GAA: Eoghan Rua upset Dungiven

The early exchanges suggested that the favourites would prevail as Dungiven took a 0-3 to 0-1 lead in the first quarter. However Eoghan Rua dominated the remainder of the half and aided by a fortuitous goal went into the half time break with a healthy 1-7 to 0-4 lead.

Twice Dungiven got the leeway back to three points but they could not eat further into Eoghan Rua's lead and the Coleraine men held on to win 2-9 to 0-12 to provide one of the few upsets of the championship weekend.

The last time these sides met in the championship, at the quarter-final stage in 2009, Dungiven raced into a 1-4 to nil lead inside ten minutes and were ten points clear by the 20th minute.

At Glen last Thursday evening Dungiven seemed to be on the way to a similar start as they bossed the opening quarter. They scored three in a row after Niall Holly had put Eoghan Rua in front in the fourth minute and but for a fine close-in save from Ryan McGeough in the 13th minute they could have been further ahead.

Eoghan Rua began to get on top around the middle through Niall Holly and Sean Paul Henry while Sean Leo and Ciaran McGoldrick carried ball from deep to devastating effect. Two huge points in a row from Niall Holly and Barry McGoldrick had Eoghan Rua ahead again by the 24th minute and then three minutes later they were gifted a fortuitous goal.

A long ball in from the left side by Ciaran McGoldrick was gathered by Dungiven goalkeeper Kevin Farren but under pressure from two inrushing Coleraine men he carried the ball over the line with the umpire correctly signaling for a goal.

Dungiven responded with a superb Fergal McGuigan point but Eoghan Rua finished the half on top with further points through Ciaran McGoldrick and Grgory Bradley from afree to lead 1-7 to 0-4 at the break.

Dungiven needed to change things around the middle and they brought Rian Kealey out from full back to that area at the start of the second half. The move certainly had an immediate effect as they began to get a lot more possession in the opening ten minutes of the half.

Dungiven were on a roll in that period as they outscored Eoghan Rua 0-4 to 0-1, Cathal Grieve getting three points with paul Murphy hitting the fourth from a free, Ciaran McGoldrick with the Coleraine men's only response.

At that stage it seemed Dungiven were getting on top but they were hit with a hammer blow eleven minutes in. Colm McGoldrick gathered a loose ball close to the Dungiven end line and drove in to find Paul Daly with a perceptive pass, Daly did well to slide the ball low to the corner of the Dungiven net.

That score came at just the right time for Eoghan Rua as they were under the cosh in that third quarter. Dungiven responded well to that setback and three unanswered points from Paul Murphy (2) and Cathal Grieve brought them to within touching distance once again at 2-8 to 0-11 going into the final quarter.

That last quarter proved to be a tense affair with both defences on top as the scores all but dried up with the sides scoring just one more point each, both frees Barry McGoldrick for Coleraine with Cathal Grieve replying for Dungiven.

Eoghna Rua have gone five games without conceding a goal and it took another fine save form Ryan McGeough nine minutes from time to maintain that impressive defensive record.

A superb Fergal McGuigan run and parting shot brought the best from McGeough as he palmed the Dungiven man’s low drive away for a ‘45’which was eventually cleared following a spectacular high catch on the edge of his own ‘square’ by Niall Holly. There were no further scores in the last ten minutes as Eoghan Rua deservedly held on for a fine win.

Dungiven will get a second chance in the championship as they go into the ‘losers’ side of the draw with Eoghan Rua one step away from a quarter-final berth.

Eoghan Rua: Ryan McGeough; Mark Mearns, Ciaran Mullan, Sean McWilliams; Ciaran Lenehan, Barry McGoldrick, Anton Rafferty; Sean Paul Henry, Niall Holly; Paul Daly, Sean Leo McGoldrick, Leo Sweeney; Gregory Bradley, Colm McGoldrick, Ciaran McGoldrick.

Substitutes used: Cormac Trolan for P Daly (56mins), Hugh Casey for C Mullan (58 mins).

Eoghan Rua scorers: Ciaran McGoldrick (1-2), Barry McGoldrick 0-3, 0-2 frees), Paul Daly (1-0), Niall Holly (0-2), Sean Paul Henry (0-1), Gregory Bradley (0-1 free).

Dungiven: Kevin Farren; Stephen McGuigan, Rian Kealey, Kevin Johnston; Liam Hinphey, Emmett McKeever, Kevin Hinphey; Cathal McKeever, David McLaughlin; Donal McGilligan, Cathal Grieve, Sean Murray; Fergal McGuigan, Darrell O’Kane, Paul Murphy.

Eoghan Farren for L Hinphey (46 mins), James McNicholl for D O’Kane (49 mins), Barry Kelly for S Murray (53 mins).

Dungiven scorers; C Grieve (0-6, 0-4 frees), P Murphy (0-4, 0-3 frees), S Murray (0-1 free), F McGuigan (0-1).