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Newry
Side exist Ulster Championship - 17/12/02
Dale Farm Ulster Minor Club Football Championship
Quarter Final
Newry Bosco 0-11, Killeeshil Co Tyrone
1-13
 Tyrone
minor football champions Killeeshil booked their place in
the Dale Farm Ulster Club Minor Football championship semi-final
against the Monaghan title-holders Clontibret on St. Stephen's
Day with a hard-earned 1-13 to 0-11 victory over a Down
champions Newry Bosco on Sunday 15th December.
They needed extra-time to overcome the
Newry side, and in the end it was a pity that either side
had to lose this game of top-class football. Killeeshil
with the aid of the wind in the opening half led at the
interval by two points - 0-6 to 0-4.
They should have been further in front
as they shot six wides to one for Bosco and at times were
guilty of over-playing the ball in front of goal.
 In
the opening ten minutes it seemed as of Bosco were not in
the game with Killeeshil virtually camping in the Bosco
half. In fact in those first ten minutes the ball didn’t
cross the Tyrone team’s 45 and they were three points in
front - through Marc Cunningham and a couple from Martin
Hughes - and had hit four wides. Though after that lean
spell, the Bosco stepped up a gear with the lively Ryan
Lynch side-footing soccer style over the bar after a Neil
Conlon ‘45 and fine ball-winning from Larkin.
Bosco reduced the deficit to just one point
when Ruairi Mulvaney fired over with a neat score. The Newry
side were right back in the match and had a chance to lead.
On 15 minutes Conor Larkin wriggled in from the left, leaving
two or three Tyrone defenders for dead before slipping a
short pass to Ryan Lynch. But keeper Rory McCann beat out
Lynch’s angled drive. Though at the other end, three minutes
later, Andy Coleman made an even better stop as Marc Cunningham
found himself in the clear in front of the target.
Still Killeeshil added to their tally with
points from Shane McGonnell and the lethal Cunningham and
with eight minutes to the break were 5-2 in front. But Francie
Downey reduced that to two with a fine score, the full forward
taking a pass from Conlon and, after shaking off his man,
pointed in a confident manner. Cunningham rubbed that one
out. Though on 28 minutes came the definitive moment in
the game. Kevin O’Hare found Conor Larkin with an accurate
pass and the big man sliced through the Tyrone defence with
a hot knife through butter until he was eyeball to eyeball
on the keeper. Larkin steadied himself and blasted in a
low drive that looked goalbound. But the woodwork got in
the way and the chance was gone. Though in fact the same
player made it 0-6 to 0-4 with a freekick right on the stroke
of half-time.
The second-half saw the play open up and
the crowd were treated to some excellent scores and tremendous
team play from both sides. Playing with the wind after the
break the Bosco lost no time in adding to their scoreline,
Larkin doing the needful from a dead ball kick. After that
though it was almost always tit-for-tat. Cunningham equalised
- while another Larkin free on 36 minutes made it just one
point the difference. Yet on 42 minutes the Bosco once more
had cruel luck, Neil Conlon’s close-range drive blocked
on the goal-line with the keeper beaten. Still Robbie McLoughlin
pointed on 44 minutes with Cunningham doing likewise at
the other end four minutes later. Into the last ten minutes.
A Kevin O’Hare free made it 0-10 to 0-9. And with three
minutes left the Bosco were level for the first time in
the game, Conor Larkin fielding a Neil Tumilty freekick,
swivelling before lofting over the bar. At the full-time
whistle the sides were level, and they were level again
after the first period of extra-time when each team scored
one point apiece.
In the first period of extra time the Bosco
were playing with the wind but found themselves once more
behind via a Ciaran Bannon freekick. But again the Newry
team levelled, this time Danny Craven superbly finding the
target from all of forty yards.
However, in the second period of extra-time
the Killeeshil side just upped the pace of their game, and
in the end ran out worthy winners of what was one of the
best games in the tournament to date. First substitute Kevin
McBride pointed, then Ciaran Bannon drilled low into the
net from close range and finally Damian Mallon knocked over
the bar. In the closing minute the Bosco, with nothing to
lose, pushed up but could only succeed in pulling one point
back through a Francie Downey freekick. Killeeshil are the
in-form side in the tournament to date.
They have already defeated the holders
Ballinderry in the opening round, and now the highly rated
Newry Bosco side. Their meeting with Clontibret for a place
in the final on St. Stephen's Day has all the makings of
a real thriller.
Killeeshil - R. McCann; B. McKenna, P.
Doran, D. Magill; D. Small, Cathal Small, S. McGonnell;
M. Cunningham 0-6, three frees, M. Hamill 0-1; P. McCaul,
G. Reilly 0-1, P. McMullan; C. Bannon 1-3, one free, M.
Hughes 0-1, D. Mallon 0-1.
Subs: Conor Smith for McCaul; K. McBride
for Conor Small; P. McCaul for Mallon.
Newry Bosco - A. Coleman; M. Carr, N. Tumulty,
N. Rooney; M. Quinn, M. Rooney 0-1, R. Mulvaney 0-2; N.
Conlon, M. Duggan; R. McLoughlin, C. Larkin 0-6, five frees,
R. Lynch 0-1; K. O'Hare, F. Downey 0-1, D. Craven.
Referee: M. Convery (Derry).
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