One point keeps Arva from Ulster glory

Ballinderry 1-12

Arva 2-8

Paul Fitzpatrick at Healy Park

Arva’s dream of becoming the first club ever to win successive Ulster junior and intermediate titles is over after they came up short by a single point in a riveting clash against Ballinderry.

This was a superb spectacle, played at a high tempo throughout, but ultimately Arva just missed too many chances in the second half and didn’t kick on after hitting the net for a second time against quality, well-drilled opposition.

Arva came into this match on an extraordinary 23-game unbeaten run in championship football but yet still carried the underdogs’ tag against one of the traditional powerhouses of Derry senior football.

The 2023 All-Ireland junior club champions, who were without injured regulars Danny Ellis and Thomas Partington here, defeated Down’s Drumgath in the quarter-final and stunned Monaghan representatives Magheracloone with a sensational late comeback in the semi-final. The Derrymen, for their part, had seen off Carrickcruppen (Armagh) and Tyrone’s Derrylaughan (by a point) to reach this stage.

At half-time, Arva held a slender 1-4 to 0-5 advantage, having been 0-3 to 0-1 behind. The highlight of the first half for the Cavanmen was a brilliant individual goal from Barry Donnelly as Finbar O’Reilly’s men shaded the exchanges.

While Arva were unfortunate to strike the upright twice in the first half, Ballinderry also spurned a great goal chance – Tiarnan Rocks striking the butt of the post – and missed a tap-over free on the run-in to half-time.

The Derry side started the stronger but as the half wore on, Arva’s experience – this was their fifth championship final in 12 months – came to the fore as they made good decisions on the ball and showed no signs of panic.

Shea Coleman opened the scoring with a well-taken point from the right wing, with Charlie Crozier doubling Ballinderry’s advantage from a free as Arva took time to settle into the contest.

The Cavan champions’ opening score arrived in the seventh minute, Johnny McCabe firing over a terrific effort in full flight off the left after good work from Tristan Noack Hofmann, who did a good job curtailing Derry senior star Gareth McKinless and was prominent from play himself.

After Cian O’Hara’s 55-metre free clipped the wrong side of the post, Ballinderry increased their lead with a point from Ryan Bell but again, the Hofmann-McCabe double act combined, with McCabe firing over to make it 0-3 to 0-2.

And then came Donnelly’s goal. Picking up possession on the left wing without much on, he burned a defender and tore in along the end-line. With defenders drawn to Peter Morris, loitering at the back post, Donnelly picked his spot, rifling to the bottom corner to give Arva a 1-2 to 0-3 lead.

After a delay due to an injury to Ballinderry goalkeeper Ben McKinless, who spent a lot of time out the field, his team responded well to the goal with the best point of the half, Shea McCann driving over from long distance.

Ref Kieran Eannetta, who had a fine game overall, spotted a foul off the ball on Peter Morris but Bouchier’s free struck the upright.

Arva added another with a trademark Conal Sheridan strike but were fortunate not to concede a goal moments later, Charlie Crozier firing inches over the bar, soccer-style.

Ballinderry missed another goal chance before half-time when Tiaran Rocks struck the post – they would create five in total, taking one – and Arva had the final say of the half with a well-worked point from captain Ciaran Brady.

The early stages of the second half mirrored the first as Ballinderry landed two quickfire points from Conor O’Neill (free) and Ruairi Forbes (a stylish effort from the wing). But Arva struck gold with a second major five minutes in, Donnelly racing goalwards after turning over a kick-out and unselfishly laying off for Conal Sheridan to tuck away.

That made it 2-4 to 0-7 but, to their credit, Ballinderry stepped up thereafter and were the better side for the remainder of the contest. They spurned a great goal chance through Crozier as Arva began to miss chances and continued to be unusually loose at the back.

From nowhere, Shea McCann sent a rocket to the roof of the Arva net, through a congested area, to tie the game with 20 minutes remaining.

Bouchier (40-metre free) and the speedy Niall O’Donnell traded scores but Ballinderry had the momentum and moved into a two-point lead through Conor O’Neill.

Bouchier stopped the bleeding with an important point from a free after a foul on Ciaran Brady before Cian O’Hara denied Ryan Bell with a magnificent one-on-one save.

Arva weren’t done yet – Bouchier engineered a sublime point from nothing to tie the game once again but O’Donnell stepped up, after a powerful run from Forbes, to nudge the Derrymen back in front a minute into injury time.

Again, Bouchier conjured up a point with very little on as Arva continued to press valiantly but, three minutes into injury time, veteran Darren Lawn found himself in space and made no mistake with the winner.

Arva had a final chance and had a big shout for a free as Conal Sheridan appeared to be pushed but the ref didn’t agree and they ran out, beaten but unobowed, losers by a single point.

Arva: Cian O’Hara, Dylan Maguire, James Morris, Finbar McAvinue, Éanna Ward, Stephen Sheridan, Thomas Brady, Ciaran Brady, Tristan Noack Hofmann, Fergal McGlade, Barry Donnelly, Jonathan McCabe, Peter Morris, Kevin Bouchier, Conal Sheridan

Subs: Peter Conneely for P Morris (54), Shane Hamilton for F McGlade (59)

Ballinderry: Ben McKinless, Aron Mullan, Oisin Duffin, Ryan O'Neill, Eoin Devlin, Gareth McKinless, Ruairí Forbes, Niall O'Donnell, Charlie Crozier, Tiarnan Rocks, Conor O'Neill, Shea McCann, Darren Lawn, Ryan Bell, Shea Coleman

Subs: Daniel McKinless for T Rocks (46), Matthew Smyth for E Devlin (49), Matt Quinn for D McKinless (60), Eoghan Rocks for D Lawn (64)

Ref: Kieran Eannetta (Tyrone)