Northern Switchgear Senior Football Championship Group 1
Creggan 0-13-1-10 Lámh Dhearg
Kevin Herron reports from Staffordstown Road
Ruairi McCann kept his cool to earn Champions Creggan a draw in Sunday evenings Northern Switchgear Championship opener against Lámh Dhearg at the Staffordstown Road.
For much of the contest it looked as though the 2021 winners start their defence with a win as McCann scored half of his sides 12 scores that had them five-points to the good with a quarter of an hour remaining.
Lámh Dhearg refused to go away quietly though and after reducing arrears to two-points they took the lead for the first time in added time through a thumping strike from Conor Murray.
But talisman McCann salvaged a share of the spoils deep, deep into time added on as Creggan showed the hallmark of Champions and rescued a point from a position that they never looked likely to find themselves in.
Indeed the hosts raced into an early three-point lead through a double from Ruairi McCann and another from namesake Conor that had them in the ascendancy.
It took Lámh Dhearg eight minutes to respond but Conor Murray swung over a reply after Declan Smyth and Fionn Mervyn combined well in a burst from defence.
A foul on Paddy Mervyn afforded Terry McCrudden the chance from a free and McCrudden obliged before Ryan Murray shot over to draw the sides level short of the quarter-hour mark.
Ruairi McCann inched his side back in front with his first converted free of the evening, but Ryan Murray replied from the same scenario.
The hosts went two ahead again, McCann doubling his free tally for the half and Kevin Small then guiding a lovely shot accurately between the sticks to give his side a 0-06-0-04 lead.
Ryan Murray narrowed the margin with his second converted free- though his side were unable to make fresh inroads until the end of the half as Creggan extended their lead.
McCann landed back-to-back scores from play, the first a simple side-foot conversion that was angled over and the second after a fine popped pass from Liam Quinn, with Conor McCann then doubling his account for the half.
The visitors did hit back before the break with a curling shot from Terry McCrudden dropping over to ensure that three-points separated the sides at the midway point.
Creggan increased their advantage upon the resumption through a Liam Quinn point after he had intercepted Conor McCann’s pass, withstood the pressure, and steered his shot over.
The Lámhs had ample opportunity to respond in the opening stages but were guilty of squandering a few chances that would have saw them in a much better position.
Conor Murray would eventually get his side off the mark at the fifth time of asking with ten minutes gone in the half.
Back-to-back scores from Tiernan McAteer and Odhran McLarnon gave the Champions a 0-12-0-07 lead with a quarter of an hour of normal time remaining.
A third converted Ryan Murray free narrowed altered the margin slightly and things could have been better on 51 minutes.
Kevin Quinn dropped a high ball into the square and Oisin Kerr failed to gather with two-hands, Conor Murray reached the loose ball first and fired in a shot that Kerr parried and with a second bite at the cherry- Murray shot wide of the post.
Murray would angle over a point moments later and then sent over a close range free on the 60th minute to ensure that just two-points separated the sides going into six-additional minutes.
Lámh Dhearg probed a goal and received their just rewards almost four minutes into added time.
Marc Jordan burst up field and slipped the ball off to Fionn Mervyn, Ryan Murray then took up the charge and sent the ball to substitute Stephen Tully, he dropped a high ball that bounced, and Declan Smyth reached it and feed Conor Murray to sweep a bullet of a shot past Oisin Kerr and into the net to ensure his side were in front for the first time 1-10-0-12.
The Hannahstown side frantically tried to shore things up and had Tully black-carded in the process, though Creggan earned themselves a chance of the spoils forcing a 45’ and with the final act Ruairi McCann successfully nailed the pressure kick from close to the side-line to tie things up and earn his side a share of the spoils.
Creggan: O Kerr, E Carey-Small, K Burke, E McAteer, A Maguire, M Johnston, J McCann, C McCann (0-02), K Small (0-01), T McAteer (0-01), R McCann (0-07, 0-02f, 0-01 45’), L Quinn (0-01), D McAteer, O McLarnon (0-01). Subs: F Burke for A Maguire (HT), J McAteer for D McAteer (40), M Rodgers for C McCann (51).
Lámh Dhearg: J Finucane, F Mervyn, M McGarry, R Murray, D Smyth, D Lynch, B Rice, P Mervyn, M Jordan, C Maxwell, K Quinn, O McKeown, R Murray (0-04, 0-03f), C Murray (1-04, 0-01f), T McCrudden (0-02, 0-01f). Subs: M Hynes for B Rice (HT), D Dunne for T McCrudden (49), S Tully for C Maxwell (51), A Byrne for R Murray (60).
Referee: Kevin Parke (Naomh Eánna)