Kilcoo suffer shock upset in showpiece

Kilcoo suffer shock upset in showpiece

11 December 2024

KILCOO’S hopes to be crowned provincial champions were left shattered when Errigal Ciarán split the posts in the last 30 seconds to snatch the title.

The Magpies conceded an early goal and while they did fight back, their chances took a blow as joint captain Darryl Branagan saw red.

They dominated their semi-final, beating Monaghan champions Scotstown by 11 points, and entered the final as strong favourites. 

Many expected them to walk all over Ciarán and while they would have been brimming with confidence, it was clear from the off that this contest was going to be anything but a one-sided affair. 

Karl Lacey’s men opened the scoring after two minutes through Eugene Branagan, but soon found themselves trailing to a Joe Oguz goal.

Darragh Canavan made his way into the box and under heavy pressure, managed to set up Oguz, who palmed the ball into the net.

A free from goalkeeper Niall Kane and a good point from Miceal Rooney brought Kilcoo back on level terms and after that, the game evolved into an end-to-end affair.

Tommy Canavan and Rooney exchanged points before the ever-impressive Paul Devlin converted to send Kilcoo into the lead for the first time since their opener. 

Errigal were jubilant as they found the net once more, this time through Tiarnan Colhoun, but to the relief of Kilcoo, the goal was ruled out for a square-ball.

The Down champions began to stamp their authority on proceedings and looked set to take a lead into half-time when Darryl Branagan gave them a two-point buffer.

However, Tommy and Darragh Canavan bagged two points to bring Ciarán level with only a minute left to play in the first half.

The back-and-forth nature did not let up at the beginning of the second period, as the two teams went blow for blow once again.

Errigal’s Ciaran Quinn opened the second-half scoring and Kilcoo quickly responded, regaining the lead through Devlin and Eugene Branagan points.

Lacey’s side were reduced to 14 men when Darryl Branagan was dismissed for a high challenge, leaving them to see out the match with inferior manpower .

Ciarán instantly seized upon their numerical advantage to draw level with an impressive, long-range point from Peter Harte.

Kilcoo were not going to let a red card stand in the way of what they set out to achieve and before long Devlin fired them back into the lead.

It was quickly becoming evident that this encounter was going to go right down to the wire and although both sides were perhaps a tad cautious in possession, they each continued to push for the win.

Peter Óg McCartan hit back for Errigal Ciarán in the 53rd minute, just before Anthony Morgan restored Kilcoo’s lead.

This time, the lead could only be described as brief, with Tommy Canavan equalising in the final minute of normal time.

The Down champs seemed to have had a lucky escape in added time when Canavan wasted a golden opportunity, firing wide of the uprights.

However, fortunes took a cruel turn and with time fleeting, their dreams were crushed by that late McCartan point.

Errigal Ciarán sealed their third Ulster title and will now move on to the All-Ireland Club Championships, while Kilcoo will have to wait until next season to stake their claim for glory.

Kilcoo: N Kane, N Branagan, R McEvoy, C Rogers, m Rooney, D Branagan, E Branagan, Aaron Morgan, R Johnston, J Devlin, Anthony Morgan, S Johnston, C Doherty, J Johnston, P Devlin. Subs: C Laverty, C Rooney.

Errigal Ciarán: D McAnenly, Cormac Quinn, A McCrory, Ciaran Quinn, P Óg McCartan, N Kelly, T Colhoun, B McDonnell, J Oguz, T Canavan, P Harte, C McGinley, R Canavan, D Canavan, O Robinson. Subs: M Kavanagh, P McGirr, R McCrory.