Dreadnoughts beaten in Ulster Club final
Mullahoran 1-10
Naomh Éanna 2-11
Paul Fitzpatrick
at the Athletic Grounds
Mullahoran lost out by four points in a hard-fought Ulster IFC Club final this evening in Armagh.
With underfoot conditions slippery, Naomh Éanna were the better side and despite Mullahoran hitting the woodwork on three occasions, the Belfast men were deserving winners on the day.
At half-time, the Cavan champions found themselves a goal in arrears, 1-5 to 0-5, having failed to hit the heights they are capable of in the opening 30 minutes.
Naomh Éanna’s pace was causing the Dreadnoughts problems and a tendancy to over-do the first-time, high ball to the full-forward line meant Mullahoran were failing to carve out many decent scoring opportunities at the other end.
The Belfast side opened the scoring with a fisted point from the speedy Kristian Healy and although Enda O’Reilly replied with a super right-footed score from a tight angle, Naomh Éanna almost broke through for a goal moments later, Sean Briody saving smartly from a palmed effort by Ethan Gibson.
They made amends two minutes later, though, when Mullahoran were turned over coming out of defence and brothers Peter and Kristian Healy tore through the centre, with the latter sending a soccer-style finish to the net.
Wing-back Conan Lyttle added the next before Mullahoran corner-back Callum Mussi came forward for his first score of the championship after fine fetch from PP Galligan and great work from Gavin Brady.
The Antrim side hit back with an excellent point from Eoin Nagle to make it 1-3 to 0-2. On 20 minutes, for the first time, the long ball stuck in the Mullahoran full-forward line, Philip Brady winning a free which Enda O’Reilly converted.
By half-time, Mullahoran had added two more points, an outstanding left-footed score from PP Galligan and another free from O’Reilly but Seanie Smith’s men began the second half on the front foot and were level within four minutes after points from Sean McKeogh, Enda O’Reilly (free) and Colm O’Reilly.
They were living dangerously, though, with Sean Briody called into action again. After their purple patch, Naomh Éanna took over and pinned the Cavanmen back for 15 minutes, during which they kicked numerous wides.
The crucial passage of play arrived, however, in the 52nd minute when Cormac O’Reilly fielded brilliantly and sent a rocket of a shot on to the crossbar – 20 seconds later, the outstanding Naomh Éanna Joe Maskey got on the end of a lightning counter-attack and slotted home low to put clear daylight between them at 2-8 to 0-8.
Mullahoran pressed hard in the closing stages but the winners kept them at arm’s length. In injury time, Killian Brady was hauled down and Enda O’Reilly tucked away the resulting penalty but despite their best efforts, the Cavan champs could not engineer the goal chance they needed.
See next week’s print issue for full report.