NUIG 0-6 St Mary's, Belfast 0-5:THERE WERE disgraceful scenes at the end of a Sigerson Cup match in Galway yesterday in which a referee was accosted at the end of the match, before a group of angry players then raced to his dressingroom and tried to confront him.
Westmeath referee Seán Carroll and officials were surrounded by angry players from St Mary’s College (a teacher training college in Belfast) at the end of a game.
St Mary’s had a chance to level the match with a last gasp 45 from their goalkeeper Niall Morgan in the second minute of stoppage time, but the kick was short and the full-time whistle went with St Mary’s in possession and poised for an equaliser.
Carroll and two of his umpires were surrounded and confronted by several players as they left the pitch in NUIG grounds at Dangan and they were verbally abused.
Other St Mary’s players and officials pulled their colleagues away but one St Mary’s player urged his colleagues to pursue the officials to their dressing rooms.
About six players demanded to see the referee and shouted abuse as they tried to get inside. The referee and officials were not injured and left the clubhouse unhindered 20 minutes later.
Secretary of the Higher Education Council Mike McMahon, who was present, said that they would wait for the report from the referee before proceeding further.
The match had ended in dramatic fashion as NUIG’s goalkeeper Donal O’Sullivan produced a stunning save to deny Michael Stephenson in the dying moments as they held a one-point lead.
His opposite number Morgan tried to level the match with the resultant 45 but it fell well short.
The referee had booked six players in a competitive but not especially fractious encounter whose standard never rose above the mediocre.
NUIG were reduced to 14 men just before half-time when wing-forward Kieran Conroy picked up a second yellow card.
They led by 0-4 to 0-1 at the break after Neil Douglas landed two frees and his Mayo colleague Jason Doherty, who missed a good goal chance after 21 minutes, and Kerry native Ian Galvin kicked points from play.
Benny Herron, who was also guilty of fluffing a great goal chance after three minutes, landed St Mary’s only score of the half with a fine point after 14 minutes when Ronan Sexton set him up.
Morgan produced a superb save to deny Doherty just after the restart, with points from Herron and Peter Harte reducing the deficit to one point after 35 minutes.
Douglas kicked a very good point from play and added a free to make it 0-6 to 0-3 after 42 minutes.
Points from Stephenson and Niall Sludden with seven minutes left cut the gap but St Mary’s could not fashion an equaliser.
NUIG: D O’Sullivan; G Sweeney, D Gavin, K McDonald; J Moore, J Maloney, R Kiely; S Guing, S Moran; F Deasmhunaigh, S Gilmartin, K Conroy; N Douglas (0-4, 0-3 frees), J Doherty (0-1), I Galvin (0-1). Subs: R Rochford for Moore (17 mins); C Griffin for Galvin (42 mins); D Newcombe for Deasmhunaigh (51 mins); K Conlon for Guing (55 mins).
ST MARY’S, BELFAST: N Morgan; M Slane, M Murray, D McBride; G Teague, E McArdle, C O’Hara; B Doyle, S O’Neill; J Gilmore, B Herron (0-2), D McCusker; R Sexton, P Harte (0-1), N Sludden (0-1). Sub: M Stephenson (0-1) for Gilmore (42 mins).
Referee: S Carroll (Westmeath).
