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Gortin Defeat Neighbours In Thriller To Reach Final

Sunday 06.09.2020
Team Talk Mag
Championship Football


LCC Group IFC Semi Final
Gortin 1-17 Greencastle 1-16

The LCC Tyrone championships continue to be the gift that keeps on giving and that was certainly the case at Newtownstewart on Sunday afternoon as Gortin edged out next door neighbours Greencastle to reach the decider in the Intermediate Grade after a contest that required extra time to decide.

It was a contest that ebbed and flowed throughout with both sides enjoying spells of dominance and just when we looked set for a penalty shootout Sean Og McAleer proved to be the Gortin match winner with a sublime free conversion from out on the left wing with the last kick of the game.

Mark Carson opened the scoring for Greencastle from a free before Patrick McElhatton doubled their advantage from a Mark. Eoghan McGarvey, who was superb throughout, got the first of his half a dozen points from play to open Gortin’s account before a Peter Keenan free and McAleer “45” had the winners in front. Gortin were enjoying a good spell and they made it five unanswered points thanks to a McGarvey brace.

A Carson free stopped the rot for Greencastle before McElhatton was denied a goal with a brilliant save from Gortin keeper Christopher Greene at the expense of a “45” which Cahir McCullagh converted. The impressive McCullagh then levelled matters before McGarvey and McCullagh traded scores. It was Gortin though who had the final say of the first half with a quality effort from distance from midfielder and Captain Ruairi Keenan to give them a slender 0-7 to 0-6 interval advantage.

A flowing move ended with McElhatton levelling matters in the 5th minute of the second half to signal a great spell for Greencastle. McCullagh landed a trio of brilliant scores with McElhatton also on target as they made it five scores without reply. Ruairi Keenan landed a fine effort from out on the right wing in reply before a key moment in the game arrived in the 43rd minute when Greencastle Captain Conor Carson was black carded for ten minutes. During that spell Gortin seized the initiative hitting 1-3 with substitute Daire McSwiggan, Peter Keenan and McGarvey getting their points and substitute Sean McKenna finishing in style to the bottom left hand corner of the net in the 56th minute. In between those scores McCullagh landed a 45m free for Greencastle but when McSwiggan and Peter Keenan left three between them it looked all over. In the last play of normal time though Mark Carson scored a goal with the last kick to leave it 1-13 each and force extra time.

Greencastle substitute Dean Fox had the opening score in extra time before a long range McCullagh free put them two in front. Ruairi Keenan responded from a Mark for Gortin before a Sean McKenna point left it 1-15 each at the turnaround. The second period was cagey with both sides afraid to make mistakes before McGarvey kicked the score of the game with a tremendous effort from distance with the outside of his boot. That was in the 6th minute but moments later McCullagh hit an outstanding point from out on the right wing, his 9th of the game, to leave it all square again. McElhatton was wide from play while McCullagh was off target from a free before McAleer held his nerve to convert a very difficult free from out on the left wing with the last kick to send Gortin into the final against Edendork.

Gortin scorers – Eoghan McGarvey 0-6, Sean McKenna 1-1, Ruairi Keenan 0-3 [1M], Peter Keenan 0-3 [3F], Sean Og McAleer 0-2 [1F, 1 “45”], Daire McSwiggan 0-2

Greencastle scorers – Cahir McCullagh 0-9 [2 “45”, 1F], Mark Carson 1-3 [2F], Patrick McElhatton 0-3 [1M], Dean Fox 0-1

Referee – Cathal Forbes, Ardboe

 

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