​Extra-time Kerry heartache for gallant Derry Masters

The Oakleafers led for the vast majority of the game only for Kerry to reel them in and sneak ahead with the game deep into injury time. Jimmy O’Connor, however, with a wonder point, took the contest to extra-time only to see his side eventually defeated by a point.

Despite missing any number of their stars through injury and holidays – Kevin McGuckin, Paddy Bradley, Paul Cartin, Conor Doonan, Darren Conway among others - Derry ran in three points up at half-time, but in truth they’ll probably feel they should have been out of sight.

Backed by an extremely partisan breeze Derry dominated the opening 30 minutes, but will curse themselves: having had their boots on their opponents preverbial throats, they would hit umpteen wides.

A Paul McFlynn free, and the first of Tommy Niblock’s three monster efforts, accounted for Derry’s early scoring. But Despite living off scraps, the Kingdom, clinically economical in their shooting, led 0-3 to 0-2 after 10 minutes.However, driven on by Brian Mullan and Ciaran McIvor, the Oakleafers took control of proceedings for the next 15 minutes. ‘Tiddles’, hobbled off the physio table to produce one of the great Derry Masters performances. The man was both awesome and everywhere. Ballymaguigan legend ‘Papa’ McIvor wasn’t far behind Mullan in another outstanding performance.

Rossa man Niblock landed a second before Gavin Diamond converted an over the shoulder number to hand Derry the lead at 0-4 to 0-3. Diamond, with his elusive forward movement and his eye now in, was proving a real handful for the Kerry defence before the first of a number of injuries plagued the Derry side.

With the Bellaghy marksman withdrawn it left Loup’s Shane McFlynn to step up and notch two points to leave the Oakleafers double scores up at 0-6 to 0-3. Seamie O’Kane was bull-like in defence for Derry, with Adrian Deery and Donal Brolly supplying ample support.

Marty McGuinness would be the latest Derry casualty, however, as veteran Paul McFlynn caught the eye with one superb high catch and a textbook ball winning tackle along with McIvor.

Two Kerry points either side of a third clinker from Niblock, left the northerners just two up despite all their supremacy. With the sands running out in the opening half Derry chiselled out another score when Pauric Scullion landed a cracker from miles out the field. The score handed Derry a 0-8 to 0-5 half-time advantage.

Derry lost influential defender Seamie O’Kane just as the second half commenced and Kerry drew first blood on the scoreboard after the interval before a second Scullion effort retrieved Derry their three point lead.

Goalkeeper Brian Scullion was becoming increasingly involved, whether ‘bullocking’ out of defence with the ball or putting manners on Kerry attackers. Apparently ‘nobody f**ks my full-back’ bellowed the big Bellaghy ‘keeper, as tempers flared and the contest bubbled up nicely.

The loss of the influential Paul McFlynn to a concussion was another body blow to Derry, the Loup man producing his best display of the season.

However, after that Kerry found their groove and hit four in a row to take a 0-10 to 0-9 lead as match clock slipped into the red.

The Oakleafers, with injured and exhausted bodies lying prone across the Swinford battlefield, needed something special. And deep into injury-time captain Jimmy O’Connor found the equaliser with a wonderful outside of the boot number. ‘Wee Jimmy’, fuelled on little else other than Red Bull and cigarettes has confounded sports nutritionists for 40 years now!

The Glack star’s equaliser took the contest to extra-time. Kerry edged ahead in extra-time before Pearse McCallan converted a big ’45 to pull Derry once again. The powerfully built sub ‘keeper was brought on and made an explosive impact at full forward as the game rounded the closing furlongs.

With bodies still dropping everywhere, the Oakleafers continued to battle with managers Ronan Rocks and James McGrath continually shepherded wounded and patched up soldiers on and off the pitch. But Kerry would have the final say, with a late free swinging the contest to the Kingdom. While one door closes, another swings open for this gnarly old band of brothers. The loss now takes Derry into an All Ireland intermediate semi-final match up with Cork on Saturday, 26 th August.

Derry: Brian Scullion, Donal Brolly, Marty McGuinness, Seamy O’Kane, Jimmy O’Connor (0-1), Adrian Deery, Brian Mullan, Ryan King, Ciaran McIvor, Eunan Murphy, Paul McFlynn (0-1, 1f), Thomas Niblock (0-3), Shane McFlynn (0-2, 1f), Gavin Diamond (0-1), Kevin Nixon

Subs: Pauric Scullion (0-2, 1f), Pearse McCallan (0-1, 1 no.’45), Joe Gray, Jack Joe Bigmore, Emmett McGilloway, Gareth Murphy, Mal Scullion, Liam McElhone, Ricky Clarence, Gary Cunningham