Ulster Club Senior Football Championship – Round 1
Dunloy 0-11 Newbridge 1-14
Saturday 1 November
Brendan McTaggart reports from Owenbeg, Dungiven
With 10 minutes to go at Owenbeg, hope sprang eternal for Dunloy Cuchullains. The sides were tied, Dunloy were controlling the second half and dictating a game many outside of the Village didn’t give them a prayer of getting anything from.
A golden chance for a major went a begging and Newbridge made the most of the reprieve. A couple of two pointers and another free in the space of a little over three minutes proved to be the winning of the game in the last five minutes as the Derry champions ran out six point winners.
The final score line felt harsh on the Cuchullains. Both sides had passed up on goal chances, Chrissy McMahon putting on a goal keeping clinic in the first half with his saves while Nathan Rocks was superb between the sticks for the Bridge.
The Sean O’Leary’s were so incisive throughout the game with fast, intricate passing to cut through Dunloy – especially in the first half. The speed of thought matching the Newbridge speed of play as they looked for runners off the shoulder in tight, enclosed spaces. Oisin Doherty and Sean Young pivotal while Callum McGrogan got the game defining goal with a quarter of the game remaining.
McMahon’s shot stopping was brilliant and he could do little with Callum McGrogan’s goal while Aaron Crawford, Reece Cunning and Aodhan McGarry were all excellent throughout. Eoin McFerran put in his best shift of the championship as he and Deaglan Smith went through a mountain of work in both attack and defence. On a night when the Cuchullains needed the spark in attack that they had shown so often in their run to lifting the McNamee Cup, too often it wasn’t there. Keelan Molloy top scored with six points, two frees and a brilliant two pointer that almost lifted the roof off the stand at Owenbeg. On another night, Luke McFerran would have ended the first half with three goals while the work rate of Eoin O’Neill and Nigel Elliott could never be faulted. Seaan Elliott showed glimpses of his brilliance but he was well shackled by a brilliant Newbridge defence, brothers Shane, Paudie and Conor McGrogan excelling as they wrestled control in the final 10 minutes.
The opening moments of the game belonged to the Derry champions but they held a slender one point lead after the opening 10 minutes. Oisin Doherty (free) and Sean Young pointing either side of a Keelan Molloy free while McMahon’s save to deny Oisin Doherty in the same period of time was right out of the top drawer.
Dunloy’s first point from open play came in the 12th minute, Molloy getting on the end of a lightning break as Dunloy began to grow into the game. Conor Doherty split the uprights for his first of two points while McMahon was the saviour for Dunloy once again, this time denying Sean Young.
Eoin O’Neill restored parity at the end of the first quarter and while Newbridge fired over two unanswered points from Conor and Oisin Doherty (free), the final 10 minutes of the first half belonged to Dunloy.
They created a massive goal chance through Seaan and Nigel Elliott before finding Luke McFerran. He got his shot away despite having very little room only for Rocks to deny him with his legs. Molloy (free) and Sean Young fired over before another Dunloy goal chance went a begging. Seaan Elliott skewed his effort for a point and with the ball dropping around the edge of the six yard box, Luke McFerran managed to get a hand onto the ball to palm it goalwards only for Rocks to be equal to his shot.
A brace of two pointers from Molloy and Deaglan Smith took Dunloy into a two point lead in the last minute of the 30 but Dunloy managed to create another goal chance. Nigel Elliott breaking from a ruck and found space to run into as Newbridge retreated. He looked for Keelan Molloy inside who had the goal at his mercy but Shane McGrogan managed to get a hand onto the ball as the half time whistle blew.
It was a great ending to the half and the interval came at the wrong time for the Cuchullains. They were getting up a head of steam and had Newbridge on the ropes. Dunloy were playing into a stiff breeze in the second half and a two point lead was precarious but they began the second half superbly. Keelan Molloy and Ryan McGarry pointed either side of a Mark McGrogan point to stretch their lead to three as they looked to play with patience and precision.
Dunloy had the lion’s share of possession but Newbridge were dangerous from turnover ball with their pace and power. Oisin Doherty fired over his third free of the contest to leave two points between the sides before they scored the only goal of the game in the 43rd minute. Oisin Doherty showing tremendous pace and skill to cut inside the Dunloy defence and had the presence of mind to pass across to Callum McGrogan who palmed to the back of the Dunloy net.
Dunloy continued to play with patience and restored parity with Seaan Elliott splitting the uprights, giving the Cuchullains a timely response to the Newbridge goal with a little over 10 minutes remaining. That was to be Dunloy’s last score of the contest though as Newbridge took a stranglehold of the game.
Mark Doherty split the posts before the Cuchullains created another massive goal chance. Nigel Elliott breaking from a ruck once again and as Newbridge tracked back, Elliott looked to find Smith to his left. His pass was too long however and Newbridge took full advantage.
Two efforts from outside the large ‘D’ from Conleth McGrogan and Oisin Doherty put daylight between the sides while Doherty would take his tally to six points for the evening with his fourth free of the night.
It was a harsh lesson on the clinical nature of Ulster football for the Cuchullains and a case of what might have been. Newbridge proved to be a bridge too far for Anthony McQuillan’s men who have lit up the Antrim championship this year. The Ulster Odyssey was stopped before it got out of second gear but they will take plenty of learnings from this hour and look to 2026 with plenty of promise.
TEAMS
DUNLOY: Chrissy McMahon; Reece Cunning, Aaron Crawford, Conor Kinsella; Aodhan McGarry, Ryan McGarry, Tom McFerran; Eoin McFerran, Deaglan Smith; Eoin O’Neill, Seaan Elliott, Conal Cunning; Luke McFerran, Keelan Molloy, Nigel Elliott
Subs: Kevin McQuillan for L McFerran (60); James Scally for N Elliott (60)
Scorers: K Molloy 0-6 (2F, 1TP); D Smith 0-2 (1TP); R McGarry 0-1; E O’Neill 0-1; S Elliott 0-1
NEWBRIDGE: Nathan Rocks; Shea McAteer, Shane McGrogan, Mark McGrogan; Callum McGrogan, Conor McGrogan, Conleth McGrogan; Conor Doherty, Conleth McGrogan; Eamon Young, Mark Doherty, Conor McAteer; Patrick McMullan, Sean Young, Oisin Doherty
Subs: Jude Diamond for E Young (60)
Scorers: O Doherty 0-6 (4F, 1TP); Callum McGrogan 1-00; C Doherty 0-2; Conleth McGrogan 0-2 (1TP); S Young 0-2; M McGrogan 0-1; M Doherty 0-1
Referee: Kieran Eannetta (Tyrone)
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