CHAMPIONSHIP FOCUS: Eoghan Rua through after nailbiting finale against Lavey
EOGHAN Rua came through an extra-time replay thriller in Glenullin last week to defeat Lavey 1-10 to 0-10 to set up a Derry senior football championship quarter-final against Dungiven.
With just a minute of normal time left it seemed Eoghan Rua were on their way out of this replay as they trailed Lavey by two points, 0-9 to 0-7, in the final round qualifier replay at Glenullin last mid-week.
When Sean Leo McGoldrick took a cross-field pass from Gregory Bradley just inside the penalty area he was surrounded by a wall of Lavey defenders but somehow he squeezed a pass through to his brother Barry who had ghosted forward from midfield.
With consummate ease the big midfielder stroked the ball into the roof of the Lavey net, Eoghan Rua now suddenly ahead by a point.
There was more drama to come however as Lavey attacked from the kick out, working the ball inexorably closer to the Coleraine end where, almost inevitably, they won a free but it was still some 35 metres out and by no means a tap over. Up stepped Paul Hearty for the pressure kick and he too was unerring just like McGoldrick moments earlier to fire left footed over the bar and send the game into extra time, the sides once again unable to be separated, Eoghan Rua 1-7 to Lavey's 0-10.
Two ten minute periods of extra time then ensued and Eoghan Rua proved the stronger as they added three points while Lavey failed to raise a flag and so booked their place in the last eight of the championship.
However victory came at a cost as Eoghan Rua suffered a litany of injuries with four players having to be replaced during the game.
The most serious saw defender Ciaran Mullan suffer a shoulder injury following a big hit from Paul Hearty, Mullan could be out for several weeks with a broken bone in his shoulder.
Meanwhile Cormac Trolan had to have several stitches in a face wound following an accidental clash with fellow defender Barry McTaggart who also had stitches in head wound.
Meanwhile half forward Jon Trolan limped out of the action with a knee injury in the second half while Colm McGoldrick also retired with a calf injury. While Mullan is definitely out for Sunday's quarter-final clash against Dungiven it will be a real race against time for the other four players if they wish to see any action in the quarter-final.
The first half of this replay proved to be a struggle for both sides, scores hard to come by in a period that lacked real quality.
The opening ten minutes saw Eoghan Rua literally own the ball but they failed to score, hitting four wides from good positions in that period of dominance. They also lost Ciaran Mullan to injury when he suffered a shoulder injury. Eoghan Rua did eventually get a score on the board when Jon Trolan fisted over from close range.
Two points from Paul Hearty had Lavey in front by the 19th minute but Coleraine went on to convert four in a row, Ciaran McGoldrick, Hugh Casey, Anton Rafferty and Declan Mullan all on target to lead 0-5 to 0-2 by the 25th minute.
Lavey finished the half strongly and had points from a Paul hearty free and a Cailein Boyle effort squeezed in from a tight angle. Lavey continued to dominate the early stages of the second half as they held sway in the middle third through the efforts of Gary Doyle, Kevin O'Neill and Caileann O'Boyle.
Points from Boyle, Hearty and Shane Devlin had Lavey ahead 0-7 to 0-5 midway through the second half. Eoghan Rua were struggling to get a foothold in the middle and introduced Keith Farran for Hugh Casey to bring a more physical edge to that sector.
The sides exchanged points before Patrick Dillon charged down the right side before drilling over a fine point to put Lavey three clear with five minutes of normal time left. The south Derry men seemed to be on their way but a Barry McGoldrick point from a free left just two between the sides going into the final minutes.
Then came that dramatic finale as first Eoghan Rua got the only goal of the game to briefly lead before Hearty leveled to send the game into extra time.
Two minutes in to the first period of extra time Ciaran McGoldrick combined well with Richard Carey for the latter to strike over a fine point putting Eoghan Rua back in front again. Lavey had a couple of good chances for a leveler, Hearty missing from a free just over thirty meters out, Coleraine going in at the break a point to the good.
Just a minute into the second period of extra time a late tackle on Mark McTaggart seen Eoghan Rua get a free which was converted by Barry McGoldrick.
Eoghan Rua went on to dominate the closing stages and went further ahead through a Declan Mullan point following good work by Richard Carey. Lavey launched what turned out to be their last attack, a high ball into the heart of the Coleraine defence but Niall Holly gathered magnificently and cleared to safety, that proved to be the final action as the whistle went and Coleraine were through.
Eoghan Rua: Ryan McGeough;Cormac Trolan, Niall Holly, Ciaran Mulan; Ciaran Lenehan, Mark McTaggart , Anton Rafferty; Hugh Casey, Barry McGoldrick; Paul Daly, Sean Leo McGoldrick, Jon Trolan (0-1); Colm McGoldrick, Declan Mullan (0-5, 0-2 frees), Ciaran McGoldrick. Subs: Richard Carey for C Mullan, Sean McWilliams for C Trolan. Eoghan Rua scorers: Barry McGoldrick (1-2. 0-2 frees), Declan Mullan (0-3), Ciaran McGoldrick (0-1), Jon Trolan (0-1), Hugh Casey (0-1), Anton Rafferty (0-1), Richard Carey (0-1)
Lavey: Ciaran O'Boyle; Colm Dillon, Kevin McCloy, Martin Scullion; Martin Scullion; Michael Drumm, Patrick Dillon, Peter Scullion; Gary Doyle, Damian Chivers; Shane Devlin, Kevin O'Neill, Gary Cushnahan; Paul Hearty, Cailean O'Boyle, Johnny McGarvey. Lavey scorers: Paul Hearty (0-5, 0-4 frees), Cailean O'Boyle (0-2 frees), Shane Devlin (0-2), Patrick Dillon (0-1).
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Weather for Derry
Monday 13 February 2012
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