Langan to the fore as St Michael’s blitz MacCumhaills to make SFC semi-finals 

St Michael’s are the first side into the last four of the Michael Murphy Sports and Leisure SFC after an impressive eleven-point drubbing of MacCumhaills in Letterkenny. 

With Gary Wilson’s side minus some heavy scoring artillery in the form of Oisin Gallen and Kevin McCormick, a workman-like effort over the hour was simply no match for a rampant St Michael’s.

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With Michael Langan leading that charge with a ten-point haul, this one looked as good as over by the midpoint as the scoreboard read 0-16 to 0-6. 

And while MacCumhaills did lift matters in the third quarter, Daniel McLaughlin and Martin McElhinney’s charges were able to keep that stir at a comfortable seven-point arm’s length. 

St Michael’s had exploded out of the gate and jumped seven points in front inside the opening eight minutes. That set the tone early on and MacCumhaills never really recovered from that opening blitz. 

Carlos O’Reilly clipped St Michael’s ahead inside the opening minute and with Langan stroking over a two-point free, they quickly went three clear. 

A disjointed MacCumhaills fell further behind as Michael’s turned over the subsequent kickout and Max Roarty took full advantage. 

Things got even better for St Michael’s on five minutes as Langan nailed his second effort from outside the arc as the early difference accelerated out to six. 

The one-way traffic continued through Michael McGinley before MacCumhaills finally broke that scoring monopoly on eight minutes through Chad McSorley. 

Jamie Keegan then added a quickfire free for the Twin Towns as the deficit was trimmed to five. 

Down the other side Michael Cannon got up from wing back and he made no mistake, floating over with the outside of the boot, to leave it 0-8 to 0-2, on 12 minutes.

And approaching the end of the first quarter, Colin McFadden made sure that previous cushion of seven was reinstated as he fisted over after cutting in from the right-hand side. 

Relentless St Michael’s continued to rule the roost around the middle third and it was another primary possession, plucked there, that forged the chance for Langan to register his fifth from a routine free. 

Colin McFadden, with a second fisted effort from an identical position to his previous punched point, made it an 11-2 game and one that was on the verge of slipping away from MacCumhaills before it had even reached the 18th minute. 

Another gift-wrapped free - where Keegan’s frustrations got the better of him - afforded Langan the opportunity to sail over another two-point free as the gap widened to eleven. 

MacCumhaills laboured to a third over through Keegan and with Joe Boyle lamping over a ‘45 soon after, the difference dropped to nine, as many minutes out from the break. 

Cannon, Patrick O’Neill and Roarty all registered before the small whistle while Sean Breen launched a desperately needed two-pointer in between, leaving a deficit of ten points in it at half-time. 

Carlos O’Reilly and Joe Boyle from a ‘45, swapped points on the resumption while Colin McFadden and Boyle again, this time with a two-point free, left it 19-9. 

Another Boyle two-point free, from the ground, backed up by a Sean Martin effort, suggested that MacCumhaills were finally stirring. 

A Langan two-point free was matched as McSorley and McCormick both struck points. 

But with Edward and Carlos O’Reilly moving their side out to 23 with seven minutes to play, that was finally that. 

Sean Martin landed one more point for MacCumhaills but with McElhinney, in off the bench, registering as well as Langan and O’Reilly with injury-time frees, it’s St Michael’s that march into the last four with a real head of steam built up. 

St Michael’s scorers: Michael Langan 0-10, 3 tpf; 1tp, 2f; Carlos O’Reilly 0-5, 1tp; 1f; Colin McFaddan 0-3; Michael Cannon and Max Roarty 0-2 each; Michael McGinley, Patrick O’Neill, Martin McElhinney and Edward O’Reilly 0-1 each. 

MacCumhaills scorers: Joe Boyle 0-6, 2tpf, 2’45; Sean Martin 0-4, 1tp; Chad McSorley 0-2; Jamie Keegan 0-2,1f; Conor McGinty 0-1,1f.  

St Michael’s: Mark Anthony McGinley; Kyle McGarvey, Liam Pól Ferry, Jamie Hunter; Oisin Langan; Stephen Doak, Michael Cannon; Michael Langan, Ciaran Kelly; Patrick O’Neill, Colin McFadden, Michael McGinley; Edward O’Reilly, Carlos O’Reilly, Max Roarty. 

Subs: Antoin McFadden and Martin McElhinney for P O’Neill and M McGinley (both 49); Ethan Ferry for E O’Reilly (56); Patrick Spiers for O Langan (59).

MacCumhaills: Eoin Gallen; Ruairi Callaghan, Conor Griffin, Fionn McGinty; Cian Mulligan, Sean Martin, Fintan Griffin; Joe Boyle, Luke Gaivgan; Chad McSorley, Jamie Keegan, Conor McGinty; Sean Breen, Shaun McMenamin, Martin O’Reilly. 

Subs: Aaron Kelly for S Breen (ht), Andrew McCloskey for C Griffin (37); Alan Sprroule for F McGinty (59).

Referee: James Connors (St Eunan’s).