HTC reach first MacLarnon final after marathon semi
Danske Bank MacLarnon Cup Semi Final
Holy Trinity Cookstown 1-17 St Columb’s Derry 2-12
With 45 minutes gone in this exciting Danske Bank MacLarnon Cup semi-final in Drumragh yesterday, St Columb’s Derry looked on their way through to the final once again.
Sean Bradley took a pass from Sean Mortimer and found the top corner of the Holy Trinity net and that was seven minutes on from Conor Feeney scoring the first Derry goal. They now led by 2-6 to 0-6.
However within minutes the Cookstown side got a lifeline back into the game with the award of a penalty that Conon McLernan confidently planted in Dylan Doherty’s net.
Points followed quickly from David Mulgrew, Paul Donnelly and Caolan Monaghan and suddenly the teams were level.
From that point until the tenth minute of the second half of extra-time they traded points. But in added time David Mulgrew and, from the kick-out, Tomas Carney lofted over points for Holy Trinity Cookstown to reach their first ever MacLarnon Cup final.
It was a thrilling contest between two evenly matched sides with Derry’s goalkeeper Dylan Doherty and Cookstown’s David Mulgrew emerging as the key men – particularly during those tense minutes of extra-time.
Doherty, who had brought off a super save in the first half of normal time, pointed twice from frees in the second half of extra time, but on each occasion Mulgrew matched those scores to win the game.
St Columb’s held a 0-4 to 0-3 interval lead with three points coming from frees by Caolan O’Connor.
Holy Trinity took the lead with points from Mulgrew and Paddy Coney on the re-start, but then came the goal from Conor Feeney followed by what looked like a breakaway from St Columb’s.
The McLernon penalty helped reel them in and then it was tit-for-tat until the whistle signalled extra-time at 2-9 to 1-12.
There was a point each in the first half of extra time (Sean Mortimer and Tomas Carney) and Mulgrew and Doherty looked like bringing it to a replay until added time helped Cookstown over the line.
Holy Trinity : Conon McLernon 1-3, David Mulgrew 0-5, Tomas Carney 0-4, Paddy Coney 0-2, Paul Donnelly 0-1, Caolan Monaghan 0-1, James Devlin 0-1.
St Columb’s : Sean Bradley 1-2, Conor Feeney 1-1, Caolan O’Connor 0-5, Sean Mortimer 0-2, Dylan Doherty 0-2.
