Conall Higgins fires Magherafelt to Derry Senior Championship glory

Conall Higgins delivered another man-of-the-match performance to further underline his growing reputation and strengthen his case for a place in Ciarán Meenagh’s Derry football panel for 2027, as his superb haul of 0-9 helped Magherafelt secure an eighth-ever Derry Senior Football Championship title on Sunday evening.

The 20-year-old chipped in with three first-half two-pointers to help steer O’Donovan Rossa towards a 0-13 to 0-7 interval lead before setting up their decisive late goal with a superb breakaway run as Magherafelt sealed a memorable victory.

Higgins has been in outstanding form throughout the championship and will undoubtedly be among the names on Meenagh’s list as the Derry manager begins preparations for the 2027 campaign in the weeks ahead.

Having broken into the O'Donovan Rossa panel last year, the young forward was determined not to experience a repeat of the disappointment of the previous season, when Newbridge edged Magherafelt out by 1-17 to 1-15 in the final. That heartbreak helped fuel O’Donovan Rossa’s drive to finally get over the line.

“I felt that we started a bit slowly in the championship this season, but I’ve built my confidence with each game and felt like I contributed my bit in the end. I’m just delighted to have been able to play my part. I’m so thankful that we got over the line in the end. It’s just unreal. I can’t even describe the feeling.

“Last year was my first loss in the final, but there are boys in that dressing room who have lost three county finals since we last won one. Some of them haven’t even won one yet. So, for all of us, it’s just unreal.”

The newly crowned Derry champions made a slow start against three-in-a-row-chasing Newbridge, playing with the aid of a gale-force breeze blowing from left to right at Fibrus Celtic Park. However, Magherafelt eventually began to make the most of the conditions late in the first half, surging into a 0-13 to 0-7 advantage at the break.

As great champions so often do, Newbridge mounted a comeback of their own, registering seven unanswered points midway through the second half to set up a grandstand finish. However, goals from Aidan McCloskey and Cormac Murphy ultimately sealed a famous victory for the O’Donovan Rossa men.

Reflecting on how his side negotiated the challenging conditions and Newbridge’s late resurgence, Higgins said: “We had a slow start, and when you have a breeze like that in the first half, you have to be going in at least a few points up. Newbridge started very well, but we managed to figure out the wind a little bit and went a few points up. That gave us a good platform to come out into the second half.

“Newbridge never make it easy. They are a great team and there have been so many games where they look like they’re beaten, and they always come back and find a way to win.

“They came back at us really strongly, and they’ve obviously got plenty of two-point shooters.

“They got a couple there, but thankfully we managed to see it out in the end. The two goals killed the game off in the end. I’m just so delighted that we got over the line.”