Burt leave it late but win their London thriller

Burt left it late but emerged on the right side of Saturday’s All-Ireland Junior Club Hurling Championship quarter-final at McGovern Park in London, with Aidan McKinney hitting the winning point with the last puck of the game.

After a tight opening quarter, Kieran Brady’s 20th-minute goal put Burt in front, but the Londoners reeled off seven unanswered points and led 0-12 to 1-4 at half-time.

Burt fell five behind again early in the second half, but Liam Óg McKinney produced a phenomenal performance from placed balls and open play to drag his side back into contention, eventually drawing level entering the final ten minutes.

Mac Curtains were left to rue a couple of late missed frees from Shaun Lowry, but after McKinney had edged Burt ahead, the British champions struck what they must have believed was the equaliser in the second minute of injury time.

There was still one last twist. From the resulting puck-out, and close to the sideline, Fiachra Gill won possession drove the sliotar into the danger area. The ball broke off Kieran Brady and into the path of Aidan McKinney, and the younger of the McKinney brothers fired over the winner to send Burt into an All-Ireland semi-final against Connacht champions Easkey (Sligo) on the weekend before Christmas.

Read more: Report on Burt's extra time Ulster final win over Lavey

The morning’s heavy rain cleared just before throw-in, but it left slippery underfoot conditions for both teams at Ruislip.

Points from Liam Óg McKinney (two frees) and Kyron McColgan gave Burt an early advantage, but Jimmy Byrne, Mark Russell and Shaun Lowry had the Londoners level by the 12th minute.

Mac Curtains were aided by the breeze, though fortunately for Burt their long-range shooting was wayward; they finished the half with eight wides to Burt’s two.

Burt had threatened a goal earlier in the half, but Liam Óg’s squared pass was intercepted and cleared. They did raise a green flag on 22 minutes, Kieran Brady winning a break from a long Dara Grant delivery to hammer the sliotar to the net put them 1-4 to 0-5 ahead.

It should have been a catalyst for Burt, but instead Mac Curtains’ response was emphatic.

The British champions hit seven unanswered points before the short whistle: two each from Dean Corrigan and Cian Mellet, two frees from Lowry and one from Byrne. They never fashioned a real goal chance, though, with Christy McDermott well on top of danger man Conor McCormack and Dara Grant snuffing out their only half-opportunity - at the cost of a yellow card - just before the interval.

Minus their injured captain Stephen Gillespie and also missing the suspended Ronan McDermott, Burt had it all to do, but - much like their Ulster final win over Lavey - they refused to lie down and battled their way back from a big half time deficit.

Brady might have had a second goal five minutes after the restart, but keeper Eoin Chawke was quickly off his line to close him down.

Two points from McKinney either side of one from Conor Gartland gave Burt momentum, but Mac Curtains were still on top. Two Lowry frees restored their five-point cushion by the 42nd minute as they moved 0-15 to 1-7 ahead.

But Burt’s superior match fitness - this was their fourth game in five weeks - began to tell. They were now winning more breaks, and their runners were drawing frees from an increasingly stretched Mac Curtains defence.

McKinney hit five unanswered points to level the game by the 50th minute, the equaliser coming from play from a tight angle on the right.

A Lowry free nudged Mac Curtains back in front, but McKinney nailed a 65 to restore parity once more.

Tension was high now, and two Lowry misses - either side of another McKinney free - proved costly for the London side.

Burt led by one, but when substitute Kevin O’Donoghue pointed in the second minute of injury time, extra time looked inveitable.

Burt, though, had one last kick. Paul Burns drove his puck-out deep into the Mac Curtains half, where Fiachra Gill sent it goalwards. Aidan McKinney - restored to the starting XV after missing the Ulster final through suspension - applied the finishing touch to propel Burt into the All-Ireland semi-final.

Cruel on Mac Curtains, but what a way for Burt to reach the All-Ireland semi-final.

Burt scorers: Liam Óg McKinney 0-12 (7f, 2 65s); Kieran Brady 1-0; Conor Gartland 0-1; Kyron McColgan 0-1; Aidan McKinney 0-1.

Tomas Mac Curtains scorers: Shaun Lowry 0-6 (6f); Jimmy Byrne 0-4; Mark Russell 0-2; Dean Corrigan 0-2; Cian Mellet 0-2; Kevin O’Donoghue 0-1.

Burt: Paul Burns; James Donaghey, Ciaran Bradley, Kevin Curran; Oisin Kelly, Dara Grant, Aidan McKinney; AN Other, Kyron McColgan; Eoin McDaid, Ciaran Porter, Conor Gartland; Christopher McDermott, Kieran Brady, Liam Óg McKinney. Subs: Callum Porter for J Donaghey (26 mins); Fiachra Gill for K McColgan (37 mins); Jack Lavery for E McDaid (52 mins).

Tomas Mac Curtains (London): Eoin Chawke; CJ Gavin, Mark Russell, Eoin Curtain; Jack Loughnane, Tom Hanafin, Joe Maguire; Patrick Fagan, Cian Mellet; Micheal Martin, Dean Corrigan, Jimmy Byrne; Jamie Kennedy, Conor McCormack, Shaun Lowry. Subs: Kevin O’Donoghue for J Kennedy (37 mins); Eoghan Monahan for J Byrne and Conor Nolan for C Mellet (52 mins); Liam O’Brien for P Fagan (59 mins).

Referee: Conor Daly (Kildare)