Heartbreaking Extra Time Loss For Dungannon in Rannafast Semi Final

Tuesday 09.11.2010

Club

There was extra time heartache for St.Patricks Academy Dungannon in the Rannafast Cup semi final at the Mid Ulster Sports Arena in Cookstown on Tuesday afternoon when they lost out to old rivals St.Pats Maghera in a gripping encounter. The Derry lads were the better side in the opening quarter but Dungannon fought back to only trail 0-7 to 0-3 at the break with Deasun Quinn and Stephen McGrath getting their points. The Tyrone lads were the better side after the break and efforts from Frank Burns, Quinn and Ruairi McGlone saw them reduce the deficit to the minimum. It took Maghera seventeen minutes to open their second half account and there was an element of luck to it as James Kearney shot to the net after a free from Gerald Bradley had come back off the post. Dungannon rolled up their sleeves with Fearghal McGarrity, Gareth Devlin and Conor Mallon prominent and a well taken McGlone goal helped them draw level. Kearney and Quinn traded points before the latter put Dungannon in front from a free in the last minute. They couldn’t hold on though and Maghera midfielder Stephen O’Hara equalised to send the game to extra time, 1-9 apiece. Extra time got off to a disastrous start for Dungannon with McGlone getting sent off for a second yellow card offence and when another ball came back off the post for O’Hara to send to the net it propelled Maghera to a 2-12 to 1-11 win.