TERMON scraped their way past Gaeil Fhánada and into the semi-finals of the Under-21 ‘B’ Championship.
Termon 0-6 Gaeil Fhánada 0-5
By Chris McNulty at The Burn Road
Enda McCormick kicked a free two minutes into added time at the end for what proved the winning point of a very defensive game on a crisp afternoon at the Burn Road.
Gaeil Fhánada had two chances on the buzzer to force extra time, but frees by Eoghan Carr and Mark McAteer – kicked in a testing breeze – both dropped short.
Termon registered 13 wides over a wasteful hour, seven of them in the first half, when an Eoin Doherty free edged them ahead 0-4 to 0-3 at the short whistle.
Both teams scored just twice in the second half, with Gaeil Fhánada looking to have bagged a goal in the 42nd minute. It seemed that Eoghan Carr’s enterprising lob had dropped over Emmet Maguire and into the net.
Most in attendance, including the Termon mentors, thought the goal had stood until the scoreboard was changed a few moments later, with the score instead going down as a point.
McAteer hit another immediately and it had the visitors – who packed their defensive unit with bodies behind the ball at all times – 0-5 to 0-4 in front.
Ryan McFadden won the throw-up and put Termon ahead with only nine seconds on the watch and a big effort by James McSharry doubled the lead.
Gaeil Fhánada stayed in touch with McAteer and Bernard McGettigan landing frees, but Jamie Grant and a Doherty free, won by Grant after a surging run, gave Termon a slender lead at the change over.
Gaeil Fhánada carved the hosts open ten minutes into the second half, with Fergus Friel and McAteer to the fore, but a superb saving intervention by Conor Cassidy averted the danger.
Barry Gallagher, the Termon full-back picked up the loose ball and launched a counter-attack. Termon powered to the other end with Stephen Black and McSharry creating a goal chance for Doherty, but he fired wide under pressure.
Carr looked to have deceived Termon ‘keeper Emmet Maguire for a goal, but they had to settle for a point.
It was all square heading into the last quarter as Stephen Black levelled things up on 45 minutes with Termon’s first score of part two.
In an error-ridden conclusion, McCormick popped over and Termon squeezed into the last four.
Termon: Emmet Maguire; Caolan Gallagher, Barry Gallagher, Conor Cassidy; Conor Black, Oisin Cassidy, Jamie Grant (0-1); Ryan McFadden (0-1), James McSharry (0-1); Steve McDaid, Enda McCormick (0-1f), Anthony Grant; Stephen Black (0-1), Eoin Doherty (0-1f), Shane Doherty. Subs: Jack Alcorn for McDaid (36), Ciaran Black for S.Black (50), Mark Gallagher for E.Doherty (50).
Gaeil Fhánada: Eoin McGonigle; Sean Gallagher, James Gallagher, Bernard Martin; Fergus Friel, Odhrán Shields, Matthew Gallagher; Oisin McFadden, Patrick Carr; Bernard McGettigan (0-1), Darren McElwaine, Mark McAteer (0-3, 2f); John Carr, Eoghan Carr (0-1), Alan McAteer.
Referee: Robbie O’Donnell (Naomh Muire).
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