Newbridge survive Lavey fightback to book quarter-final spot
A frantic late fightback falls just short as Sean O’Leary’s book their place in the quarter-finals
Three-in-a-row chasing Newbridge survived a late scare from Lavey to secure their passage to the quarter-finals of the O’Neill’s Derry Senior Football Championship at Owenbeg on Saturday evening.
Sean O’Leary’s appeared to be cruising towards victory as they led 1-18 to 2-7 with just two minutes of normal time remaining. However, a remarkable late Lavey surge saw three two-pointers arrive in the space of 90 seconds, with Matthew Downey, Conor Downey and James Sergeant all raising the orange flag to leave just a single score between the sides.
Newbridge, though, held their nerve when it mattered most. Conor McAteer steadied the champions with two quickfire points before Conor Downey struck another two-pointer with the final action of the contest, but it was not enough to deny Newbridge a 1-20 to 2-15 victory and their place in the last eight.
Sharpshooter Oisin Doherty was once again central to the champions’ success, finishing with an impressive personal tally of 0-11.
Doherty got Newbridge off to a perfect start, opening the scoring with a superbly taken two-pointer in the seventh minute. Brian Mulholland responded for Lavey moments later, before Newbridge seized complete control with a devastating spell.
Eamonn Young landed their second two-pointer before Shea McAteer buried a shot into the net after great work from Doherty to set up the goal. Conor McAteer and Conor Doherty added further points as, suddenly, Sean O’Leary’s men led 1-6 to 0-1 by the twelfth minute.
James Sergeant ended Lavey’s scoring drought, followed by a Ciaran Hendry point. A poor kick-out from Joe Henry then allowed Erin’s Own to get in for a goal, with Matthew Downey finding the back of the net to drag Lavey back into the contest at 1-6 to 1-3.
Newbridge responded as champions do, however, kicking the next four unanswered. Dylan McGreevy, Aidan McGlone and a Doherty brace pushed them 1-10 to 1-3 ahead with six minutes remaining in the opening half.
Lavey landed two placed balls before Doherty kicked Newbridge’s third two-pointer with the final action of the half, leaving seven between the sides at the interval as O’Leary’s men took a 1-12 to 1-5 advantage.
A fast breakaway after the restart gave Lavey another lifeline, with Dara O’Kane getting on the end of a sweeping counter-attack to hammer his shot into the net and make it 1-12 to 2-5.
Newbridge responded with four unanswered points from the boot of Doherty to cancel out Erin’s Own’s green flag before Ciaran Henry kicked a two-pointer for Lavey in the forty-third minute.
That was immediately cancelled out at the other end by scores from Conor McAteer and Doherty, leaving Newbridge 1-18 to 2-7 ahead as the game entered its closing stages.
It was then that Lavey produced their most impressive spell of the evening.
With the clock ticking towards the final two minutes, Matthew Downey, Conor Downey and James Sergeant all landed two-pointers in quick succession, transforming what had looked like a comfortable Newbridge victory into a grandstand finish. Suddenly, the champions were under genuine pressure.
With the clock entering the red, Conor McAteer kept his composure to fire over twice in quick succession, restoring a five-point cushion and finally giving Newbridge some breathing room.
Lavey refused to surrender, with Conor Downey adding another two-pointer with the final action of the game, but the comeback had ultimately come too late.
For Lavey, the defeat will sting, particularly after the slow start that left them chasing the game for long periods. Yet their extraordinary late rally will offer plenty of encouragement, with Erin’s Own demonstrating that they possess the firepower to trouble even the reigning champions when they find their rhythm.
Newbridge, meanwhile, marches into the last eight, but Gary Hetherington will know there is plenty to address. Lavey now drop into the Round 3 playoff, where they will face one of the Round 2B winners, while Newbridge can turn their attention to the quarter-finals and the defence of their county crown.
Lavey: Cailean O’Boyle; Rian Collins, Nathan Scullion, Andy Toner; Ryan Mulholland, Patrick McGurk, James Sargent; Conor Mulholland, Rory McGill; Ciaran Hendry, Matthew Downey, Hugh McGurk; Niall Duggan, Conor Downey, Kevin O’Neill.
Scorers: Matthew Downey 1-3 (1f, 1 2P), Conor Downey 0-4 (2 2P), James Sargent 0-3 (1 2P), Ciaran Hendry 0-3 (1 2P), Dara O’Kane 1-0, Brian Mulholland 0-1, Rory McGill 0-1 (1f).
Substitutes: Louis Regan for C Boyle (HT), Dara McGurk for P McGurk (HT), Oisin Mulholland for H McGurk (HT), Eamonn McGill for J McGurk (43 mins), Fintan Bradley for N Duggan (43 mins).
Newbridge: Joe Henry; Ronan Doherty, Shane McGrogan, Mark Doherty; Shea McAteer, Padraig McGrogan, Conor McGrogan; Conor Doherty, Killian Burke; Conleth McGrogan, Eamon Young, Conor McAteer; Patrick McMullan, Dylan McGreevy, Oisin Doherty.
Scorers: Oisin Doherty 0-11 (3 2P), Conor McAteer 0-4, Shea McAteer 1-0, Eamon Young 0-2 (1 2P), Conor Doherty 0-1, Dylan McGreevy 0-1, Aidan McGlone 0-1.
Substitutes: Aidan McGlone for P McMullen (18 mins), Aodhan Young for M Doherty (57 mins).
Referee: Caolan Hazlett.