Magherafelt O’Donovan Rossa overcome Four Masters to seal Ulster U-16 final spot

Championship favourites Magherafelt O’Donovan Rossa produced a masterclass of running football in the second half of this Paul McGirr Ulster U-16 Club Championship Semi-Final to secure their place in the provincial final in Gardrum Park on Saturday evening.

While leading 1-08 to 0-04 at halftime, the Derry champions were facing into a stiff breeze in the second half and it looked very much like the game would go to the wire, however, Magherafelt stepped on the gas after the break with some mesmerising running football to run out convincing winners.

Already facing a tough task playing in the wind in the first half, Four Masters suffered an early blow with a black card, and Magherafelt took immediate advantage with points from their captain Kian Maynes, and the dangerous Tony O’Hagan.

They then struck a hammer taking advantage of the extra man when Maynes split the Four Masters defence with a raking pass that found centre-back Colm Leacock who dispatched coolly to the net, the versatile Leacock had earlier in the day appeared for Linfield in the Irish league.

Four Masters struck back with excellent scores from Finn Gillespie and Thomas Lenehan who was having a terrific battle with Tobias Beattie. Points from Haynes, Daultagh Donnelly, and one from distance from the Lorcan Higgins stretched the Magherafelt lead to six, the diminutive Higgins was superb throughout with his searing runs causing untold problems for the Donegal town side.

A pointed free and one from play from Lenehan reduced the arrears but Magherafelt finished the half strongly with efforts from Finn Grimes, O’Hagan (free), and Lorcan Higgins again.

Four Masters needed a strong start to the second half but it was the Oak Leaf men who dictated proceedings with their towering midfield partnership of Michael Higgins and Ronan Conway gaining a foothold and the strong running of the Magherafelt middle eight consistently punched holes in the Donegal champions defence.

Conway, Emmett Spiers, and Maynes who led by example throughout, all hit early scores into the breeze. The Four Masters rearguard was then exposed again, this time in devastating fashion when a brilliant team move involving a series of fifteen or twenty passes carved them open to find MFC Sports Man of the Match Michael Higgins at the back post where he finished to the net.

To their credit, Four Master kept battling, no more so than Ethan McCrea, Thomas Healy, and midfielder Tomas Carr.

Carr led the charge with a massive score from sixty yards but this was only a temporary reprieve. Four Masters keeper Fintan James pulled off an incredible save to deny Ronan Lennox, unfortunately for him though the alert Daultagh Donnelly was on hand to bury the rebound.

With time running out Lenehan and Carr both notched scores, Carr’s effort was an unbelievable point from a forty-five-yard sideline ball, but Haynes took his tally to five as time ran out.

Magherafelt: Conor Johnston, Ryan Martin, Tobias Beattie, Tiernan McGlone, Finn Grimes (0-1), Colm Leacock (1-0), Ronan Lennox, Michael Higgins (1-0), Ronan Conway (0-1), Tony O’Hagan (0-2, 1f), Emmett Spiers (0-1), Lorcan Higgins (0-2), Daultagh Donnelly (1-1), Kian Maynes (0-5), Michael Lavery. Subs: Valentino Lupari for T McGlone, Ruairi Quinn for E Spiers, Tom Farmer for R Martin, Shea Monaghan for D Donnelly, Daire Mag Raine for R Conway

Four Masters: Fintan James, Eoghan Tomas, Ethan McCrea, Sean Sweeney, Thomas Healy, Jack McGroarty, Odhran McMullin, Tomas Carr (0-2), Conall Flannery, Daire Slevin, Thomas Lenehan (0-4, 2f), Rory Doherty, Finn Gillespie (0-1), Gethin Mosby, Thomas McHugh. Subs: Phelim James for D Slevin, Daithi D McGinty for F Gillespie, Oran Boyle for S Sweeney, Daithi Cassidy for R Doherty

Referee: Cathal Forbes (Tyrone)