Derry Into Ulster Minor Final

Sunday 18.06.2017

 

Derry 3-17 Antrim 0-10

Derry experienced little difficulty in making it through to the Electric Ireland Ulster minor final when they produced an impressive display to beat a gallant but outplaying Antrim side at Clones on Sunday afternoon.

 

It took the young Saffrons twenty six minutes to open their account and by that stage the writing was already on the wall and by the interval the winners had built up a commanding 1-10 to 0-3 advantage. To their credit Antrim kept battling away and they closed the gap in the second half but two further goals in the closing eight minutes helped give Derry a deserved if flattering victory.

 

Patrick Quigg opened the scoring inside sixty seconds and in the 4^th minute Derry were awarded a penalty which was converted by full back Conor McCluskey. Ben McCarron added two points with Richie Mullan and McCarron again on target to leave it 1-5 to 0-0. Dermot McErlaine then opened Antrim’s account from a placed ball but Derry responded with efforts from Declan Cassidy, Quigg, Oisin McWilliams and Mark McGrogan. Substitute Ruairi Brolly and Liam Quinn had Antrim points but Derry had the final say of the opening period through a long range Oisin McWilliams free.

 

Antrim substitute Seanchan Duffin blasted over an early second half goal chance before Derry replacements Tiarnan McHugh and Fergal Mortimer both found the range seconds after their introduction. McErlaine and three Ronan Kelly points closed the gap to 1-12 to 0-8 but Derry always looked the likely winners.

 

In the 22^nd minute Derry carved open the Antrim defence for McWilliams to palm the ball to the net from close range and after Ben McCarron and Mortimer had tagged on points McWilliams got his second major of the afternoon. It was all Derry and while Malachi Doherty had the final say of the contest for Antrim it was only academic at that stage.

 

Derry – Oran Hartin, Oran McGill, Conor McCluskey, Sean McKeever, Simon McErlain, Dara Rafferty, Conleth McShane, Padraig McGrogan, Oisin McWilliams, Patrick Quigg, Richie Mullan, Declan Cassidy, Ben McCarron, Lorcan McWilliams, Mark McGrogan. Subs – Tiarnan McHugh for Mark McGrogan, Fergal Mortimer for Quigg, Cormac Murphy for Mullan, Callum Brown for Cassidy, Martin Bradley for McErlain, Tiarnan Walsh for Oisin McWilliams

 

Antrim – Michael Byrne, Eoin Nagle, John Toner, Aidan Mulholland, Eamon Kelly, Eoghan McCabe, John McCaffrey, Ethan Gibson, Joe Maybin, Dermot McErlaine, Tiarnan McAteer, Jamie Gribbin, Liam Quinn, Dominic McEnhill, Ronan Kelly. Subs – Jack Lenehan for Toner, Peter Henvey for McEnhill, Ruairi Brolly for Maybin, Seanchan Duffin for Gibson, Malachi Doherty for Nagle, Kealan McCann for Gribbin

 

Derry scorers – Oisin McWilliams 2-2, Ben McCarron 0-4, Fergal Mortimer 0-3, Conor McCluskey 1-0, Patrick Quigg 0-2, Lorcan McWilliams 0-2, Richie Mullan 0-1, Declan Cassidy 0-1, Mark McGrogan 0-1, Tiarnan McHugh 0-1

 

Antrim scorers – Dermot McErlaine 0-3, Ronan Kelly 0-3, Liam Quinn 0-1, Malachi Doherty 0-1, Seanchan Duffin 0-1, Ruairi Brolly 0-1

 

Referee – Anthony Marron, Monaghan