Five goal Derry U20s brush past Antrim to set up Cavan Ulster Quarter-final

Derry 5-16, Antrim 0-3

Derry will meet Cavan in the Quarter-final play-off of the Eirgrid Ulster Under 20 Football Championship after a facile 28 point victory over a shell shocked Antrim at Owenbeg on Wednesday night.

The result sees Hugh McGrath's Oak Leafers finish second in Section A behind group winners Tyrone who secured top spot with victory over Monaghan at Coalisland – also on Wednesday night - and now progress directly to the semi-final. In essence the group was decided by Gavin Potter's injury time fisted point which gave the Red Hands a dramatic one point victory at Celtic Park two weeks ago.

Meanwhile Section B of the championship must wait to discover its winner after the last minute postponement of the Donegal - Armagh game which had been set for Mac Cumhaill Park and will now have refixed, possibly for this weekend.

The merits of the direct route to semi-final versus the 'battle hardened' extra game is often debated and there's no doubt Derry now face a potential banana skin against the Breffni men next week, especially after a victory they could take little from other than two points.

Derry were impressive all over the pitch, James Murray and Fionn McEldowney brilliant in defence and 14 different scorers going the other way, but Cavan will present a much sterner test than this game which descended into an almost training level intensity.

The match was as good as over as a contest within 20 minutes of throw-in with Derry already 10 points ahead, a lead that had reached 4-09 to no score by the end of the most one sided half imaginable.

The scoring tsunami started in almost pedestrian fashion compared to what would follow with Patrick McGurk and Niall O'Donnell, two players who have appeared in Mickey Harte’s senior team this season, popping over early points.

Those scores followed Antrim's best – and only - real attack of the half in the game's opening minute when the excellent Murray had to be alert to clear a ball from under his own crossbar to stop a potential Saffron goal.

But that was it as far as Antrim's first half contribution went. To begin with at least they managed some semblance of defensive resistance, pulling 14 men back inside their own '45' but the longer the half wore the more holes began to appear and Derry were in the mood to take full advantage.

The first goal arrived with Derry four points up and signalled the opening of the floodgates as Ruairi Forbes benefitted from Oisin O'Doherty's pointed effort striking the post and falling perfectly into his grasp to finish with aplomb.

That was followed two minutes later by Ryan McNicholl finding himself in acres of room in front of the Antrim net and the Glenullin man doesn't pass up opportunities like that.

With Derry now 2-04 to no score up, Antrim heads began to drop but there was no Oak Leaf let up as O'Donnell was next to find the net, tapping home the rebound after McNicholl's fisted effort came back off the Antrim crossbar.

Derry's fourth arrived via McNicholl once more after he seized upon a loose Antrim pass in midfield with the Saffrons pushed up the pitch. Breaking into an almost empty half, McNicholl was joined by McGurk and, after exchanging passes and drawing the keeper, McNicholl had the simple task of tapping into an empty net to send Derry into half-time with a 21 point lead.

Derry rang the changes at the break and Antrim did improve second half but it still took until the 46th minute for the Saffrons' opening score, Gaireach Mac Adhaim the man on target.

The visitors would go on to hit the target twice more but even if the home scoring rate had slowed, McGrath's men remained in complete control and looked capable of going through the gears should the need ever arise. It didn’t. Indeed the only Oak concern was the withdrawal of McGurk after sustaining a knock, Derry opting to withdraw the Lavey player as a precaution with next week in mind.

It mattered little to either the group or the game by this stage. When Ciaran Chambers was bundled over in stoppage time, it allowed Odhran Murphy to grab Derry's fifth goal from the penalty spot but the Oak Leaf focus had long since turned to the quarter-finals by that stage.

Derry scorers: Niall O'Donnell (1-1), Ruairi Forbes (1-0), Ryan McNicholl (2-1), Patrick McGurk (0-1), James Murray (0-1), Oisin O'Doherty (0-1, 1f), Ciaran Chambers (0-4), Anton Donnelly (0-1), Conleth McGrogan (0-1), Shea McCann (0-1), Conall Heron (0-1), Ronan Walls (0-1), Odhran Murphy (1-1, 1pen), Eoin Higgins (0-1)

Antrim scorers: Gaireach Mac Adhaim (0-1), Niall Duffy (0-1, 1f), Calum Gribben (0-1).

Derry: Ben O'Connor, Fionn McEldowney, James Murray, Conleth McGrogan, Ronan Walls, Patrick McGurk, Danny McDermott, Conall Heron, Ryan McNicholl, Cahir Spiers, Ruairi Forbes, Sean Young, Niall O'Donnell, Ciaran Chambers, Oisin Doherty. (Subs) Rory McGill for R Forbes, HT; Anton Donnelly for Cahir Spiers, HT; Odhran Murphy for R McNicholl, HT; Shea McCann for P McGurk (inj), 36mins; Eoin Higgins for O O'Doherty, 40mins;

Antrim: Jamie Mc Laughlin, Ciaran Maginnis, Gaireach Mac Adhaim, Eoghan O'Hare, Ronan Quinn, Paul Duffin, Cahir Donnelly, Manus McCrossan, Tom Shivers, Connlaodh McCann, Enda McCartan, Callum Walsh, Calum Gribbin, Rory McErlean, Niall Duffy. (Subs) Jack Toner for E McCartan (inj), 8mins; Donal Martin for R Quinn, 40mins; Rory Grant for R McErlean, 41mins; Jack Toner for E McCartan, 40mins; Sean Boyd for M McCrossan, 51mins

Referee: Mark Dorrian (Donegal)

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