Gaelic Games

Watty Graham’s march on in Ulster after seeing off St Eunan’s

Derry county champions clung on by their fingertips to advance

Michael Warnock helped his side past St Eunan’s in Ulster. Photo: Lorcan Doherty/Inpho

Sun Nov 21 2021 - 18:03

St Eunan’s (Donegal) 1-4 Watty Graham’s Glen (Derry) 0-8

Having swaggered their way through the Derry SFC and swatted their next-door neighbours Slaughtneil aside to win a first title, Watty Graham’s survived their Ulster Club SFC preliminary round opener against St Eunan’s by their fingertips.

A contest that was so straightjacketed for long spells, with neither team willing to take a chance or even carry the ball into contact, exploded into unpredictability in the last five minutes in front of an excitable crowd in Letterkenny.

“It was a complete robbery,” was how Watty Graham’s centre-back Ciarán McFaul put his side’s one-point win. “We got out of jail.”

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With five minutes remaining, McFaul, whose influence on proceedings had grown the longer the game went on, kicked a point to bring his side back to within one, 1-4 to 0-6, against the Donegal flag bearers, who had been edging things.

Rory Kavanagh’s team looked as though they might hang on, as, with under four minutes remaining Shaun Patton saved a penalty from Conleth McGuckian to preserve their slender advantage.

However, Glen corner-back Michael Warnock showed nerves of steel to split the posts to level as St Eunan’s stood off. Then, from the kick-out that followed, Patton and Sean McVeigh were penalised for a one-two and a technical foul was given. From the free right in front of the posts, Danny Tallon kicked what would turn out to be the winner.

The home support felt Niall O’Donnell was fouled by McFaul as he made inroads to try and manufacture something that would bring extra-time, only for referee Sean Hurson to shake his head and signal play on.

Pádraig McGettigan slapped home a St Eunan’s goal on 17 minutes from Darragh Mulgrew’s ball, which meant a 1-2 to 0-3 lead at the break.

Connor Carville was black-carded, although on his return Aaron Deeney of St Eunan’s was then binned and St Eunan’s were 1-4 to 0-5 up on 55 minutes. But Watty Graham’s turned it around at the bitter end. They’ll welcome Scotstown to Celtic Park in the quarter-finals.

St Eunan's: S Patton; C Parke, C Ward, A Deeney; K Tobin (0-1), C O'Donnell Snr, P Devine; D Mulgrew (0-1), K Kealy; E Dowling, S O'Donnell (0-1, 1m), S McVeigh; P McGettigan (1-1), N O'Donnell, P McEniff.

Subs: S McGettigan for Kealy (52), E McGeehin for P McGettigan (59), C O'Donnell Jnr for Dowling (60).

Watty Graham's: C Bradley; M Warnock (0-1), R Dougan, C Carville; T Flannagan, C McFaul (0-1), E Doherty; C Glass (0-1, 45), Conor McDevitt; Eunan Mullholland, Jack Doherty, Conor Convery; P Gunning, D Tallan (0-5, 3f), C McGuckian.

Subs: A Doherty for E Doherty (34), C Mullholland for E Mulholland (47), S O'Hara for Gunning (55), T Higgins for C Convery (63).

Referee: S Hurson (Tyrone).