AIB Ulster Intermediate Hurling Final

Carey Faughs (Antrim) 1-11 Swatragh (Derry) 0-13

Brendan McTaggart reports from Fr Healy Park, Loughgiel

It was a war of attrition in a second half that saw Swatragh throw everything in their armoury at the Faugh’s but Carey held on to bridge a 20 year gap and win the Ulster Intermediate Hurling Championship.

This was a gruelling but epic and compelling hour of hurling that you just couldn’t take your eyes off.  Carey showed glimpses of their best but this win came from digging deep and grinding out the result.  Those closing stages when Swatragh were throwing everything, including the kitchen sink at the Faugh’s defence were tailormade for heroes.  Step forward one James ‘Rocket’ Black.  For 50 minutes he was on the fringes of the game, appearing briefly with unimaginable catches and work in rucks.  In the closing stages, Rocket was the difference between the sides.  When Carey needed a block, Rocket was there.  When Carey needed to win clean ball, Rocket was there. 

It was far from a one man show, however.  Given the low scoring nature of the final, it’s remarkable the Faughs had six different scorers and with all coming from play but for two points. 

Michael McVeigh played more in defence and the middle third while he was in the right place and the right time when Swatragh thought they had crossed the Carey goal line.  Calmness personified.  Maybe too calm for those of a Carey persuasion.  Time seemed to stand still as the sliotar stopped inches from the line and McVeigh cleared – eventually.

In a first half that saw the Ballyvoy side play with the wind, they started superbly to hold a two point lead after four minutes.  The Derry men did go close to a major in the opening attack of the game but Steven McGinn was equal to the effort of first Dominic Bradley and then PJ O’Connell before Fintain McGurk’s effort went wide.

Black, James McCouaig and Caolan McCaughan all raised white flags before a James Friel free reduced the deficit to the minimum in the fifth minute.

The Faughs went close to a major with Conall McGlynn going close after McQuillan spilled the sliotar into his path but his effort was deflected wide.

McGlynn would convert the resulting ’65 before McCaughan’s second of the game to open a three point lead but scores from Sean Martin Quinn and Friel (free) kept Swatragh in touch.  Friel’s second free would be Swatragh’s last score for 15 minutes and while Carey weren’t exactly shooting the lights out, they got daylight between the sides.

Scores from Black and McGlynn came after a series of bad misses from the Faugh’s.  Three points was the difference going into the 22^nd minute when McKinley scores the only goal of the game.  Callum Cane’s effort had dropped short and McQuillan failed to deal with the dropping sliotar.  McGlynn showed his predatory instincts and pulled first time to the back of the net.

Points followed through midfielder Patrick Butler – twice splitting the posts in the space of 60 seconds with the first coming from a huge distance out.  Swatragh would finish the half on top however with scores coming from Sean Martin Quinn and O’Connell to leave the half time score 1-9 to 0-6.

Swatragh would have been content with the half time score given the elements in their favour for the second half.  It was going to take a massive effort from the Faugh’s to get over the line, but not many could have predicted just how much of an effort and how far they had to dig deep.

The lead was reduced to four by the 8^th minute of the second half with Sean Martin Quinn (free) and Friel splitting the uprights.  A McGlynn free in the 40^th minute briefly halted the Swatragh charge but the Derry champions hit a purple patch with another three points in barely three minutes.  Sean Francis Quinn, Friel (free) and Bradley all converting to leave two between the sides.

The Swa had another glimpse of the Carey goal when substitute Michael Kirkpatrick’s effort dropped wickedly into the six yard box.  Swatragh had a sniff, the Carey defence scrambled and McVeigh was the man to clear the threat. 

Conlith McKinley pointed to take his tally to 1-1 for the final with 14 minutes of the hour remaining.  Incredibly, that would be Carey’s last score of the game.  Three points separated the sides going into the final quarter and Swatragh laid siege on the Carey defence.

Points from Sean Martin Quinn and Friel (free) reduced the deficit to the minimum with five minutes of the hour remaining.  It was as close as Swatragh got, however.  They had chances with Friel skewing a couple of frees wide and substitute Kevin McAllister’s deflected effort going wide of the post while Rocket rose to the challenge.

As the final whistle blew three minutes over the hour, the outpouring of emotion onto the Fr Healy Park surface matched the occasion.  Epic scenes after an epic hour of hurling.

For Carey, the journey continues.

TEAMS

Carey: S McGinn; Z McCaughan, S McBride, P Gillan; J McCouaig, J McBride, J Black; C McCaughan, P Butler; C McKinley, C McGlynn, C McBride; C Cane, M McVeigh, S Hunter.  Subs: F McVeigh for C McBride (60+2)

Swatragh: N McQuillan; B Kearney, P Turner, M Ó Hagáin; T Walsh, J Friel, C Quinn; M McCormack, S F Quinn; S M Quinn, P Cunning, C Murray; D Bradley, PJ O’Connell, F McGurk.  Subs:  O O’Kane for F McGurk (40); M Kirkpatrick for P Cunning (42); D Quinn for M McCormack (57); K McAllister for C Murray (60+2)

SCORERS

Carey: C McKinley 1-1, C McGlynn 0-3 (1’65, 1f); J Black 0-2, C McCaughan 0-2, P Butler 0-2, J McCouaig 0-1

Swatragh: J Friel 0-5 (4f), S M Quinn 0-4 (3f), C Murray 0-1, D Bradley 0-1, PJ O’Connell 0-1

Referee: Peter Owens (Laitroim, Down)

TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

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Carey Faughs take on the Derry champions Swatragh in Saturday’s Ulster Intermediate Hurling Final at Fr Healy Park, Loughgiel, just as they did twenty years ago in the inaugural Ulster final at the same venue. That day, 31^st October 2004, the opposition were Owen Roe Coleraine who pushed the Faughs to the limit before losing out by a single point. 0-07 to 0-06 in a low scoring game. The report which probably appeared in the Northern Constitution, describes in detail a tough game which saw the Coleraine men, in only their third year in hurling, featured sixteen year old Sean Leo McGoldrick, who was to go on to be a big star with Owen Roe and Derry hurlers, join brothers Ciaran and Barry on the team.

The move that gave the Faughs the upper hand was springing substitutes Paidi McShane and Gerard McAuley from the bench early in the second half.  A late points from seventeen year old Martin Butler, three minutes into injury time gave the Faughs a two point cushion proved the match winner, for even though Owen Roe grabbed a very late point, it was a case of too little, too late and the Faughs held on for a historic victory.

Ulster Intermediate Hurling Final 2004

FAUGHS HOLD OUT TO BEAT OWEN ROE IN CLOSE ENCOUNTER

Carey Faughs 0-07 Owen Roe Coleraine 0-06

In a nail biting finish Carey Faughs just held off the sternest of challenges by Owen Roe Coleraine to win the inaugural Ulster Intermediate Hurling Championship final at Loughgiel last Sunday afternoon. They edged out the Derry men by the narrowest of margins, a single point, 0-07 to 0-06, to become the first winners of the John Vessey Memorial Cup.

Carey went into the decider as overwhelming favourites, but they were made to battle every inch of the way as Owen Roe came within a whisker of causing a major shock. No quarter was ask and none was given as the teams went toe to toe in a teak tough encounter. The soft underfoot conditions mitigated against a flowing game of hurling, but it did not take away from the excitement for the good sized crowd as the closeness of the scores ensured the result was in doubt until the final whistle.

Defences dominated throughout this encounter, with each set of forwards finding it really difficult to make any real headway. The entire Owen Roe full back line were tremendous, centre back Ciaran Lagan inspirational, clearing his lines long and accurately, while rugged corner men Richard Douglas and Gerard Kelly never took a step back as they defended like demons throughout.

Owen Roe goalkeeper Ciaran McGoldrick was well protected throughout, but he had to make a couple of superb saves to deny the Carey men goals. The midfield sector was shaded by the Coleraine men as Derry county players Barry McGoldrick and Anton Raferty, along with Padraig O’Mianain just had the edge on Cathal McAuley and Colm McBride.

However Carey were able to introduce a couple of substitutes to beef up this sector midway through the second half, the experienced Paudi McShane and Gerard McAuley making a real impact when they came on. They also added to their attack with the introduction of young Martin Butler, who fired over Carey’s seventh, and in the end, winning point in injury time. It was this strength in depth, particularly up front, where Carey won the game.

Carey seemed to justify their favouritism as thy got off to a flying start with a point inside 30 seconds, Ciaran McCaughan firing over from 40 metres. After firing a free wide midfielder Cathal McAuley had Carey’s second point on the board in the fifth minute and at this stage the Carey men were on top, but Barry McGoldrick and Anton Rafferty began to get a foothold in midfield, which gave the Owen Roe defence some respite.

In the tenth minute Barry McGoldrick swept a fine crossfield ball to his brother Sean Leo who scored Owen Roe’s opening point. The Coleraine men then had a couple of attacks that came to nothing with a free and a 65 going agonisingly wide. The Faughs were more economical as in the next attack Julian Gillan knocked over their third point with consummate ease.

A foul on Sean Lagan gave Sean Leo McGoldrick the chance to put a single point between the teams in the 20^th minute and moments later Kevin McCarry delivered a fine ball forward but Joe Butler was alert to the danger and for Carey. Shortly after this John McVeigh was lucky just to see yellow when he pulled wildly across Barry McGoldrick in a clash ball, the Owen Roe man needing treatment before carrying on. As the game neared half time a shot on the run by Sean Leo McGoldrick was well saved by Carey goalkeeper Bosco McAuley, who turned it around the post for a ‘65’, which was sent between the posts by Padraig O’Mianain to tie the scores at 0-3 apiece at the half time whistle.

Both teams hit wides in the early stages of the second half but Owen Roe were getting on the attack but scores were hard to come by and Sean Leo McGoldrick shot narrowly wide.

In the 38^th minute Darren Mullan hand-passed out to O’Mianain who fired over from a narrow angle and Owen Roe were ahead for the first time in the game. Clearly rattled at this stage Carey brought on Gerard McAuley and Paidi McShane to bolster their midfield sector and this change had the desired effect and the Faughs were back level when McAuley pointed a free after a foul on Ciarran McCaughan.

Both teams squandered chances, but Carey were getting on top again and points from Martin McAuley and John McVeigh in the 48^th and 54^th minutes gave them a two point cushion with time ticking away. Barry McGoldrick tapped over a close range free for Owen Roe to cut the deficit to a single point. One minute from the end of normal time there was great consternation in the Owen Roe camp when Barry Goldrick appeared to be fouled when soloing down the left wing, but the match referee did not see it that way and gave a fould the other way for overcarrying.

Three minutes into added time Carey got what proved to be the insurance point when young Martin Butler swept over a fine score. There was still time for a Coleraine response and Keith Farran hit a cracking point from midfield to reduce the deficit to a single point again. Owen Roe needed to win the puc-out to save the game but the Faughs won possession and held on for victory by the narrowest of margins.