Late points secure Fermanagh win over Donegal

Fermanagh 0-12 Donegal 0-8

Fermanagh scored six of the last eight points at Brewster Park to cruise through to the semi-finals of the Dr McKenna Cup against an experimental Donegal side.

The sides were level six times up until the 50-minute mark, but Fermanagh finished strongly with Seán Quigley superb from dead balls and substitute Pat Cadden also nailing two late points.

While Donegal boss Rory Gallagher won’t be too disappointed his experimental side lost to his native county, it was still a notable scalp for Pete McGrath and Fermanagh, who cruised into the Sunday’s knockout stages with a 100 per record.

The sides were level four times in a pretty competitive first half.

Odhran MacNiallais was the most impressive player on the pitch at that stage, kicking three first-half points including points from play off either foot.

Michael Murphy struggled with his range from dead balls in the first half, kicking one free wide while another dropped well short.

However, Donegal hit three points in a row, two from MacNiallais including a 35m left-footed free, and a well-worked point on the break from Marty O’Reilly to put the visitors 0-5 to 0-3 ahead. Fermanagh responded to level it at 0-5 apiece at the break.

Martin McElhinney received a black card for Donegal in the secon half, while Eoin Donnelly, Cadden and Quigley kicked the second-half scores to put Fermanagh through.

FERMANAGH: C Snow; M Jones, A Breen, P McGovern; D McCusker (0-1), J McMahon (0-1), D Kelly; E Donnelly (0-2), C Jones; B Mulrone, C Flaherty (0-1), P McCusker; R Hanna, S Quigley (0-5, 4f), T Corrigan

Subs: N Cassidy for Kelly (HT), D Teague for Corrigan (48), P Cadden (0-2) for Hanna (53), E McManus for C Jones (61), K Connor for D McCusker (68)

DONEGAL: P Boyle; P McGrath, N McGee, E Doherty; E Gallagher, C Ward, M O’Reilly (0-1); C McGonagle, H McFadden; S McBrearty, L McLoone, C Thompson (0-1); O MacNiallais (0-4, 2f), M Murphy (0-1, f), E McHugh

Subs: F McGlynn for McBrearty (25), M McElhinney for McLoone (HT), C Gillespie (0-1) for C Thompson (HT), A Thompson for McElhinney (BC, 46), M Carroll for McFadden (57), C Thompson for Ward (61)

Referee: Noel Mooney (Cavan)

Tyrone 2-9 Antrim 0-6

Tyrone saw off Antrim with little difficulty to qualify for the Dr McKenna Cup semi-finals at Healy Park on Wednesday night.

They led by nine points at the half-way stage, and always had the measure of an Antrim team that struggled to match the movement of their opponents.

The Red Hands had the ball in the net after just 30 seconds, Harry Óg Conlan making the incision through the heart of the Saffron defence, before Lee Brennan crossed for Pádraig McNulty to punch home.

For all their penetrative qualities, Tyrone failed to score a point from play in the opening half, with Ronan O’Neill and Brennan converting frees, and goalkeeper Niall Morgan drilling two 45s between the posts.

Michael McCann finally struck Antrim’s opening point from a free in the 33rd minute, and their best move of the half saw Ben Sinnott send Neeson through to bring a superb save from Morgan, with substitute Colm Fleming nailing the resultant 45.

But all that promising work was undone when Brennan cut in from the right in stoppage time to beat three defenders and finish with pinpoint accuracy to the bottom corner of the neat, Tyrone ahead by 2-5 to 0-2 at the break.

Cathal McShane swept over a point, and Morgan was again on target from another long-range placed ball, while O’Neill added a free as Tyrone quickly opened out a lead of 12.

Antrim did mange another couple of points in the closing stages, but finished the evening without a single score from play.

TYRONE: N Morgan (0-3, two 45, one free); A McCrory, C McCarron, HP McGeary; B Tierney, J McMahon, P Harte; H Óg Conlan, C Clarke; S Cavanagh, M Bradley, C McShane (0-1); L Brennan (1-1, one free), P McNulty (1-0), R O’Neill (0-3, three frees).

Subs: C McAliskey (0-1, f) for Cavanagh (43), D McCurry for O’Neill (45), M Donnelly for McCrory (45), J Munroe for Harte (52), P Quinn for Brennan (55), N Sludden for McShane (70). ANTRIM: C Kerr; K O’Boyle, J Carron, J McGreevy; J Lavery, J Crozier, B Sinnott; J Dowling, S McVeigh; M Armstrong, K Niblock, M McCann (0-2, two frees); P Kelly, B Beeson, D Nugent.

Subs: C Fleming (0-4, three frees, one 45) for Kelly (25), O Hamill for McGreevy (h-t), P Gallagher for Sinnott (h-t), C Duffin foir Armstrong (49), Kelly for Dowling (57).

Referee: N Cullen (Fermanagh).

Cavan 0-14 Monaghan 0-14

Cavan made life hard for themselves before booking their place in the semi-finals at Kingspan Breffni Park.

In a game that only came to life in the second half, a draw always looked the most likely result as Monaghan recovered from a poor start to put Cavan to the pins of their collars thereafter.

The match started 12 minutes late but once on the road, Cavan sped into an early 0-3 to 0-0 lead.

With lateral, possession football dominating, the sterility of proceedings was reflected in the fact that just two of the opening 10 points in the opening 26 minutes emanated from open play.

Monaghan showed an improved workrate in the second quarter to come from 0-1 to 0-4 adrift to tie things up at 0-5 apiece after 26 minutes.

The visitors trailed by just 0-7 to 0-9 at the interval and further life was breathed into their cause by another sub, Owen Coyle, whose 65th-minute gem made it all-square, 0-13 apiece, for only the third time in the game.

Cavan midfielder Tomas Corr was red-carded in the 67th minute before team-mate Martin Reilly saw his long-range free drift wide at the death.

CAVAN: A O’Mara; F Reilly, K Brady P Faulkner; B Tully, C Moynagh, M Reilly; D Givney (0-1), T Corr; C Conroy (0-1), J Brady (0-2, 1f), C Mackey (0-2); C Finnegan, P O’Connor (0-2), N McDermott (0-6, 5f).

Subs: J Hayes for B Tully (46); F Flanagan for F Reilly (49); E Keating for C Finnegan (52); D McVeety for K Brady (63); J Dillon for C Conroy (63); B Sankey for P O’Connor (71).

MONAGHAN: M Keogh; K Duffy, D Wylie, K McQuaid; D Mone, C Boyle, J McCarron; N McAdam, K O’Connell; P Keenan, S Gollogly, S Carey (0-3, 2f); C McCarthy (0-1), J McCarron (0-5 4f), D McKenna.

Subs: O Duffy (0-1) for D McKenna (BC, 19); C Walshe for D Mone (38); D Malone for P Keenan (44); C McManus (0-3, 2f) for J McCarron (47); O Coyle (0-1)for D Wylie (62); D Millar for S Gollogly (64).

Referee: P Hughes (Armagh).

Derry 0-17 Queen’s 2-8

Derry qualified for the semi-final, where they will meet Cavan, after defeating Queen’s at Celtic Park.

Queen’s began brightly and led 1-2 to 0-4 by the time Gerard McGovern scrambled home a goal in the 17th minute.

The home team dominated the remainder of the half as Derry ran in 0-10 to 1-5 ahead at the break with debutant Conor Kearns scoring three points.

Derry burst out of the blocks on the restart and led by four after Conor Kearns fourth point from play. Queen’s rallied midway through the second half to trail by a point when Martin Clarke converted a 47th-minute free.

However, Derry with as many as 10 Derry players scoring points, prevailed by three points.

Scorers – Derry: Conor Kearns 0-5, Ryan Bell 0-3, Mark Lynch 0-2 (0-1f), Chrissy McKaigue 0-1, Neil Forester 0-1, Shane Mulgrew 0-1, Shane McGahon 0-1, James Kielt 0-1, Niall Loughlin 0-1, Shane Heavron 0-1. Queen’s: Dermot McAlees 1-1, Gerard McGovern 1-1, Martin Clarke 0-2f, Ciaran Harney 0-2 (0-1f), Brendan Rogers 0-1, Shea Heffron 0-1

DERRY: Ciaron O’Boyle; Karl McKaigue, Dermot McBride, Peter Quinn; Enda Lynn, Chrissy McKaigue, Neil Forester; Conor McAtamney, Shane McGahon; Conor Kearns, James Kielt, Shane Mulgrew; Shane Heavron, Mark Lynch, Gavin McWilliams.

Subs: Michael O’Kane for C O’Boyle (H/T), Janes Kielt for S McGahon (40), Christopher Bradley for S Mulgrew (41), Niall Loughlin for G McWillams (45)Mark Craig for N Forester (52).

QUEEN’S: Jonathan Deeney; Greg McCabe, Che Cullen, Ciaran Harney; Niall Delargy, Brendan Rogers, Shea Heffron; Henry, Anthony Doherty; Aaron Morgan, Martin Clarke, Dermot McAleese; Michael Monan, Donal McKeever, Gerard McGovern.

Subs: Ruairi Corrigan for M Monan (40), Martin Hearty for C Harney (44), Aidan Fagan for A Moran (63), Ruairi for D McKeever (66)

Referee: Stephen McKinley (Armagh).

Armagh 1-9 UUJ 2-7

A last-gasp point from Ronan McNamee took UUJ to victory over Armagh in a keenly-contested tie at the Athletic Grounds.

Armagh’s enterprising opening during which Stefan Forker and Stefan Campbell landed points proved something of a false dawn when Conan Grugan crashed home the visitors’ first goal in the eighth minute.

And although Armagh’s quick-fire deliveries into their inside promised much, they produced little and instead it was UUJ who again struck it rich when Patrick McBrearty rifled in their second goal in the 22nd minute.

Ahead by 2-2 to 0-4 at the break, UUJ were reined in during the third quarter and when Micheal McKenna pirated an opportunist Armagh goal in the 46th minute, there was just a point between the sides at 2-4 to 1-6.

And that’s how it remained at the finish with each side scoring three times in a pulsating finish, McNamee’s effort proving decisive.

ARMAGH: P Morrison; R McCaughley, E McVerry 0-1, N McConville 0-2; S Forker 0-1, C McKeever, A Forker 0-2; O MacIomhair N Grimley 0-1; R Grugan, M McKenna 1-0, S Campbell 0-1 (f); E Rafferty 0-1, B Donaghy, G McParland.

Subs: P McKenna for McVerry (19), J Feeney for MacIomhair (49), S Connell for McParland (51).

UUJ: S Fox; G McKinless, R McNamee 0-1, R Johnston; R McHugh, K Clarke, D Savage; M Argue, C Grugan 1-0; R McAnespie, C O’Boyle 0-3, M Walsh; P McBrearty 1-2, N Madine, K Hughes.

Subs: K Nolan for Hughes (31), C Stevenson for Argue (49), R McGlone for McAnespie (49), S McArdle for McGlone (66). Black Card: Argue (49).

Down 3-20 St Mary’s 2-14

Down produced a storming second-half to give new manager Eamonn Burns his first win as Mourne manager.

The students edged a free-scoring first half in Páirc Esler, leading by 0-10 to 0-9 at the break.

The goals flew in in the second half, Aidan McGarrity asking questions of the home side with the opening goal to put St Mary’s 1-11 to 0-11 ahead.

Cathal Doyle replied for Down, with Packie Downey adding a brace and Arthur McConville outstanding at full forward.

Niall Toner grabbed a consolation goal for St Mary’s, whose bid for a semi-final place ended with defeat.