Paddy Bradley and Gavin Diamond shoot Derry Masters to All Ireland glory!

Derry 2-7, London 0-8

A scintillating first half of goals, guts and gusto propelled Derry Masters to the All Ireland Intermediate Football championship in Dublin on Saturday afternoon.

The Oakleafers have already turned heads in their rookie year in the competition, finishing second in the league, and proved too slick, too well drilled and skilled for a very decent exiles outfit. The Oakleafers led 2-5 to 0-2 at half-time, with goals from deadly duo, Paddy Bradley and Gavin Diamond, only to have to withstand a creditable fightback from London before eventually cruising home with a five point win.

Backed by a sizeable travelling support, Derry took an early grip of proceedings at St. Peregrine’s. Despite a couple of early nervy wides, the Oakleafers carved out a 0-3 to no score lead with Eugene Scullion heavily involved in everything that was good about Derry. A trademark over the shoulder point from Gavin Diamond opened the afternoon’s scoring before captain Jimmy O’Connor cut inside his marker to slice the sticks care of a Paddy Bradley assist. Diamond’s second score, this time with the left, then stretched his side three ahead.

London would wait until the mid-point of the first half before they would first work their scoreboard, and indeed until the last kick of the half before they’d score again. In between times Derry, with an unanswered 2-02, hit their best spell of the contest.

Paul McFlynn, the game’s MVP, converted his first free of the day, before an 18th minute Paddy Bradley goal underlined the gap in class between the two sides. Thomas Niblock and Gavin Diamond provided the long range and short range assists for Bradley’s deadly finish.

Derry were in complete control. The classy pair of Brian Mullan and Kevin McGuckin, along with the pace and power of O’Connor and Paul Cartin assumed command over the middle third with a physical London unable to land any real telling blows. Defensively Derry were ultra sound as always. Donal Brolly produced his best performance of the season – full of athleticism and bravery – while Adrian Deery, Conor Doonan and Seamie O’Kane were faultless. They

have been all season.

It left the Exiles living off scraps. Goalkeeper Brian ‘play hard, party hard’ Scullion was outstanding between the sticks, dealing with the high ball with his usual consummate ease and authority.

A second McFlynn point, courtesy of a delightful ‘one-two’ with Bradley, provided the curtain-raiser for Derry’s second goal in the 27th minute. That man Diamond found himself through on goal only to see his rasping shot well saved. But the evergreen Bellaghy ace was quick to react to the rebound and bundled the ball home to see his side nine points up at half-time.

With the game all but won and post-match pints already on their minds, Derry slipped down several gears after the break. To their great credit London, with former Republic of Ireland soccer player Jonathan Douglas pulling the strings and showing the same form that put Donegal to the sword in the semi-final, impressed throughout the second half. Their much improved six points in no way flattered them.

But there would be no denying this Derry team. The tough tackling Ballymaguigan enforcer Ciaran McIvor continued to put manners on the Exiles, while Thomas Niblock ran himself to a standstill.

With a Derry bench jam-packed with an abundance of footballing armoury, managers Ronan Rocks and James McGrath brought fresh legs and impetus onto the field at strategic points throughout a well matched second half.

Joe Gray made an important contribution once unleashed; weaving between defence and attack, while Marty McGuinness and Ruairi Shivers put in important hard yards at crucial times. Ryan O’Kane broke through a few tackles only to see his shot fade just wide as Derry only briefly threatened to put the pedal to the metal.

Paddy Bradley, playing out the field after the interval, landed a monster of a point. And while ‘man of the match’ Paul McFlynn’s third point of the game would be Derry’s second and last score of the half, it mattered little. This would be Derry’s day. This would be Derry’s All Ireland title.

Derry: Brian Scullion, Conor Doonan, Seamus O’Kane, Adrian Deery, Paul Cartin, Eugene Scullion, Brian Mullan, Kevin McGuckin, Ciaran McIvor, Donal Brolly, Paul McFlynn (0-3, 2f), Jimmy O’Connor (0-1), Gavin Diamond (1-2), Paddy Bradley (1-1), Thomas Niblock. (Subs): Marty McGuinness, Joe Gray, Ryan O’Kane, Ruairi Shivers, Kevin Doherty, Pearse McCallan, Eunan Murphy, Pauric Scullion, Malachy Scullion, Ryan King, John Bigmore, Emmet McGilloway, Gareth Murphy, Stephen McGuigan, Kevin Nixon, Richard Stewart, Liam McElhone, Shane McFlynn.