04/12/04 Minor's draw in Ulster Hurling Championship Semi-Final 2004

Dean McGlinchey Park, Baile na Scrine

St. Johns, Antrim 1:17

Cuchullains, Armagh 1:17 (at extra time)

St. Johns and Cuchullains played out a marathon titanic clash in this 109 minute semi-final clash at Dean McGlinchey Park on Saturday afternoon.

With St. Johns Manager, Joe McCailin stating afterwards that ‘ a draw was probably the fairest result’….this was a game packed with excitement from start to finish with the game going to extra-time and the lead changing hands several times through out the game.

St .Johns were to draw first blood after five minutes when midfielder Colm McFall fielded a high ball 30m out on the right wing and pointed with a high dropping ball.

Cuchullains replied some two minutes later when Eoghan Gribbin was fouled on the run and he subsequently pointed the resulting 25m free from the right wing to level the scores. Jimmy Peoples replied for St. Johns with a 22m free from the right wing after he was fouled. The Antrim men began to press over the next few minutes and a high ball in from the industrious Simon McCrory was taken by Adrian Oliver who was fouled some 10m out. Peoples obliged with the resulting free to further increase the Johnnies lead. Cuchullains replied immediately when Declan Coulter fed a long high ball into the square. Gribbin is first to react and slots over a 15m point. Gribbin again a minute later collected possession some 60m out on the right line and sets off on a brilliant solo run past four St. Johns defenders before his goal bound shot is superbly blocked by St. Johns full-back Noel Rooney.

Then St. Johns Tony Ferran is dismissed on 18 minutes after an off the ball incident with Cuchullains Sean Gribbin. Down to fourteen men this however as so often happens seemed to galvanise the St. Johns team with Simon McCrory pointing brilliantly from 40m to further increase their lead to 0:04 to 0:02. Conal Maskey and Barry McFall were showing some excellent touches in defence at this stage for St. Johns as Cuchullains pressed with Gribbin picking off another 8m free after being fouled again. The steady Dermot Hartigan then was fouled after a 35m ‘jinking’ solo run and Peoples duly obliged with the 25m free from the right wing. Barry McFall then made an excellent 80m clearance from defence and was fouled after he had cleared the sliotar. Referee John Anthony awarded the free where the sliotar fell and Jimmy Peoples gratefully popped over another free from 15m for the Antrim men. Cuchullains Ciaran Clifford was beginning to gain some excellent possession at this stage of the game. On thirty minutes Gribbin points another free some 30m out dead centre in front of the Johnnies posts but this was quickly countered when McCrory was fouled for St. Johns and Peoples pointed the subsequent free high over the bar from 45m. The Armagh men replied almost instantly when Gribbin is fouled in possession and points a 20m free. From the puck out St. Johns mount another attack when Fionntain McKillop latches onto a brilliant 75m Dermot Hartigan clearance and is brought down by some uncompromising Armagh defending. Peoples steps up and slots over his sixth point of the day from 25m to leave the scores at the interval St. Johns 0:08…Cuchullains 0:05.

Upon resumption McCrory shot wide in the first minute for St. Johns before Gribbin replies seconds later with yet another free. Three minutes later Gribbin shot another 30m free over the bar from the left wing to leave only a point between the sides. McCrory replied with another 40m effort which just goes wide before the stylish Colm McFall pointed a 45 for the Antrim men to leave the scores 0:09 to 0:07 in their favour. John Meade then broke through the Cuchullains defence on a powerful solo run and releases a hand pass to the battling Fionntain McKillop who points from 22m to restore the 14 man St. Johns three point advantage. Declan Coulter follows this with a crisp shot just wide moments later for Cuchullains.

McKillop is fouled some 20m out and Peoples points again for the Johnnies.

McKillop follows this a minute later when showing great courage points brilliantly 20m out on the left wing under severe pressure from two Armagh defenders to give the 14 man St. Johns an impressive 0:12 to 0:07 lead. Gribbin replies seconds later with a 20m point from play before following this with a superb 45 a minute later.

Liam Boyle replied for St.Johns with a sharp point 25m out on the right wing.

Two minutes later a poor puck out from St. Johns resulted in a rather panicky free being conceded from 30m which Gribbin duly obliged.

Dayne Toal then nudged over a dropping ball from a Gribbin free which surprisingly fell short before Declan Coulter slotted over a crisp point from the right wing to leave only one point between the sides.

Then unsurprisingly in the tenth minute of extra time Gribbin much to the delight of the travelling Cuchullain support levelled the game 0:13 a piece with an excellent 40m free.

With the light beginning to fade, extra time began with normal service with Gribbin pointing in the first minute from a free. St. Johns replied immediately with Eoghan Caldwell delivering a high dropping ball from the right wing for John Meade to latch onto and hit the back of the Cuchullains net to give the Johnnies the lead again 1:13 to 0:14. Peoples the picked up a loose ball and shoots over a crisp point before Caldwell is fouled in possession and Peoples duly obliges with the 35m free to leave the Antrim men in front 1:15 to 0:14. McCrory further increased this lead with a sharp point from 8m just on the half time whistle.

The start of the 2nd half of extra time quite unsurprisingly saw Gribbin pointing an excellent 45 and then another free from 30m before the excellent Colm McFall replied with a 30m effort from the left wing to leave the scores 1:17 to 0:16 in St.Johns favour. Then Gribbin is fouled and and pointed the resulting free some 25m on the right wing to leave just a goal between the sides. Then in the final minute of ‘extra time in extra time’ Christy Kane hits a side line cut from 35m out on the right wing which spun high into the Johnnies box to find its way into the roof of the net to level the scores!

St. Johns will feel that this was one that they let slip ‘twice’ and Cuchullains will likewise feel that they deserved something out of a game that they never let slip.

Full credit to both teams for their committed performance on a miserable winters day on a pitch which was clearly not ideal for quick hurling and was the main reason for the type of play exhibited.

Cuchullains had excellent performances from the superb Eoghan Gribbin, Sean Field, Sean Clarke, Christy Kane, Ciaran Clifford and Declan Coulter. For St. Johns Colm McFall, Jimmy Peoples, John Meade, Simon McCrory, Barry McFall, Fionntain McKillop and Dermot Hartigan were to the fore.

St.Johns: 1. Ciaran McCurdy 2 .Peter McGarrity 3.Noel Rooney 4.Barry McFall 5. Dermot Hartigan 6.Liam Knocker © 7.Conal Maskey 8.John Meade 9.Colm McFall 10.Tony Ferran 11.Simon McCrory 12.Jimmy Peoples 13.Liam Boyle 14.Adrian Oliver 15.Fionntain McKillop

Substitutes: 16.Eoghan Caldwell 55 mins for 14. Adrian Oliver 17. Kevin McGuinness 75 mins for Colm McFall

18.Kevin Kennedy, 19.Gerard McCann, 20.Brian Holmes 21.Paul Gribbin.

St.Johns Scorers: Jimmy Peoples 0:09(0:08f out of 9 attempts), Colm McFall 0:03(1x45), John Meade 1:00, Fionntain McKillop 0:02, Simon McCrory 0:02, Liam Boyle 0:01.

St.Johns Wides: 7

Manager: Joe McCallin Assistant Manager: Colm McFall

Mentors: Robbie McConnell, Paddy Morgan, Andrew McCallin.

Cuchullains: 1. Sean Clarke 2.Ryan Donnelly 3.Sean Field 4.Jason Rolston 5.Sean Gribbin 6.Gerard Barton 7.Declan McManus 8.Christy Kane 9.Ciaran Clifford 10.Declan Coulter 11.Cormac Toner 12.Liam Moen 13.Paddy Shezas 14.Eoghan Gribbin 15.Dayne Toal

Substitutes: 16.Kevin Doyle 17.Conor Devlin 18.Mark Oliver 19.Michael Grimley 20.Tony Turley 21.Conor Cartmill 22.David Rafferty 23.Aidan Clifford 24.Niall Clifford.

Cuchullainn Scorers: Eoghan Gribbin 0:15 (2x45 & 11f out of 13 attempts), Christy Kane (1 x sideline cut), Dayne Toal 0:01, Declan Coulter 0:01.

Cuchullain Wides: 9

Manager: Ciaran Breen

Mentors: Paul Coulter, Christy Kane, Cathal Doyle

Referee: John Anthony, Clonduff.
Many Thanks to the 52 St.Johns supporters who made the trip to Derry to support the Minors!