Danske Bank Mageean Cup – Round robin 3
St Killian’s Garron Tower 3-12 St Patrick’s Maghera 1-13
Mageean Cup holders St Killians made a strong start to Tuesday’s Mageean Cup round robin game at Pairc Mhuire, Cushendall, scoring three goals in the first half, and as things turned out they needed every point of the 3-06 to 0-08 lead they had accumulated by half time.
A quick exchange of points between Maghera’s KB Mullan and St Killian’s Oisin Gillan got the game off to a lively start, but when the Garron Tower boys hit two quick goals through Oran McCambridge and Dylan McNaughton it looked like they were on their way to a convincing win.
However the holder had the taste for goals and rather than take a series of easy points they kept going for majors and were denied by some tenacious tackling, and a series of excellent saves by goalkeeper Rian Collins, the Lavey man showing great reflexes, and ball control, when denying Thomas McLaughlin from a penalty.
However Michael Furey did grab a third St Killian’s goal before the break and when they went in with 3-6 to 0-08 advantage they appeared to be comfortable.
Things began to change after the break when the Derry side got on top and they slowly but surely closed the gap as Rian Collins continued his accurate free taking of the first half, while ONeill and McCloskey sent over points from play. When McCloskey cut in from the right to fire home a Maghera goal the gap was down to a single point and it appeared that St Pat’s were on their way to victory. However the Tower reacted well and a series of points from Calum McIlwaine, John Scullion, Thomas McLaughlin and Joe McKay saw them pull clear again.
St Pat’s responded and had the gap down to three going into injury time when they were awarded a free, which gave them the chance to draw level. Collin’s struck the shot well but it flew inches wide of the right hand upright and the Tower survived. They will now face St Mary’s Belfast in the quarter final, just after Halloween, while Mahera will take from the other side of the Glenshane Pass, Gaelcholáiste Dhoire in the comeptition’s first ever Derry derby.
St Killian’s: O McCambridge 1-2, M Furry and D McNaughton 1-0 each, C McIlwaine and C Mooney 0-2 each, J Scullion, C McAuley, O Gillan, T McLaughlin, C McIntosh and C Leech 0-1 each
St Patrick’s: D McCloskey 1-2, R Collins 0-7 frees, C McKaigue (65), KB Mullan, D O’Neill and C Quinn 0-1 each.
St Killian’s: B Duncan, C McNaughton, C Ward, C McCann, J Scullion, C McAuley, J Kearney, C Mooney, A Campbell, O McCambridge, C McIlwaine, M Furey, O Gillan, T McLaughlin, D McNaughton
Subs: C Leech for O McCambridge (HT), C McIntosh for M Furey (36), A McCambridge for J Kearney (50), J McKay for D McNaughton (54)
St Patrick’s: D Collins, F Turner, P O’Kane, N McNicholl, J Molloy, C McKaigue, O Doherty, D McCloskey, KB Mullan, R Collins, T McHugh, D O’Neill, G McIvor, C Quinn, C McCloskey
Subs: CJ Mulholland for N McNicholl (12), B Bradley for C Quinn (59)
Referee: P Tumelty
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