GAA: Impressive win for Rua

However after spurning a goal chance a minute from time second half substitute Aidan Mullan was on hand to blast a loose ball to the Loup net in the first minute of added time and help send Eoghan Rua on the way to a fine 1-9 to 0-10 victory over the south Derry men.

Despite having home advantage Eoghan Rua went into this League Division One game as underdogs as they were short several first team players. On county duty against Galway on Sunday afternoon were Barry McGoldrick, Sean Leo McGoldrick and Declan Mullan, while Ciaran Mullan, Richard Carey and Barry McTaggart, who all started the first league game of the season against Ballinderry, were all out injured.

There were never more than a couple of points separating these sides throughout with the home team leading for most of the way. They very nearly paid for missing three or four reasonably good goal chances while Loup never really threatened to open up a solid Eoghan Rua defence. Loup did grab the lead late on and their experience would have put them in pole position to see it out but Eoghan Rua showed great courage to come back and snatch a well merited win and two crucial league points.

Pairc Eoghain Rua was resplendent in the April sunshine as the home side won the toss and opted to play with the aid of the slight wind in their favour in the first half. They got off to a good start and were on top in the opening five minutes. Ciaran McGoldrick took over the free taking duties in the absence of his brother Barry and duly tapped over his first opportunity to put Eoghan Rua ahead in the first minute.

He followed that up with a fine individual point a minute later and just five minutes in Eoghan Rua were awarded a penalty when Colm McGoldrick was brought down by Loup goalkeeper Shane McGuckin. Up strode Eoghan Rua 'keeper Ryan McGeough all the way from the other end of the pitch but his well struck shot went just the wrong side of the post with McGuckin going the other way.

Loup took some solace from that let-off and struck back with two quick points, both scored by John Bigmore to draw level by the 12th minute. Two Ciaran McGoldrick points from frees had the home side ahead again by the end of the first quarter but by the 20th minute Loup had leveled matters again through Bigmore and Declan McVey.

Solid defence and a perceptive pass from Mark McTaggart set up Ciaran McGoldrick for a fine solo point to put Eoghan Rua ahead again. A minute later Gregory Bradley was one on one with goalkeeper Shane McGuckin, the Loup stopper doing well to block out Bradley's low effort. Moments after that chance big midfielder Sean Paul Henry did all the work himself, winning a Loup kick out before bursting forward to punch over the bar. Loup had the better of the closing minutes of the half

but failed to register a score from three long range efforts as they went into the break two points adrift 0-6 to 0-4.

It was looking ominous for the home side as early as six minutes in to the second half as Loup had drawn level with points from Ciaran Devlin and John Bigmore. Eoghan Rua also lost centre half back Mark Mearns to injury, Declan Lafferty, coming in on 37 minutes. A superb point from a long range free converted by Sean Paul Henry briefly edged Eoghan Rua ahead but by the end of the third quarter Loup were back on terms after Ciaran Devlin tapped over a close-in free.

The sides were still level after Gregory Bradley, from a free, and Sean Michael O’Neil traded points. Two minutes from the end of normal time Ciaran Devlin put Loup ahead for the first time and seemingly on the way to victory. However the Coleraine side threw everything at Loup in the dying minutes and after Aidan Mullan, who had just come into the game as a substitute a couple of minutes earlier, seen his close range effort saved by goalkeeper Shane McGuckin he made no mistake a minute later drilling a loose ball high to the Loup net. Eoghan Rua were on the attack again from the kick out as Colm McGoldrick fired over to put three between the sides, a last ditch point from a John Bigmore free not enough to salvage anything for Loup as they went down to their second successive defeat.

Prior to the senior game Loup’s reserve side had the better of the Eoghan Rua second string. The sides went in level 1-5 each at half time but the south Derry men pulled away in the final quarter to win 2-14 to 1-8.

The Eoghan Rua scorers were: Aidan Mullan (1-1), Patrick Douglas (0-5, 0-4 frees), Conor Carey (0-1), Bernard Mullan (0-1).

*Next Sunday afternoon Eoghan Rua travel to Magherafelt for their fourth outing of the Division 1 campaign. The reserves start at 2.0pm while the senior throw-in is at 3.30pm.

Eoghan Rua team: Ryan McGeough; Cormac Trolan, Mark McTaggart, Sean McWilliams; Ciaran Lenehan, Mark Mearns, Anton Rafferty; Sean Paul Henry, Niall Holly; Paul Daly, Ciaran McGoldrick, Hugh Casey; Gregory Bradley, Colm McGoldrick, Leo Sweeney.

Substitutes used: Declan Lafferty for M Mearns (inj), Aidan Mullan for L Sweeney.

Eoghan Rua scorers: Ciaran McGoldrick (0-5, 0-3 frees), Aidan Mullan (1-0), S P Henry (0-2, 0-1 free), Colm McGoldrick (0-1).

Loup team: Shane McGuckin; Joseph Devlin, Joe O’Kane, James Devlin; Domnic McVey, John Young, Roddy O’Kane; Aidan McAlynn, Brian Doyle; Brendan McVey, Gavan Mallon, John Bigmore; Declan McVey, Sean Michael O’Neill, Ciaran Devlin.

Loup scorers: John Bigmore (0-5, 0-4 frees), Ciaran Devlin (0-3, 0-2 frees), Declan McVey (0-1), Sean Michael O’Neill (0-1).