Coalisland Leave It Late

Saturday 06.10.2018

Championship Football

For long periods of this game at O’Neill Park on Saturday afternoon it looked like a real shock was on the cards as Edendork weathered all Coalisland could throw at them and still managed to hold onto their three point lead as the match entered the final quarter. 

However a black card for Edendork midfielder Niall Morgan in the forty sixth minute changed the dynamic and flow of the game and allowed Coalisland back into the contest. The Fianna went on to outscore their opponents five points to one in the closing twelve minutes to snatch victory on a final score of 1-11 to 0-13.

Edendork came into this match as total outsiders but in a very impressive first half they opened a six point lead before a goal from Peter Herron gave Coalisland hope. Paul Donaghy, Darren Mc Curry, Josh Ferguson and Niall Morgan were all on target as Edendork went in at the break 0-8 to 1-2 in front of a rather flat looking Coalisland side.

The Fianna did improve after the break with scores from Dan Fee and Cormac O’Hagan but try as they might they could not close the gap and points from Darren Mc Curry and Morgan kept the gap to three points.

Unfortunately for Edendork all that changed when Niall Morgan received a black card for a challenge on Michael Mc Kernan. Coalisland sensed blood and points from Paddy Mc Neice(2) and Tiernan Quinn drew the team’s level. With two minutes left on the clock Peter Herron put his side in front for the first time in the game before Cahir Quinn doubled the lead.

Credit to Edendork, despite being down to fourteen men, they pushed hard for the scores that would have taken the game to extra time. Unfortunately for them the Coalisland defence was in a less than accommodating mood and one late point was all they could manage as Damien O’Hagan’s team made it through to the county final on a score of 1-11 to 0-13.