Slaughtneil through to eleventh Ulster hurling final

A goal from substitute Gerald Bradley cemented Slaughtneil’s place in an 11th Ulster final on Sunday afternoon in Armagh.

It was Bradley’s first score of the season and it broke a scrappy game that was level on nine occasions over the hour.

Cormac O’Doherty was their conductor in chief, with Brendan Rogers and Shane McGuigan also pivotal in the middle third.

O’Doherty wore the number 14 jersey but started in midfield where be hoovered up anything Portaferry threw at them.

His performance was all the more notable with the fact he was caught in possession by Niall Milligan in the preamble to Daithi Sands hitting the net with a 20th minute goal.

He dusted himself down and kept on trucking away and it was his long ball that let to Bradley’s crucial 54th minute goal.

Fionn McEldowney moved across to pick up Daithi Sands but it was the greater Slaughtneil package the turned the game.

Shéa Cassidy landed 11 points. Oisin O’Doherty was varied on is puck-outs. Ruairí Ó Mianáin and Shane McGuigan drilled over vital scores.

In Chrissy McKaigue, they had the perfect inside forward who won the battle with Tom Murray.

After battling back from Portaferry’s goal, the Emmet’s passed up three goal chances either side of half-time after battling back from Daithi Sands hitting the net for Portaferry.

Points from Shane McGuigan and Ruairí Ó Mianáin laid the foundations for a spell that saw them ahead at the break, 0-12 to 1-8.

Over the balance of play, the Derry champions were full value for their win.

They did survive a scare of a half goal chance early in the second half and needed Conor McAllister’s late interception to close out Matt Conlan.

Had they lost, Paul McCormack will have rued the 2-3 they passed up after half time.

Brendan Rogers landed the first score of the game and the sides were level six times in the first 20 minutes.

Chrissy McKaigue and Rogers were on target as the played was tossed from end to end.

Daithi Sands turned Conor McAllister for a score on either wing but the Emmet’s were always on hard with a response.

Portaferry had five first half wides but it was Niall Fitzsimmons who fired over three first-half scores in an end-to-end contest.

Shéa Cassidy was unerring on frees and played inside with brother Eamon and Chrissy McKaigue.

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A Cathal Coleman put Portaferry ahead before they hit the net. Niall Milligan robbed Cormac O’Doherty before feeding Daithi Sands to give ‘keeper O’Doherty no chance from close range.

Coleman added a score for a 1-8 to 0-8 lead before Slaughtneil turned up the heat.

When Shane McGuigan fired over a monster score from the wing, Ruairí Ó Mianáin won the puckout on the way to a Cassidy converted free.

Cormac O’Doherty, Mark and Shane McGuigan worked possession well for a Ruairí Ó Mianáin score to level the game with a minute to play.

Cormac O’Doherty then hit his only score of the game for a 0-12 to 1-8 interval lead.

Slaughtneil could’ve hit the net only for Shéa Cassidy to be denied by an excellent Smyth save.

Cathal Coleman hit an early second-half free for Portaferry who then survived a Rogers goal chance that came off the crossbar.

Rogers then spooned a goal chance wide after a goalmouth scramble and the sides remained level.

Cassidy added a free to edge the champions back in front but they passed up chances to stamp their authority on the game.

A fourth Fitzsimmons point had the sides level for an eighth time before Cassidy and Sé McGuigan helped put the Emmet’s into a 0-16 to 1-12 lead midway through the half.

Portaferry had a half goal chance that flashed wide as they began to refreshen up with players from the bench

Two Coleman frees pulled Portaferry back to within a point with eight minutes to go.

Gerald Bradley’s first action was to poke home a Slaughtneil goal to put them into a winning position, 1-18 to 1-14, and on the way to victory.

The Emmet’s now play St John’s in the final after their 3-20 to 0-12 win over Setanta on Saturday night in Owenbeg.

The Johnnies were without the injured Ciaran Johnston but two goals from brother Conor were the key scores.

Oisin MacManus fired over a dozen points but it was Johnston’s second goal – made by MacManus – that killed off the Donegal challenge.

The Emmet’s eye a sixth Ulster title with St John’s hoping for a second and a first in 1973.

The prize for the winners is an All-Ireland semi-final against Galway champions Loughrea.

Scorers and teams

Scorers for Slaughtneil: Shéa Cassidy 0-11 (10f), Shane McGuigan 0-3, Gerald Bradley 1-0, Ruairí Ó Mianáin, Chrissy McKaigue, Brendan Rogers 0-2 each, Cormac O’Doherty (f), Sé McGiugan and Jerome McGuigan 0-1 each.

Scorers for Portaferry: Cathal Coleman 0-10 (7f), Daithi Sands 1-2, Niall Fitzsimmons 0-4, Noah Rogers and Barry Trainor 0-1 each.

Slaughtneil: Oisin O’Doherty; Fionn McEldowney, Paul McNeill, Conor McAllister; Ruairí Ó Mianáin, Meehaul McGrath, Shane McGuigan; Cormac O’Doherty, Cathal Ó Mianáin; Mark McGuigan, Sé McGuigan, Brendan Rogers; Eamon Cassidy; Chrissy McKaigue, Shéa Cassidy. Subs: Gerald Bradley for M McGuigan (48), Jerome McGuigan for E Cassidy (56)

Portaferry: Pearce Smyth; Darragh Mallon, Tom Murray, Ronan Smyth; Barry Trainor, Caolan Taggart, Ciaran Milligan; Matt Conlan, Shane Conlan; Niall Fitzsimmons, Finn Turpin, Cathal Coleman; Eoghan Sands, Niall Milligan, Daithi Sands. Subs: Ciaran Savage for C Milligan (41), Noah Rogers for S Conlan (46), Calum Smyth for Mallon (46), Conor Mageean for Fitzsimmons (57). Yellow card: S Conlan (41), T Murray (55), C Taggart (61), D Sands (63)

Referee: Colm McDonald (Antrim)