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Urris must do it all again 29.07.10
Intermediate Football Championship first round, second leg

Urris 0-8

MacCumhaill’s 2-10

by Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent, at Crampsey Park, Staid

URRIS must play MacCumhaill’s a third time after they fell to a six point defeat at home in the second leg of Intermediate Football Championship first round tie. Urris had recorded a stunning 4-7 to 0-14 victory in the first leg in Ballybofey, and a draw would have been enough to see them advance to the semi-finals. But Urris seemed flat throughout Saturday night’s encounter, and never really got back into the game after Darren O’Leary got the first of Mac Cumhaill’s two goals midway through the first half.
Full forward O’Leary and corner forward Benny McLaughlin hit 1-6 between them and ran the Urris defence ragged over the hour. O’Leary proved an excellent target man as the visitors elected to play down the slope in the first half.
Ciaran Friel almost handed Urris the perfect start when he crashed a goalbound shot of the Mac Cumhaill’s upright within 60 seconds.
Mac Cumhaill’s responded with points from O’Leary and McLaughlin before Donal Kelly, who was Urris’ main scoring threat over the hour, opened his side’s account on seven minutes. Alan Friel picked up a pass from Peter Devlin to level matters on the quarter hour.
With Bernard McGeehan roaming deep and picking up lots of possession, Mac Cumhaill’s were in the ascendant and stamped their authority on the game with O’Leary hitting 1-2 in a blistering three minute spell.
He scored a point from play in the 16th minute and his goal came a minute later from a long ball in from McLaughlin. O’Leary used his strength to hold off the challenge of Martin Kelly and turned to blast past Johnny Noone from close range.
With his confidence soaring, O’Leary followed up that goal by converting a sideline kick from the left to give Mac Cumhaill’s a 1-4 to 0-3 lead. Urris were enjoying plenty of possession, but were wildly inaccurate hitting seven wides over the course of the first half to Mac Cumhaill’s two.
Benny McLaughlin should have got a second goal for the visitors on 24 minutes when he rounded the keeper, but hit the upright when it seemed easier to score. He made amends by pointing the rebound and adding another point two minutes later when he profited from a mistake in the Urris defence.
Eddie Kelly, whose influence waned as the match wore on, got Urris’ third point on the stroke of
half time but his side trailed by 1-6 to 0-4 at the interval.
It was more of the same in the second half, with Mac Cumhaill’s blunting Urris’ attacks and making the most of the scoring chances that came their way. Points from Bernard McGeehan and Benny McLaughlin extended their lead to seven points by the 36th minute, but that was pulled back with Peter Devlin driving over from 40 yards and Eddie Kelly converting a 13m free.
Mac Cumhaill’s, though, were well on top. Garvan Mulligan had a fine game at corner back, with Sean McGowan the pick of the bunch at midfield. In addition to O’Leary and McLaughlin up front, Bernard McGeehan had a fine game. McGeehan got his second point of the night on 42 minutes and his subsequent switch to full forward had an immediate impact. The Urris rearguard failed to deal with another long back in, and it broke to McGeehan who hammered a shot past Noone and made absolutely certain that the tie would go to a decisive third game.
Urris moved big Liam Diver into full forward, but Mac Cumhaill’s retreat into defence for the last ten minutes meant the big man never threatened to get the goal that Urris so badly needed.
McGowan capped a fine performance with a 57th minute point, with an Eddie Kelly free and a point from the lively Mark McLaughlin concluding the scoring.
Should Urris advance from the play-off, they will face the winners of the Carn/Bundoran tie, which also goes to a play-off, in the Intermediate championship semi-final.

Urris: Jonathan Noone; Sean Doherty, Martin Kelly, Mickey Grant; Sean McDaid, Phil Pat Doherty, Damian Harkin; Eddie Kelly (0-3, 2 frees), Liam Diver; Mark McLaughlin (0-1), Peter Devlin (0-1), Alan Friel (0-1); Dara Doherty, Donal Kelly (0-2), Ciaran Friel. Subs: Paddy Doherty (R) for M. Kelly (half time); Adrian Doherty for C. Friel (50 mins).

Sean Mac Cumhaill’s: Chris Patton; Mark Connolly, Shane McNulty, Garvan Mulligan; Gary Dunnion, Joe Dunnion, Patrick McNulty; Sean McGowan (0-1), Maurice Lafferty; Packie Gallen, Bernard McGeehan (1-2), Chris McDaid; Benny McLaughlin (0-4), Darren O’Leary (1-3, 1 sideline), Paddy Kelly.

Referee: Sean McLaughlin (Malin).

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