Naomh Pádraig lose to Burt but still advance to the Intermediate quarter-finals

Goals from Ronan McDermott, Calvin Gallagher and Liam Óg McKinney saw Burt run out two point winners away to Muff in a hard-fought local derby on Sunday afternoon.

Burt led by a point at the break, and a goal from Ronan McDermott early in the second half put them on the front foot. They held Muff scoreless for 25 minutes, but struggled to convert at the other end.

Late two pointers from Kevin Lynch and Caolan McColgan narrowed the deficit, but Naomh Padraig couldn’t find an equaliser or winner to extend their unbeaten run in the championship group stage.

Muff advance to the quarter-finals of the Intermediate championship where they’ll face Malin, but manager Daniel McCauley will be concerned at a leg injury sustained by full back Caolan Harkin that saw him replaced midway through the second half.

Based on results elsewhere, the win wasn’t enough for Marty Coyle’s Burt to advance to the quarter-finals as their inferior scoring difference saw them eliminated in a four way tie with Naomh Muire, Bundoran and Buncrana who all had a better scoring rate. Instead, they’ll play Na Rossa in the relegation semi-final.

Read more: Conlon hits late goals as Malin win in Bundoran

With a greasy surface and a soft sod after the morning’s rain, both teams were slow to settle in.

Ronan McDermott opened the scoring with a point for Burt, and they got their opening goal in the seventh minute when a long kickout over the to was picked up by Liam Og McKinney. McKinney was shooting for a point, but the ball dropped in over Muff keeper Diarmuid McKane’s head.

And the Burt men added a second goal just two minute later. Stephen O’Donnell threaded a pass into Calvin Gallagher. Darragh McIntyre got half a challenge in, but Gallagher regathered possession and slammed the ball into the net for a 2-1 to 0-0 lead.

Muff were rattled, skewing a number of long range chances wide and the half was 21 minutes old when Cormac McColgan finally got them off the mark with a trademark two pointer, and followed that up with a free shortly after.

Sean McHugh responded with a point from play for Burt, but Muff keeper McKane came out to partially atone for that early lapse by converting a two point free three minutes before half time.

Then, deep in injury time, Caolan McColgan – who was tightly marked by Oisin Kelly throughout – hit a David Clifford-esque two pointer right on the half time whistle to leave it Burt 2-2, Naomh Padraig 0-7 at the break.

McKane made a fine save at the feet of McKinney a minute after the restart, but was picking the ball out of his net for a third time after Burt had won the rebound and fed the ball to the in-rushing McDermott who fired to the net for a 3-2 to 0-7 lead.

Muff introduced Kevin Lynch from the bench in an attempt to gain some traction at centre-field off kickouts and in attack.

The momentum remained with Burt, and when Sean McHugh landed a well-worked point from out on the left their lead was out to five points, 3-3 to 0-7.

An injury to Naomh Padraig full back Caolan Harkin coincided with blaring sirens from spectators’ mobile phones as the testing of the UK’s national emergency alert system spilled over Lough Foyle. It will have set off real alarm bells in the Naomh Pádraig camp as Harkin looked badly hurt and had to be helped from the field.

Burt went down to 14 men when Darragh Donaghey, who’d only been introduced as a substitute five minutes earlier, was red carded after an umpire spotted an off the ball clash on Michael McCarron.

Big Lynch finally got Muff’s first score of the second half when he hit a two-point free on 55 minutes, with McHugh hitting a two point free in response for Burt three minutes later.

Scoreline updates from elsewhere in the Intermediate championship were pinging on the now muted mobile spectators’ phones, but the players on the field were still going hell for leather.

Jamie McColgan pointed off a long ball Muff sent into the square looking for Lynch in the 63^rd minute and Caolan McColgan landed his second two pointer with the last kick of the game.

Defeat, then, for Muff but they march on into the quarter-finals. Burt’s victory was a pyrrhic one – they miss out on the quarter-finals on scoring difference and instead face into the relegation play-offs.

Naomh Padraig scorers: Caolan McColgan 0-4 (two 2pts); Cormac McColgan 0-3 (one 2pt); Diarmuid McKane 0-2 (one 2ptf); Kevin Lynch 0-2 (one 2ptf); Jamie McColgan 0-1.

Burt scorers: Ronan McDermott 1-1; Sean McHugh 0-4 (one 2ptf); Liam Og McKinney 1-0; Calvin Gallagher 1-0.

Burt: Mark McElhinney; Oisin Kelly, Leo Kelly, Caolan McKinney; Dara Grant, Tom Doherty, Darren Gallagher; Stephen O’Donnell, Ronan McDermott; Andrew Walker, Liam Og McKinney, Keith McColgan; Jack O’Brien, Sean McHugh, Calvin Gallagher. Subs: Darragh Donaghey for J O'Brien (43 mins); Darren Bradley for D Grant (55 mins).

Naomh Padraig Uisce Chaoin: Diarmuid McKane; Michael McCarron, Caolan Harkin, Darragh McIntyre; Oisin McIntyre, Cormac Kelly, Jason McCallion; Eunan Mullan, Cormac McColgan; Patrick Hirrell, Lee Barr, Caolan McColgan; Cillian Doyle, Jamie McColgan, Jamie McCauley. Subs: Kevin Lynch for J McColgan (35 mins); Dermot Keaveney for L Barr (45 mins); Peter Grant for C Harkin (47 mins).

Referee: Anthony Finn (Naomh Colmcille)