Cockhill Celtic seal a decade of Ulster Senior League dominance 

Cockhill Celtic made sure there was to be no slip up in their ‘ten-in-a-row’ Ulster Senior League title crusade as they comfortably saw off the challenge of Derry City Reserves on Thursday evening. 

Cockhill Celtic 2 Derry City Reserves 0

With Bonagee United waiting in the wings, Gavin Cullen’s side knew that only a win would completely end the Dry Arch outfit’s lingering hopes of a route back into contention. 

A draw would have resulted in the USL title having to be settled by a play-off while a loss to Derry would have handed the trophy to Jason Gibson’s charges. 

But with Cockhill grabbing a 2-0 half-time lead here, any faint hopes that Bonagee might have had of spoiling the party were more or less extinguished at the midpoint in this one. 

With a fine home crowd present at a sun-kissed Charlie O’Donnell Sports Ground, Gavin Cullen’s side turned the screw from the very off. And, less  than six minutes in, they made the breakthrough thanks to Lee McColgan. 

Corey McBride, whose set piece deliveries were excellent throughout, swung in a wicked corner that evaded everyone except the lurking McColgan at the back post and as it bounced up invitingly in front of him, he brilliantly guided a cushioned header high and into the Candystripes’ net. 

Less than three minutes later Cockhill should have made it two when Luke Rudden was well picked out inside the area by Christy McLaughlin. But for once Rudden’s touch let him down and the opportunity vanished as quickly as it had suddenly appeared. 

It took until the 20-minute mark for the visitors to finally escape that initial siege of Cockhill pressure but when they did make inroads down the left flank, Tiernan McKinney’s low delivery into the area was easily dealt with by Harry Doherty. 

Still, that bit of progress seemed to inject a little more purpose in Derry as they looked to play in runners from deep and while Cockhill stepped up on a number of occasions to catch those raiders in offside positions, the margins were extremely thin.

On 24 minutes Stephen Duffy adjusted his body brilliantly outside the area to clip an effort that just missed the butt of the far post. Christy McLaughlin was the next Cockhill player to try his luck from out the park but his shot sailed well high and over. 

Up the other side Sean Patton, running from deep, almost got in over the top of that previously mentioned high Cockhill defensive line and even though the flag went up once more, it was enough for the home bench to advise their side to step off and just sit that little bit deeper on those occasions. 

With the visitors now well in matters approaching the half hour, a great opportunity presented itself on the far right as Derry earned a freekick in a really good position just outside the area. Derry loaded their options in the hope of a testing delivery but McKinney’s woeful effort went well adrift of its desired targets.

Soon after, a ball into the area that Cockhill should have cleared was allowed to drop to Patton and with the Derry attacker seemingly about to square matters Peter Doherty desperately flung himself in front of the strike and somehow deflected it behind for a corner. 

Henry Doherty was again called into action ten minutes out from the break when he got down to claim Callum McCay’s low angled cross. To their credit, Cockhill didn’t panic and admirable endeavour from Duffy, when he chased down a seemingly lost cause on the top left, forged the chance for Cockhill to grab a vital second. 

Having won the ball back for his side Duffy immediately picked out Corey McBride and with the latter rolling the ball across goal to the arriving Rudden, he stroked home from close range. 

Derry created the first real chance of the second period when Conor Barr got free down the right and while his cross to the back stick was inviting, the arriving McCay was always stretching and while he did get there leaning back, all that did was direct the ball well off target. 

Doherty, who had a terrific game at the heart of the home defence, then got forward and his cross come shot only needed an outstretched leg to divert it the short distance to the net but no one in green or white had gambled on being there at the decisive moment. 

Going into the final 20 minutes and Derry’s insistence on playing out from the back on their own restarts, a tactic that had put them under pressure all evening, almost caught them out when they handed possession straight to Cockhill. 

And even though both McLaughlin and McBride had chances to grab what had looked like an inevitable third the entire second-half, Fintan Doherty somehow managed to thwart both. McBride, another that had a fine 90 minutes, then had another effort well stopped by Doherty. 

In the end, Cockhill had to settle for just the two but with the final whistle signalling it mattered little as they sealed a magical tenth straight title at  this level. 

Cockhill Celtic: Harry Doherty; Lee McLaughlin, Peter Doherty, Jason Breslin, Lee McColgan (Oisin McColgan, 75); Luke Rudden (Daniel Doherty, 90+3), Christy McLaughlin, James Bradley, Fionn McClure; Corey McBride, Stephen Duffy (Keegan Hegarty, 70). 

Derry City: Fintan Doherty; Conor Barr, Rory O’Donnell, Caoimhin Crossan; Adhamh Patton, Liam Mullen (Callum Doherty, 70), Tiernan McGinty, Callum McCay, Sean Patton; Tiernan McKinney, Oisin Duffy (Conal McGarrigle, 70). 

Referee: Michael Connolly.