Buncrana edge Burt in grandstand finish to win Intermediate Reserve title

Buncrana struck late to win the Intermediate Reserve Football Championship final at the Donegal GAA Centre on Saturday night, with Liam Jordan landing the winning free with the last kick of the game.

Burt led by two points at the break, but two Liam Jordan goals inside a minute turned the tie on its head midway through the second half. When Burt were reduced to 14 men after Rory McDaid received a second yellow card, the route to victory looked clear for Buncrana.

However, the 14 men upped their game, drawing level at 1-7 to 2-4 through an Oisin Kerr free in the 61st minute, and extra time looked to be on the cards.

Both teams had other ideas. Burt won the kickout and Kerr, their most dangerous attacker on the night, drew and converted a close-range free to edge his side ahead in the 62nd minute.

Buncrana drew level when Conor Allen fisted a ball put into the square by Sean Masterson just over the bar.

There was still time for a late winner. Buncrana won possession from the kickout and Adrian Doherty was fouled out in the left corner. Liam Jordan, his confidence riding high, stepped up and fired the winning score high between the posts.

It was a sweet way to win it for Buncrana, but devastating for Burt, who had played the better football over the hour and were left to rue the concession of those two rapid goals midway through the second half.

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Postponed from a week earlier in the aftermath of Storm Amy, the final drew a good crowd to Convoy for the half-seven throw-in.

Buncrana had enjoyed a high-scoring win over Burt in the group stage, but this was an altogether cagier affair.

Burt dominated the early exchanges but fired a series of shots wide. Dáire McColgan got the opening score for Buncrana with a seventh-minute free, his father Adrian tipping over five minutes later, and Kerryman Diarmaid Walsh putting Buncrana 0-3 to 0-0 ahead in the 16th minute.

Burt’s first score was a good one — a goal from the boot of Ciaran Bradley when the big full forward played a one-two with Ciaran Porter and side-footed the return pass under ’keeper Harry Doherty for a goal that wouldn’t have looked out of place at Maginn Park.

The Burt attack was functioning better now, and with midfielders Shaun O’Donnell and Christy McDermott, and half-backs Seamie O’Donnell, Callum Porter and Aidan McKinney, they had a solid platform to work from.

Burt rounded out the half with pointed frees from Oisin Kerr and Fiachra Gill (2), with one of those awarded for a pass back to the goalkeeper, which is now forbidden under Gaelic football’s new rules.

Liam Jordan got the last score of the half - a well-taken point from play after being set up by Adrian Doherty - and the half-time score read: Burt 1-3, Buncrana 0-4.

Ciaran Bradley pointed to put Burt three clear early in the second half, and Buncrana were having similar problems in front of the posts at the “county footballers’ training pitch end” before Liam Jordan struck that decisive two-goal salvo.

Big midfielder Sean Masterson and Conor Allen were involved in the build-up to his first, working the ball out to the left of the square, where Jordan finished low past Charlie Lavery.

The resulting kickout went awry, with Adie McColgan volleying the ball forward to the in-rushing Jordan. Jordan rounded the Burt keeper and rolled the ball into the unguarded net for a second goal inside a minute.

Burt were at sixes and sevens, losing full-back Rory McDaid to a second yellow card soon after, and Buncrana might have gone further ahead from a close-range free, but Dáire McColgan went for goal rather than tapping it over.

That was a bit of a let-off, and slowly Burt hauled themselves back into contention. Eoin McDaid clipped over a free from the left, and Christy McDermott spun away from his man on the edge of the D to bring them back to within a point in the 54th minute.

Buncrana - for whom Masterson and O’Brien Daly showed well at midfield, and who had an excellent ball-carrying playmaker in Adrian Doherty - were going through a scoring drought and couldn’t add to those two Jordan goals.

That opened the door for Kerr to first equalise from a difficult free wide on the left, and then edge his side ahead after dissent saw a free brought to the centre. He duly tapped over to put Burt ahead two minutes into injury time.

But Buncrana snatched victory from the jaws of defeat - first Conor Allen fisting the equaliser over the bar, and then that man Jordan stepping up to nail the winning point in the last play of the game.

Buncrana, then, take the trophy home and leave Burt to rue a defeat in which they outplayed their opponents for long periods but couldn’t quite close the deal.

Burt scorers: Ciaran Bradley 1-1; Oisin Kerr 0-3 (3f); Fiachra Gill 0-2 (2f); Christy McDermott 0-1; Eoin McDaid 0-1.

Buncrana scorers: Liam Jordan 2-2 (0-1f); Dáire McColgan 0-1 (1f); Adrian McColgan 0-1; Diarmaid Walsh 0-1; Conor Allen 0-1.

Burt: Charlie Lavery; Kyron McColgan, Rory McDaid, Kevin Curran; Callum Porter, Aidan McKinney, Seamie O’Donnell; Shaun O’Donnell, Christy McDermott; Ryan McDaid, Fiachra Gill, Ciaran Porter; Eoin McDaid, Ciaran Bradley, Oisin Kerr.

Subs: Aaron Doherty-Clarke for R McDaid; Callum Purves for K Curran; Oisin Kerrigan for F Gill.

Buncrana: Harry Doherty; Conor Grant, Jamie Friel, Padraig McGonigle; James Doherty, David Carey, Sean Daly; Sean Masterson, Odhran O’Brien Daly; Liam Jordan, Adrian McColgan, Adrian Doherty; Diarmaid Walsh, Kevin Treacy, Dáire McColgan.

Subs: Conor Allen for D Walsh; Eugene Allen for J Friel; Daniel Shaw for K Treacy; Dominick Coyle for D McColgan; Ciaran McNulty for S Daly.

Referee: Cathal Gallagher (Glenswilly).