GAA - battling Slaughtneil bow out of Ulster

Ulster Senior Club Football Championship Quarter-Finals

Scotstown 1-15 Slaughtneil 0-15

Steven Doherty reports from Clones

ALL good things must come to an end. It is a senior championship run that began at Owenbeg on Sunday 3rd August 2014 when Slaughtneil defeated Ballinascreen by two points in the first round of the Derry senior football championship. It ended two days short of fifteen months later at Clones on Sunday. Blessed and blighted by dual success in that time, that long, tough road finally produced a bridge too far for Slaughtneil to cross. But that didn’t stop this team, this band of brothers from trying to cross it. Worn out and weary they certainly were, Slaughtneil weren’t for giving up their provincial crown without a serious battle. The game turned on a three minute spell from the 21st minute when county star Darren Hughes bagged a rapid-fire three scores, including that crucial goal that in the end separated the two sides. Slaughtneil will feel they could have won this one, and they'd be right. But in Scotstown they met an opponent that was ready to steal their crown. An opponent that was fresher and a side that, on top of Darren Hughes 1-4 from play in the opening half, boasted three quality free takers, all of whom had brought their best scoring boots. Their shooting was clinical, and while they enjoyed much less territory and possession than the Derry champions they punished them continuously every opportunity they were afforded. Despite the serious high championship mileage run up on the Slaughtneil legs, the Emmet's showed all their renowned character to stage a stunning second half rally that fell just short. Failure, but epic, heroic failure.

A great spectacle

The sizeable crowd that had made their way to St Tiernach's Park were treated to a wonderfully old school game of football. Conventional wisdom suggested that Micky Harte and Jim McGuinness had buried this type of 'man against man' football, but it's death has been greatly overstated going by the spectacle produced by the Derry and Monaghan champions on Sunday. It was riveting stuff. Both sides went 'two on two' at the back for almost the entire game and it made for raucous, end to end stuff. It was a brave tactic, perhaps a little foolhardy from Slaughtneil's perspective with the irrepressible Darren Hughes exploiting the vast Savanna of space. Conditions were excellent and the hungrier, sharper Scotstown proved too potent for Derry champions Slaughtneil in this thrill a minute spectacular that built to a sizzling climax in Clones on Sunday afternoon. The game started at a cracking pace and with the sides exchanging scores regularly after Slaughtneil opened through Christopher Bradley after just 90 seconds. Over the next 20 minutes it was tit for tat with the sides level on five occasions, with 'Sammy' Bradley and Paul Bradley heavily involved in Slaughtneil's scoring. Monaghan kept pace through the expertise of their three free takers. Shane Carey curled over the frees from the left, Conor McCarthy the frees from the right and county 'keeper Rory Beggan coolly converted the placed balls from distance. The Monaghan champions, clinical throughout, amassed a mere three wides over the hour. One of the brightest stars in the Slaughtneil constellation - Brendan Rogers - looked to have his hands full with Darren Hughes right from the start and by the 24th minute the county ace had scored the only goal of the game to add to his four points from play. Hughes finished the half with 1-4 as he hit the reigning Ulster champions with 1-2 in side three blistering minutes to put Mattie McGleenan’s men five in front and Slaughtneil’s gruelling schedule looking as if it was beginning to take its toll. It was a virtuoso performance from Hughes, which was almost matched by his brother Kieran Hughes who was equally outstanding with his rampaging runs from centre half back which kept the Derry men on the back foot in that crucial period into the interval. Scotstown were ahead by six points going into stoppage time with Slaughtneil pulling back two late points through Se McGuigan and a Paul Bradley free to leave four in it at the break, Scotstown 1-9, Slaughtneil 0-8.

Four down at Half-time

Few, if any, gave the Emmet's any real hope at half-time. The bright blue skies that had blessed the first half had dimmed as the second was beginning and the assorted press pack were convinced to a man that the dark clouds were closing in on Slaughtneil’s title defence. But wouldn't you know Emmet’s came out with renewed vigour and energy, summoned up from God knows where, and carried the game to Scotstown in an electric third quarter. Unfortunately for Micky Moran's men they were unable to translate their superiority into scores, hitting four successive wides soon after the break. Despite that unusual profligacy, by the 50th minute they had heroically clipped away at the margin, with the accuracy of Paul Bradley and Christopher Bradley playing a huge part in their resurgence. Barry McGuigan was starting to make the scorching runs from wing half back while the introduction of county minor Shane McGuigan, with the youngsters ability to win ball and hit points, further fuelled Slaughtneil's hopes for victory. Brendan Rogers finally got to grips with Hughes who went scoreless throughout the second period. Paul Bradley's 54th minute free, his eighth point of the game, left just the very minimum between the sides as Slaughtneil threatened an epic come-back. From there to the finish though, Scotstown regained the initiative with Conor McCarthy converting another free and Orin Heaphey picking off an opportunist point from play to edge them three clear with two minutes remaining. But try as they might Slaughtneil could not engineer the goal that would have put the issue to extra time. Ciaran Branagan blew for full-time soon after with the Derry champions no longer the Ulster champions. But they departed the Ulster scene just as they arrived at it - heroically.

Match Stats: Scorers for Scotstown: Darren Hughes 1-4, Conor McCarthy 0-5 (0-3f), Rory Beggan 0-2 (1f,1 '45'), Orin Heaphey 0-2, Shane Carey 0-2 (0-2f)

Scorers for Slaughtneil: Paul Bradley 0-8 (0-7f), Christopher Bradley 0-3 (0-1f), Shane McGuigan 0-2, Ronan Bradley 0-1, Se McGuigan 0-1

Scotstown: Rory Beggan, Damien McArdle, Emmet Caulfield, Paul Sherlock, Fergal McPhillips, Kieran Hughes, Donal Morgan, Francis Caulfield, James Turley, Oran Heaphey, Padraig Keenan, Conor McCarthy, Shane Carey, Darren Hughes, Ross McKenna Subs: Brian McGinnity for R McKenna (42), Brendan Boylan for F McPhillips (51), David McCague for D Hughes BC (59)

Slaughtneil: Antoin McMullan, Francis McEldowney, Brendan Rogers, Karl McKaigue, Paul McNeill, Christopher McKaigue, Barry McGuigan, Patsy Bradley, Padraig Cassidy, Padrig Kelly, Paul Bradley, Ronan Bradley, Christopher Bradley, Se McGuigan, Sean Cassidy Subs: Shane McGuigan for P Kelly (40), Meehaul McGrath for P Bradley (40)

Referee: Ciaran Brannigan (Down)