Harps Into Final

Saturday 08.10.2022

Championship Football

LCC Tyrone JFC Semi Final
Stewartstown 5-14 Strabane 1-10

Stewartstown are just sixty minutes away from securing the double after a polished display at Healy Park on Friday night saw them overcome Strabane in the semi final of the LCC Junior championship.

It was a contest that the Harps controlled from start to finish and they were well on their way to the final by halftime having established a 3-8 to 0-7 advantage. Every player in a Stewartstown jersey did their bit none more so that Shea Burke who was outstanding throughout finishing with 1-5 from play to his name. Strabane just never got going and they will hope that their conquerors now go on and win the championship as that would secure the Sigersons an immediate return to Intermediate football as league runners up.

The winners set their stall out from the word go with Burke splitting the posts inside twenty seconds before Shea O’Neill confidently converted a 3^rd minute penalty after Dan Lowe had been fouled. Gareth Devlin then scored from a mark before an Oran McGrath free opened Strabane’s account in the 8^th minute. Burke and Mark McAdams traded points before Kyran Robinson and Devlin edged them further in front. Strabane then enjoyed a good spell that yielded them points from Warner Mullen, Ruairi Gormley and McGrath but that was all cancelled out by a superb finish to the corner of the net from Lowe. Burke tagged on another brace of points and in the 27^th minute it was effectively game over when Macaulay Quinn found the net. Danny McBride and McGrath responded with Strabane points but they had it all to do in the second half.

Stewartstown picked up were they had left off on the restart with Burke scoring again before Devlin knocked over a “45”. McBride and Lowe swapped points before the latter registered again from a placed ball. Strabane’s night got worse when they lost defender Kyle Morrison to a second yellow card and it took a great save from Ryan McGowan to prevent Gerard O’Neill from grabbing a 4^th goal for the Harps.

That goal though wasn’t far away with man of the match Burke getting it with an accomplished finish. Conall Crawford then found the net for Strabane but it was only a consolation score and when the ball came back off the post there was Quinn in the right place at the right time to get his second goal of the game. Lowe and Gormley exchanged late points as Stewartstown eased into the final with plenty to spare.

Stewartstown – Greg Kelly, Jason Park, Darren Devlin, Conor Quinn, Kyran Robinson (0-1), Mark Rooney, Tiernan Rush (0-1), Stephen Talbot, Shea Burke (1-5), Gerard O’Neill, Macaulay Quinn (2-1), Cathal Devlin, Gareth Devlin (0-3, 1F, 1M, 1 “45”), Shea O’Neill (1-0), Dan Lowe (1-3, 1F, 1M). Subs – Cumhai O’Neill for Conor Quinn, Theo Lowe for Shea O’Neill, Fergal O’Neill for Park, Conor Lowe for Gerard O’Neill, Anton Coyle for Dan Lowe

Strabane – Ryan McGowan, Oran Sweeney, Kyle Morrison, Oisin Kelly, Mark Roarty, Luke McGeehan, Ethan Corry, Mark McAdams (0-1), Ruairi Gormley (0-2), Oran McGrath (0-3, 2F), Warner Mullen (0-2, 2F), Danny McBride (0-2), Ruairi White, Conal Crawford (1-0), Haydn McNamee. Subs – Niall McGinley for Sweeney, Gary Quigg for Kelly, Oisin McGillion for McNamee, Se Doherty for Corry, Oran McShane for White

Referee – Mark Loughran, Errigal Ciaran