Ruthless Derry blow Roscommon away to reach League final against Dublin

Derry 2-19, Roscommon 1-09

Derry have a Croke Park date with Dublin in the Division One Final after an emphatic, demolition job of a second half ended Roscommon's two year stay in the top flight.

Next weekend's decider comes 10 years after the Oak Leafers' last appeared in the league final, ironically also a meeting with Dubs back in April 2014and rounds off a hugely impressive regulation campaign that yielded six wins and one defeat from seven games.

Central to this latest Derry victory were Lachlan Murray and Donncha Gilmore, Harte again highlighting an Oak Leaf panel that has developed both strength and depth in 2024 with Harte bring the number of players used across the league and McKenna Cup this season to 37.

And, on a day where Derry hit 2-18 of their 2-19 total from play, Murray served a timely reminder of his attacking talent with 1-04 of the highest order. The Desertmartin man's 61st minute goal put the seal on the game and was the main highlight of a fantastic individual display as he came in off the right, beat two men and dropped a lovely low, first time finish.

It was a display to catch the headlines but no less impressive was Gilmore. The Steelstown man simply didn't stop, knitting play together, plugging gaps and launching attack after attack as Derry peeled away to outscore the Rossies 1-11 to 0-1 over the game's final half hour.

A tight first half saw goal chances aplenty but Roscommon's inability to capitalise saw a Derry team playing without the edge of necessity lead by three at the break. That lead was cancelled out within five minutes of the restart but when the counties headed into the home straight, Derry went through the gears to blow the visitors away. When Harte's men hit the accelerator Roscommon had no answer.

Roscommon had started a must win match by retaining possession for close to three and a half minutes from throw in, a passage of play that should have ended with the game's opening goal but after swapping passes with Eoin McCormack, Enda Smith blazed inches over. It was a sign of things to come as goal chances almost outnumbered pointed efforts.

A McGuigan free equalised before the game exploded into life on nine minutes. First McGuigan sent Conor Glass clear but the Derry midfielder elected to shoot over when a goal was on though perhaps the 'Club Player of the Year' knew something we didn't because within seconds the ball was nestling in Roscommon's net anyway!

The goal came from a mistake on the kick-out by Roscommon keeper Conor Carroll whose restart was intercepted by Conleth McGuckian. He fed the ball into Declan Cassidy's run for the Bellgahy player to blast Derry into a 1-02 to 0-1 lead that lasted only 30 seconds.

That was down to a mistake at the opposite end where the otherwise excellent Odhran Lynch misjudged a long bouncing ball which allowed Donie Smith to nip in ahead of the Derry No. 1 and punch the bouncing ball into Derry's net.

Paul Cassidy responded for the home side but scores from Diarmuid Murtagh and McCormack tied things up again before Niall Daly's point edged the Rossies ahead at 1-03 to 1-04 on 19 minutes.

Derry had already lost Gareth McKinless to a broken nose by this point and further goal chances came and went for both teams, Murray and Brian Stack with great openings. However a strong end to the half put Harte's men in charge at 1-08 to 1-05 thanks to two brilliant scores from Murray and one each from Ethan Doherty and McGuigan.

Harte responded to the open nature of the first half by introducing both Ciaran McFaul and Niall Toner at the break but it was Roscommon who came out of the changing rooms firing as points from Murtagh (f), Enda Smith and Murtagh again tied things up within five minutes of the restart.

Toner's first score halted the Rossies' march but Davy Burke's men were now throwing the kitchen sink at their hosts, despite Ethan Doherty and Murray stretching the home lead to 1-11 to 1-08.

Enda Smith had seen another goal attempt saved by the legs of Lynch at this point and it was that greater efficiency in front of the posts that was the difference between the teams. Even word of Kerry's lead against Galway failed to rouse the Rossies as points from Ciaran McFaul, Ethan Doherty and Eoin McEvoy took the home lead out to 1-14 to 1-08.

Murray's goal settled it and with Roscommon's relegation all but confirmed both team ran their respective benches and Derry but it didn't stop the Oak Leaf assault on the scoreboard as Ethan Doherty, Cormac Murphy and McGuigan all registered scores in a game that had long since ceased to be a contest.

The final whistle brought both ends of the footballing spectrum; Derry with a Croke Park final, Roscommon preparing now for a return to Division Two after a second half that exposed the gulf between the teams.

Derry scorers: Lachlan Murray (1-4), Declan Cassidy (1-0), Shane McGuigan (0-4, 1f), Conor Glass (0-1), Paul Cassidy (0-2), Ethan Doherty (0-4), Niall Toner (0-1), Ciaran McFaul (0-1), Eoin McEvoy (0-1), Cormac Murphy (0-1),

Roscommon scorers: Donie Smith (1-0), Enda Smith (0-2), Diarmuid Murtagh (0-3, 2f), Eoin McCormack (0-1), Niall Daly (0-1), Daire Cregg (0-1, 1f), Conor Cox, (0-1),

Derry: Odhran Lynch, Conor McCluskey, Chrissy McKaigue, Diarmuid Baker, Gareth McKinless, Eoin McEvoy, Donncha Gilmore, Conor Glass, Conor Doherty, Ethan Doherty, Declan Cassidy, Paul Cassidy, Conleth McGuckin, Shane McGuigan, Lachlan Murray. (Subs) Brendan Rogers for G McKinless, 8mins; Ciaran McFaul for D Cassidy, HT; Niall Toner for C McGuckian, HT; Shea Downey for C Doherty, 56mins; Matthew Downey for C Glass, 62mins; Cormac Murphy for L Murray, 63mins;

Roscommon: Conor Carroll, David Murray, Brian Stack, Patrick Gavin, Niall Daly, Niall Higgins, Eoin Higgins, Eoin McCormack, Enda Smith, Ultan Harney, Dylan Ruane, Ruaidrhi Fallon, Ronan Daly, Daire Cregg, Diarmuid Murtagh, Donie Smith. (Subs) Cian Connolly for D Cregg, 49mins; James Fitzpatrick for D Smith, 53mins; Conor Hussey for N Higgins, 53mins; Conor Cox for R Fallon, 61mins; Ciaran Lennon for U Harney, 61mins;

Referee: David Gough (Meath)