Second half Magherafelt goals shoot down Steelstown in Derry Senior Championship

Steelstown 0-10, Magherafelt 2-09

Steelstown's bid to reach a first Derry senior championship quarter-final will come down their final game after two second half Magherafelt goals ensured the Rossas would finish top of Group B.

The final five point margin of victory was harsh on Paddy Campbell's men but the senior championship is an unforgiving environment as the Rossas illustrated with a clinical and controlled second half display that capitalised on mistakes from the home side. Tactically the teams mirrored each other and there was little between them in terms of open play.

However championship ties are often won in the detail and Magherafelt's greater experience, especially off the bench, managed the game superbly after the break. But that control came only after three second half minutes that went along way toward deciding the game.

A chess match of an opening half had seen the sides trade scores to go in at 0-3 a-piece and with nothing between them either in terms of shots or wides, both hitting four astray before the short whistle. Cahir McMonagle was the sole Steelstown scorer in that 30 minutes while Cormac Murphy, who would finish with 1-03 from play, was already proving a constant thorn in home team’s side.

However, Steelstown emerged reinvigorated after the break though to fire over quick fire points from Neil Forester and Eoghan Bradley and forge 0-5 to 0-3 ahead within five minutes of the restart. In a game of fine margins two points looked a considerable lead at that stage. Yet 90 seconds and a five point swing later Damien Barton's team had the match exactly where they wanted it and, from a Steelstown points of view, it was all very avoidable.

Bradley's fifth home point was followed by the introduction off the Magherafelt bench of the experienced Conor Kearns and within seconds he was splitting the posts with his first touch.

Then disaster for the home team. In terrible underfoot conditions, Mickey Kinney's resultant kick-out flew straight to Magherafelt's potential All Star, Conor McCluskey who was now clear on goal. Alongside him was Murphy and he couldn't believe his luck as McCluskey's easy centre allowed him to punch into an unguarded Steelstown net for 1-04 to 0-5. Another early second half Magherafelt substitute, young Derry star Eoin McEvoy, then added another fisted point and suddenly Steelstown were chasing the game.

The Brian Ogs made a decent first of it too, Eoghan Concannon's lovely long range effort reducing the deficit only to watch as Kearns scored the second point of his impressive cameo. That man Murphy stretched the lead before more incisive Conor McCluskey running teed up Ryan Lennox on the loop to take the visitors' advantage out to five at 1-08 to 0-06 by the three quarter mark.

From there it always looked like it would take a goal to resurrect home hopes and they rarely threatened to engineer one. The home tendency to launch key forwards like Cahir McMonagle and Ben McCarron from deep after switching play did cleverly open pockets of space to shoot from, but they were rarely inside a disciplined Rossas rearguard.

Despite that, three successive Steelstown scores, a free a-piece from McCarron and McMonagle as well as Concannon's second superb score of the game, brought it back to a two point game at 0-9 to 1-08 with two minutes left on the clock. The chance was there.

But by this stage Magherafelt had introduced Emmett McGuckin and Guiseppe Lupari and again, the Rossas reinforcements played a key role in shoring up against any potential late Steelstown surge.

Simon McErlain and Ryan Devine swapped scores but it was a goal the Brian Ogs were now chasing and as they threw caution to the wind, Magherafelt caught them with a classic counter.

Morgan Murray was tempted into a shot that saw Shane Heavron dive full length to block down. The ball broke kindly and Magherafelt were off on a move that ended with Danny Heavron unmarked and firing a fierce finish past McKinney to seal the game and the group. The victory made it five from five for Barton's team who many fancy to be Glen's closest challengers this season. It's hard to argue with that.

Steelstown remain in fourth position with a trip to Ballinderry to complete the group stages of a championship in which they have already made huge progress. They've shown this year that they belong in Derry's senior ranks but progress isn't what wins championship games, results do. And for Steelstown, the knock-out stages start next Saturday.

Steelstown Brian Ogs: Mickey McKinney, Ryan McCloskey, Diarmuid Baker, Neil Forester, (0-1), Shane O’Connor, Ryan Devine (0-1), Donncha Gilmore, Eoghan Bradley (0-1), Ben McCarron (0-1, 1f), Cormac Mooney, Cahir McMonagle (0-4, 1f, 1 ‘45), Oran McMenamin, Eoghan Concannon (0-2), Eoin Canavan, Emmet Deane. (Subs): Oran Fox for Cormac Mooney 42mins; Morgan Murray for Oran McMenamin 42mins; Gareth Logue for Eoghan Bradley 42mins; Eoghan Bradley for Eoin Canavan 55mins.Magherafelt: Odhran Lynch, Simon McErlain (0-1), Johnny McErlain, Joe Keenan, Conall Heron, Conor McCluskey, Fergal Duffin, Daniel Heavron (1-0), Dan Higgins, Ronan Walls, Ryan Lennox (0-1), Cahir Quinn, Cormac Murphy (1-3), Shane Heavron, Conor McErlain (0-1, 1f). (Subs): Conor Kearns (0-2) for Ronan Walls, 35mins; Eoin McEvoy (0-1) for Conal Heron, 35mins; Ryan Ferris for Cahir Quinn, 42mins; Patrick McLarnon for Conor McErlain, 42mins; Guiseppe Lupari for Fergal Duffin, 51mins; Emmet McGuckin for Conor Kearns, 51mins

Referee: Brendan Quinn