Eire Ogs Into All Ireland Semi Final

Saturday 06.12.2025

Championship Football

Clogher 2-11 Tara 1-13

Tyrone and Ulster champions Clogher are through to the All Ireland Junior semi final but they had to pull out all the stops to edge past British champions Tara from London in a cracking encounter at Stewartstown on Saturday evening.

The Eire Ogs weren’t at their best but as was the case in the Ulster final they found a way of winning with Sean Bogue the hero this time around with the winning score deep into injury time. They now have a few weeks to prepare for their next test which is against Mayo and Connaught champions Kiltimagh on January 4th.

Ciaran Bogue and Shaun McCready excahnged early points before the brilliant Marc McConnell chipped the ball up and sprinted in on goal before clinically finishing low to the net. The same player then drove a shot over the bar with his left before the Londan visitors enjoyed a good spell. Outstanding full forward Shay Rafter converted a free for the first of his seven points and he scored another brace of frees as well as one from play with McCready on target again as well as the lead changed hands. As the interval approached though the Eire Ogs rallied with scores from McConnell, Cillian Barkey and Ciaran Bogue to leave it level at the short whistle, 1-5 apiece.

McCready and attacking half back Conor Redican had the opening two points of the second half for Tara before McConnell replied for Clogher with a stunning effort after cutting in from the right wing. Rafter and Ryan McCaughey exchanged points before Redican charged through to split the posts again. McCready then left three between the sides and at this stage Clogher looked to be in bother.

At the end of the third quarter though the sides were level thanks to a brilliantly crafted Clogher goal, McConnell cutting out two Tara defenders with a precision fisted pass which Ciaran Bogue ran onto and while he still had plenty of work to do he still finished with aplomb to the net. McConnell hit another superb score but that was cancelled out at the other end by his opposite number Rafter, both full forwards in top form.

McConnell took his personal haul to 1-5, all from play, but a Rafter free levelled matters with the contest already in injury time. Clogher Captain Conor Shields landed what looked like the winner but a third score from Redican left it all square again. At that stage we were in the last seconds of the seven minutes of injury time that were allotted and Ciaran Bogue won the next kick out and began a move that ended with his brother Sean firing over the winner.