join the attack and fired over a very good point, but Creggan hit back quickly and corner-forward McLarnon gave them back the lead when he grabbed a goal from close range, the ball just spinning over the line after an initial save from Lamh Dhearg goalkeeper McIlvenny.

When David McGukian increased the lead to three a minute later Creggan looked home and hosed, but Murray kept his team in the hunt with two more points and it took the late scores from the Creggan substitutes McLarnon and Burke to finally seal the win. 

A massive congratulations to the players, management team, supporters and everyone else who provided time and effort behind the scenes to make this happen. It was no fluke as the planning, preparation and dedication were the cornerstone for this success.

CREGGAN – Murtagh McKeague, Aiden Maguire, Ricky Johnston, Paddy McLarnon, Declan McCann, Martin Johnston, Ferghan McGranaghan, Conor McCann, Seamus Allen, Paddy McAuley, David McGuckin, Aiden McKeown, Odhran McLarnon, Hugh McNulty, Oran McCann. Subs – Tieranan McLarnon and Finton Burke.

LAMH DHEARG – Mark McIlvenny, Conor McVarnock, Aaron McCaulfield, Mark McGarry, Michael Hughes, Declan Stranney, Brendan McCrudden, Mark Lynch, Declan Lynch, Gerard Slane, Stephen Tully, Neil Cunningham, Kevin Quinn, Declan Bunting, Ryan Murray. 

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