AIB Ulster Club Junior Football Championship Final
Blackhill 1-11 Buncrana 0-9 16/11/19
Blackhill became the sixth Monaghan club to win the Paul Kerr Cup when they saw off Buncrana in Omagh last Saturday. Contesting their second Ulster Club JFC Final in four years, Blackhill started slowly and after falling 0-5 to 0-1 down and subsequently losing key forward Philip Donnelly to a black card, they faced an uphill battle. The 2016 runners-up embraced that challenge, however, with Dónal Courtney leading an immense defensive effort from full-back.
A storming start to the second half turned momentum decisively in Blackhill’s favour and with Michael Shevlin making a smart save to deny dangerous Buncrana attacker O’Connor inside the last ten minutes, they restricted the Donegal side to just a single point after the restart. Michael and Tommy Geehan were to the fore up front for Blackhill and it was the latter who popped up at the end of a thrilling counter-attack deep into added time to tuck away the game’s only goal and seal a famous win for the mid-Monaghan club, who will be in All-Ireland quarter-final action next month against Thomas McCurtains in London.
Blackhill: M Shevlin; A Courtney, D Courtney, Shane Courtney; T Courtney, R Courtney, J Daly; C Courtney, D Daly (0-2f); T Geehan (1-2), G McArdle, P Donnelly; P Finnegan (0-2), H Byrne (Capt., 0-1), M Geehan (0-2).
Subs: A Burns (0-2) for Donnelly (black card, 20 mins), Stephen Courtney for McArdle (49), G McArdle for Finnegan (59).
Temporary sub: Stephen Courtney for T Geehan (38-40).
Buncrana: S Parker; C Grant, A Stokes (0-1), JP McKenna; W McLaughlin (0-1), B Waldron, J O’Loughlin; M Mulholland, C McGonagle (0-1, ’45); A Doherty, D O’Connor (0-2), O O’Flaherty (Capt.); Odhrán Doherty, R Bradley (0-1), J Campbell (0-3, 2f).
Subs: N McLaughlin for McKenna (inj., 45), B Bradley for O Doherty (49), Oisín Doherty for W McLaughlin (60 + 2).
Referee: K Eannetta (Tyrone).
By cshalvey Sat 23rd Nov
