Northern Switchgear Senior Football Championship
Quarter Final
Rossa 2-24 Portglenone 3-20 (AET)
Sunday 20 September
Brendan McTaggart reports from Corrigan Park
Rossa produced the upset of the championship on Sunday afternoon as they defeated Portglenone at Corrigan Park. The Shaw’s Road side came into the game as massive underdogs but they showed incredible character to comeback from the death twice in normal time and in extra time.
The Casement’s held a five point lead at half time in normal time with Odhran Doherty imperious. The young Portglenone star had 1-5 beside his name at the interval and his play along with Tom Duffin and Oisin Doherty were keeping the Rossa defence on their toes. All three would score the majors for Portglenone and remained constant threats throughout.
Dominic McEnhill was one of the stars of the show for the Jeremiah’s. He scored one penalty at the end of normal time before seeing a second spot kick saved by Portglenone keeper Kevin Mullan at the closing stages of extra time. He remained a pivotal cog in the Rossa machine however with Eoghan McMenamin imperious. Thomas Morgan finished with six points and another who gave a top performance for the Jeremiah’s but this was a team, collective effort from the Shaw’s Road men.
Portglenone started the contest superbly and dominated the middle third for that opening quarter. They put pressure on Mick Byrne’s kick outs from the word go and with the pressure and intensity at the breakdown, they were dictating the game.
Odhran Doherty opened the scoring with a two pointer before Dermott McAleese took their lead to three after five minutes.
Colm Fleming dissected the uprights with a two point free with Rossa’s first effort on target in the eighth minute but any Rossa attacks were fleeting. Odhran Doherty pointed frees either side of Thomas Morgan’s first point of the game before Michael Hagan took the Portglenone lead to three points by the end of the first quarter.
Rossa began to settle in the game with scores from Stephen Beatty and Morgan before another huge two point free from Fleming gave the Jeremiah’s the lead after 19 minutes. Portglenone responded with a brace of scores from Ciaran McAleese and Odhran Doherty and while McMenamin fired over for Rossa, the Casement’s finished the half strongly.
Odhran Doherty scored the opening goal of the contest when he found a yard of space and fired to the back of the net from 20 yards out. Tom Duffin added another major just two minutes later to give Portglenone an element of control before Morgan’s third of the half left the half time score 2-8 to 0-9 in Portglenone’s favour.
The opening exchanges of the second half were fairly even with Aidan McAleese, Ciaran McAleese and Michael Hagan splitting the posts in response to scored from Morgan, Diarmuid Rogan and McMenamin.
The Jeremiah’s began to turn the screw and a run of four scores and five points in the space of five minutes had them within one point of Portglenone. McMenamin with a two pointer and another white flag either side of scores from Morgan and Corey Walsh.
Despite coming back into the game, Rossa were dealt another hammer blow through Portglenone’s third goal. Oisin Doherty getting on the end of a move involving Odhran Doherty and Ciaran McAleese before firing beyond Mick Byrne. Points followed from Aiden McAleese and substitute Paddy Kelly as Portglenone took a five point lead with six minutes remaining.
Rossa turned the screw once more and dominated those closing minutes. Points from Corey Walsh and Stephen Beatty came before Niall Crossan was black carded in the last minute of the hour.
Despite Ciaran McAleese scoring his fourth point of the hour, Rossa were playing like it was they who had an extra player. They were awarded a penalty when Cormac McGettigan was felled inside the square. Dominic McEnhill stepped up and found the back of the net in the second minute of injury time.
There was still time for Rossa to roll the dice one more time and it was McGettigan who was in the thick of things once again. Just back last week after playing for New York Cavan, McGettigan equalised with what was the last action of normal time when he hand passed the ball over the bar.
With Rossa back to 15 for the start of extra time, it felt like the Jeremiah’s had all the momentum. Despite this, it was Portglenone who fired over the opening two scores. Aiden McAleese and Paddy Kelly splitting the uprights before the close of the fourth minute.
Rossa and Dominic McEnhill managed to score their second major and it owed much to the persistence and work rate of Dominic McEnhill as he overturned the ball and managed to squeeze the ball over the line despite looking like the chance had gone to give Rossa the lead once again.
That lead was short lived with scored from Aidan McAleese and an Odhran Doherty free gave Portglenone a one point lead at the interval.
Caolan Tierney split the posts upon the restart after linking up with Paddy Kelly before Dominic McEnhill and Diarmuid Rogan responded to tie the scores at the midway point of the half.
A brilliant point from Dermott McAleese edged Portglenone ahead once again, firing over with the outside of his right boot before a Dominic McEnhill free restored parity to the scores once more.
With the game in the melting pot and thoughts turning towards penalties, Rossa were awarded a penalty for a foul on McGettigan. Dominic McEnhill stepped up but this time Kevin Mullan guessed correctly and put the ball out for a ’45.
Rossa ‘keeper Byrne missed the resulting kick yet it was the Jeremiah’s who showed more intent from the resulting kickout. It was Morgan who landed the decisive score, hand passing the ball over the bar despite being under serious pressure to give the Jeremiah’s a remarkable victory.
Their reward for this win is a semi-final meeting with Cargin in two weeks time while Portglenone have another winter to reflect on what could have been.
TEAMS
Rossa Starting XV: Mick Byrne; Gavin McGrath, Patrick Moyes, Fiachra McDonald; Niall Crossan, Gerard Walsh, Michael McEnhill; Liam McEnhill, Eoghan McMenamin; Corey Walsh, Dominic McEnhill, Diarmuid Rogan; Stephen Beatty, Colm Fleming, Thomas Morgan
- Scorers: D McEnhill 2-2 (1-00 pen, 1f); T Morgan 0-6 (1f); E McMenamin 0-5 (1tp); C Fleming 0-4 (2tpf); C Walsh 0-2; D Rogan 0-2; S Beatty 0-2; Cormac McGettigan 0-1
Portglenone Starting XV: Kevin Mullan; Daniel McNicholl, Shane Delargy, Ciaran Lynch; Ruairi Hagan, Connor McGhee, Caolan Tierney; Dermott McAleese, Michael Donnelly; Aiden McAleese, Oisin Doherty, Odhran Doherty; Michael Hagan, Ciaran McAleese, Tom Duffin
- Subs: O Doherty 1-6 (1tp, 3f); C McAleese 0-4; A McAleese 0-3; T Duffin 1-00; O Doherty 1-00; M Hagan 0-2; D McAleese 0-2; Paddy Kelly 0-2; C Tierney 0-1
Referee: Patrick Tumelty (Lámh Dhearg)
TO SEE MORE OF BRENDAN’S PHOTOS FROM THE GAME, CLICK ON THE LINK….
https://myalbum.com/album/JTpDrFcj6AwV7E/?invite=5b6e2115-194c-415e-b1cf-24687071a892
