Derry come up short

A comprehensive 3-16 to 1-7 midweek win over Queens set Derry up with the chance to reach the semi-finals of the Barrett Sports Lighting Dr McKenna Cup - a victory over old rivals Down on Sunday in Celtic Park would have done the trick.

However the Oak Leaf men came up short as they lost 1-15 to 1-13, the victory for the Mourne outfit enough to see them into the semi-final where they will meet Donegal, Tyrone meet Fermanagh in the second semi.

This game only really came to life after Down had taken what seemed an unassailable lead seven minutes into the second half.

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Former Aussie Rules star Martin Clarke, a second half substitute for Down, rifled home a penalty when his initial spot kick was well saved by Martin Dunne to put his side 1-10 to 0-5 ahead.

Then Clarke added a stunning point from a ‘45’ the ball still rising as he thumped it over the bar, Down now nine points clear.

By this stage Derry had shown little by way of real enterprise but they reeled off five points in a row in a sustained period of tidy football, the small crowd had at last something to get excited about as only four points separated the sides with fifteen minutes left.

A Seamus Bradley goal then reduced the gap to two before Derry seemed to have taken the wind from the Down sails as Aidy McLaughlin levelled matters with five minutes left. At that stage there seemed to be only one winner, the home side, but not so as Down finished strongly. Two points, the last from a free, from Paul McComiskey were enough to get Down over the line to top their group and into the semi-finals.

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The sides were level 0-2 each after a tame opening eleven minutes, Seamus Bradley and Liam Hinphey scoring for Derry while John Clarke and Calum King replied for Down.

The next ten minutes saw Down take a grip around midfield through Calum King and Ambrose Rodgers, they hit four points in a row, Ronan Murtagh (2), Mark Poland and Aidan Carr the scorers. After Raymond Wilkinson pulled a point back for Derry both sides had their goalkeepers to thank as they each made point blank saves to deny certain goals.

Down then enjoyed another productive spell as they tagged on three unanswered points from Paul McComiskey, Mark Poland and the dangerous Ronan Murtagh. In added time Charlie Kielt thumped over a fine long range point to leave Derry trailing 0-9 to 0-4 at the break.

Derry made a promising start to the second half, Gerard O’Kane burst forward only to be fouled, Mark Lynch drove the free over the bar.

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That was as good as it got for the home side in the early stages as Down enjoyed another very productive spell with Martin Clarke very much at the centre of the action. Clarke set up a point before his pass found McComiskey bursting into the penalty area, he was hauled down by Barry McGuigan a spot kick awarded.

Clarke’s low drive was well saved by Martin Dunne but the rebound fell kindly to the inrushing An Riocht star who lashed the ball to the net. The former Aussie Rules ace then drilled over a massive ‘45’ to put Down 1-11 to 0-5 ahead seemingly out of site.

Derry at last showed some urgency when the game was all but lost. They reeled off five fine points in a row. The series of scores started with a Seamus Bradley effort, Fergal Doherty then burst forward down the right to fist over the bar.

Aidy McLaughlin then did well to pick up a loose ball and clip over a neat point, Andrew McCartney did likewise from the left side as Derry at last looked threatening going forward.

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Good work by Raymond Wilkinson set up the rampaging Gerard O’Kane for a point to leave just four between the sides. Martin Clarke then showed another flash of the potential missing link for Down as he delivered a superb, long diagonal pass into the path of his brother John for him to steer over a tidy point.

That seemed to have stemmed the Derry tide but with ten minutes left Raymond Wilkinson put Seamus Bradley in close to the edge of the Down ‘square’, the Ballinascreen man bundled the ball into the net to leave just two between the sides.

The sides then traded points before Fergal Doherty and Aidy McLaughlin strikes levelled matters with less than five minutes left. The semi-final place and at least one more competitive outing was still all to play for.

Derry certainly seemed to be in the ascendancy at that stage but it was the Down men that finished the better with those two late Paul McComiskey strikes the last from a rather soft free for a foul on Martin Clarke.

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Defeat for Derry now means no more competitive games ahead of the start of the National League. That begins on February 6 with a home game against Tyrone, not one for the faint hearted.

Eoghan Rua lotto: Sunday, January 24, no jackpot winner. Numbers - 2; 11; 20; 24. 25 winner - Peter Duffy (Coleraine). Sunday, January 31, jackpot - 2600

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