Sport can throw up rich irony. Yesterday, in Clones, and in a competition that is supposedly dying on its feet, the footballers of Ulster and Connacht contrived to produce an antidote to whatever disease is afflicting the Railway Cup by manufacturing an absorbing afternoon's entertainment.
The remedy's ingredients contained liberal quantities of skill and endeavour, fine scores and brilliant saves. After another helping of extra-time - adding up to three hours of honest-to-goodness football between the interprovincial semi-final protagonists - Ulster got to savour the glory, while all Connacht got was to endure the heartache and pain of defeat, losing a replay that seemed to be within their grasp for much of the game. Ulster return to St Tiernach's Park next Sunday for the final against Leinster.
This seemingly never-ending tale did eventually end, not that any of the 2,411 spectators (the game deserved more!) would have complained if it had been prolonged even further. Connacht were actually four points ahead with 10 minutes of normal time remaining, but five unanswered points from Ulster meant the westerners' required an injury time point from Brian Walsh to force extra-time; and, in that additional time, Ulster goalkeeper Finbarr McConnell pulled off three quite magnificent saves, from apparently certain goal-scoring situations, to thwart the Connachtmen.
McConnell was certainly one reason why Ulster won. But there were others. Tony Boyle's right foot was like the guiding instrument on an exocet missile as he unerringly kicked 12 points, 10 from frees, in an outstanding display of shooting. And Anthony Tohill's fielding was exceptional, his use of possession faultless.
Then, there was Jim McGuinness. The Donegal footballer bears a striking resemblance to a certain religious figure, with a mane of black hair and a goatee beard. His introduction as a substitute in the 48th minute came at a time when Ulster were trailing by a goal, and he took on the role of saviour by racing around the pitch with all the energy of a spring lamb: defending, setting up scores, and contributing a couple of points of his own for good measure.
One point was truly inspirational. He'd been on the pitch barely three minutes, and Connacht had stretched their lead to four points, when he skydived for the ball, tumbled like a gymnast and, in one synchronised movement, bounced up and sent the ball between the posts.
That McGuinness score was the first in a sequence of five successive Ulster points, which concluded when Noel Hegarty ventured upfield to kick a point virtually at the whistle. However, there was enough time for Connacht to sweep back down the pitch for Walsh to level the match at 1-12 to 0-15 and demand extra-time.
It was no more than Connacht deserved. Indeed, their work-rate and movement for much of normal time had indicated they wouldn't need to drag the game on. Despite having to reshuffle their entire side with the loss of four selected players prior to the throw-in due to injury (David Heaney, David Brady, Paul Taylor and Ciaran McDonald all cried off), Connacht produced some excellent football on a pitch in surprisingly good stead.
The goal, when it came, in the 46th minute, was typical of their general play. A swift, clinical move involving Maurice Sheridan, Colm McManaman and Pat Fallon seemed to have been cruelly terminated when Fallon's shot for a point rebounded back off an upright. But Lorcan Dowd reacted quickest, pounced on the ball and blasted past McConnell.
On the day, it needed a superb finish to beat the goalkeeper. Three times in extra-time, McConnell came to his side's rescue. He denied Dowd in the 61st minute; some six minutes later he pulled off another save to prevent Walsh scoring, and, in the second period of extra-time, McConnell again invented a stunning save, bringing his considerable bulk to the ground to stop Fergal Costello's shot.
Each and every save was crucial, and Ulster made the most of it. At the half-time break in extra-time, Ulster had edged into a two-point lead: Boyle scored from a free, Diarmuid Marsden persevered after his first shot was blocked to score a point, and McGuinness got on the end of a good move. Connacht's only reply was a Sheridan free.
Yet, a McManaman point - Connacht's last score, in the 80th minute - left just a point separating the sides when Costello got his goal-scoring chance. With just McConnell to beat, he bravely went for the kill. But the save spurred Ulster on and Ger Cavlan and, fittingly, Boyle finished off the job to book Ulster's place in the final.
Ulster: F McConnell (Tyrone); P Devlin (Tyrone), C Lawn (Tyrone), JJ Doherty (Donegal); N Hegarty (Donegal) (0-1), H Downey (Derry), K McGeeney (Armagh); J Burns (Armagh), A Tohill (Derry); D McCabe (Cavan) (0-1, free), G Cavlan (Tyrone) (0-3, one free), P McGrane (Armagh); P Reilly (Cavan), T Boyle (Donegal) (0-12, 10 frees), P Canavan (Tyrone). Subs: D Marsden (Armagh) (0-1) for Reilly (37 mins); P Brewster (Fermanagh) for Burns (50 mins); J McGuinness (Donegal) (0-2) for McCabe (48 mins); Reilly for McGrane (84 mins); B Morris (Cavan) for McGrane (89 mins).
Connacht: P Burke (Mayo); K Mortimer (Mayo), G Fahy (Galway), F Costello (Mayo); D Donlon (Roscommon), D Mitchell (Galway), S de Paor (Galway); P Fallon (Mayo) (0-1), J Nallen (Mayo); A Rooney (Leitrim) (0-1), E O'Hara (Sligo) (0-2), C McManaman (Mayo) (0-2); M Sheridan (Mayo) (0-5, four frees), A Cullen (Leitrim) (0-2), L Dowd (Roscommon) (1-0). Subs: B Walsh (Sligo) (0-1) for Rooney (45 mins); K Murray (Leitrim) for Donlon (76 mins); B Kilcoyne (Sligo) for Walsh (87 mins).
Referee: J Harlin (Meath).
