Rostrevor through
to Ulster Club Minor Final
Monday, December
20, 2004
Down minor champions,
Rostrevor are through to the Ulster
minor club competition final when on
Sunday 19th December at Shaw’s
Road, Belfast they defeated Cavan Gaels
in a thrilling and high-scoring semi-final
on a scoreline of 2-17 to 3-5.
This was a game brimful
of excellent football all through with
the greater physical strength and accuracy
of the Rostrevor side the real difference
in the end.
Cavan Gaels started
the game well and after six minutes
play led by 0-3 to 0-1 and looked good.
However, Rostrevor began to settle and
for the next 18 minutes dominated play
scoring 1-8 without reply. Leading by
1-9 to 0-3 with the half-time break
coming up the Down side looked in command
- their goal came from the penalty spot
in the 17th minute and was scored by
Conor Mackin. With the half-time whistle
about to sound the Gaels got a lifeline
when corner-forward Martin Dunne scored
a fine goal to leave his side still
in contention at the break trailing
by 1-10 to 1-3.
The opening ten minutes
of the second-half saw the game take
a dramatic change, and with the third
quarter almost complete the Cavan champions
were ahead once again by 3-5 to 1-10
- their goals coming from Alan O’Riordan
from the penalty spot in the 35th minute,
and Christopher Quinn in the 39th minute
when he first-timed a Martin Dunne centre
to the Rostrevor net.
At this stage, Rostrevor
looked to be on their way out of the
competition with the game going away
from them and Cavan Gaels growing in
confidence. However, to their credit
they regrouped in fine style and curtailed
the Cavan Gaels side from scoring going
on to score 1-7 themselves for a thrilling
win.
The Cavan side were
out of luck in the closing minutes when
they seemed to be denied a penalty,
and to make matters worse for them the
lost the services of their star forward,
Martin Dunne who got his marching orders
for a second yellow cards.
The Rostrevor side
deserve great credit for their tremendous
fightback in what was a match that was
a wonderful advertisement for minor
football, and the real pity was that
there had to be a loser on this occasion.
Rostrevor - C. McCrea;
G. Magee, C. Clerkin, A. Magee; G. McCartan,
E. McConville, P. Mooney; R. Watt 0-2,
S. Par 0-1; C. Markin 1-0 from penalty,
P. McGreevy 0-5, 4 frees, C. Farrell;
S. mackin 0-2, Colum Clerkin 0-6, 0-5
from frees, A. Doonan 0-1. Sub - T.
Nolan for C. Farrell.
Cavan Gaels - David
Reilly; Gerry Reilly, John O’Reilly,
D. Cassidy; Michael Meehan 0-1, Gearoid
Collins, A. Quinn; Thomas Kenny, D.
Farrelly; A. Nelligan, S. Higgins 0-1,
C. Quinn 1-0; M. Dunne 1-3, Leigh Jackson,
Alan O’Riordan 1-0 from a penalty.
Subs - D. Graham for Farrelly; Shane
Craig for Nelligan; F. Gurhy for C.
Quinn.
Referee: Gregory Walsh
from Antrim.
