Derry Masters into All Ireland semi-final as Louth routed in Bellaghy

Local boy Pauric Scullion top scored with an almighty 1-04, with clubmate Gavin Diamond also rattling home two goals. Thomas Niblock hit 0-5 from play while Conall McGuigan accounted for Derry’s fourth goal. The big win progresses debutants Derry to the All-Ireland semi-finals which will take place at the end of August.

Pauric Scullion opened the day’s scoring when he pointed at the culmination of Derry’s first attack, and very nearly goaled in Derry’s second attack. Louth, highly economical with their shooting all game, levelled matters soon after and Derry would wait until the 10th minute before they would shift the

scoreboard a second time, but their patience was well worth the wait.

Gavin Diamond, no stranger to finding the back of the net at Páirc Seán de Brún, fired home the first goal of the game. And what a clinker of a shot it was, whistling past the Louth goalkeeper into the top right hand corner of his net!

Seconds later the Oakleafers raised another green flag when Conall McGuigan slipped the ball home from close range to stretch the Derry lead to 2-1 to 0-1 after 11 minutes.

Louth, struggling at the foot of the league table, fought back impressively and fired over two long range points to keep their noses very much in the

contest.

Tommy Niblock, Derry’s chief ‘unpicker’ of locks with his bountiful array of defence splitting kick passes, then hit his first point of the day after a couple of early sighters veered off target. They gave Rossas man his eye in, however, and wouldn’t miss again. Niblock pointed again on the run into the interval, before goals from Pauric Scullion - another Man of the Match candidate - and a second from Diamond, all but wrapped up a Derry win by the half-time whistle at 4-03 to 0-05.

Another beautiful curling effort from Niblock opened the second half scoring, with Louth pointing soon after. But the home side had finally found a cruising gear that the Wee County simply couldn’t live with and hit a dozen consecutive points to extend their huge lead to 4-16 to 0-6.

Donal Brolly, Ruairi Shivers – impressing around the middle third for the Oakleaf men – and Ricky Clarence all scored their first points of the day. Tommy Niblock split the sticks for his fourth point of the day before quickly nailing his fifth and best score from just outside the ’45.

Derry manager Ronan Rocks could do little other than produce the curly finger to Derry’s destroyer, the heavy artillery from Magherafelt wheeled off with the battle long since won.

A trademark, jet-heeled Jimmy O’Connor run and point, a second from Shivers and a Eugene ‘Cookie’ Scullion effort were all sandwiched between three Pauric Scullions scores. Derry continued to pile on the misery to their decimated opponents with Kevin McGuckin, thriving in a Bellaghy gansey, finally wrapping up the Oakleaf scoring with five minutes to go.

To their great credit Louth fought to the end, and scored the last three points of the game to take home as a little consolation for the day’s activities.

Five wins from six games in their inaugural season in Masters Football, Derry march on to the semis and in some style.

Derry: Brian Scullion, Jack Joe Bigmore, Seamus O’Kane, Gareth Murphy, Richie Stewart, Kevin Doherty, Owen Murray, Eugene Scullion (0-1), Malachy Scullion, Joe Bradley, Thomas Niblock (0-5), Kieran McLarnon, Pauric Scullion (1-4), Gavin Diamond (2-0), Conall McGuigan (1-0) Subs: Donal Brolly (0-1), Ruairi Shivers (0-2), Ricky Clarence (0-1), Jimmy O’Connor (0-1), Kevin McGuckin (0-1), Sean Timoney, Adrian Deery, Stephen McGuigan, Paul Cartin, Marty McGuinness, Ciaran McIvor, Kevin Nixon, Liam McElhone, Darren Conway