Slaughtneil 0-11 Cavan Gaels 0-09
Derry champions Slaughtneil held on for a 0-11 to 0-09 victory over Cavan Gaels in the quarter-finals of the Ulster Club SFC at Owenbeg.
Five Paul Bradley points helped the Oak Leaf men to a 0-09 to 0-04 interval lead, with Seanie Johnston firing over three of Cavan’s scores.
Johnston narrowed the gap to a point with seven minutes to play but Slaughtneil, who scored just twice in the second half, secured a last-four meeting with Clontibret as Gerald Bradley added a late score to ensure a two-point win.
With Patsy Bradley utterly dominant in midfield and Chrissy McKaigue making frequent surges from the back, Slaughtneil took control of the contest right from the outset.
They were ahead by 0-03 to 0-01 after eight minutes, with Se McGuigan, Paul Bradley and Christopher Bradley all hitting the target.
Cavan, adopting a defensive approach, created little in the way of scoring chances in those opening stages, but Johnson managed to dodge his marker to nail a fine point.
Johnston’s second score, from a free, narrowed the gap, but Paul Bradley’s second point made it 0-04 to 0-02 at the end of the opening quarter.
The pacey Christopher Bradley sprinted through the middle to fire over another point for the Derry champions, and when Paul Bradley slotted over his fifth, they led by six.
Cavan did create a late chance for Johnston to convert another free and narrow the gap to five, with Slaughtneil ahead by 0-09 to 0-04 at the break.
Cavan’s Levi Murphy broke through to fire in a shot that goalkeeper Anton McMullan parried in the early moments of the second half, before Johnston clipped over another couple of frees to chip away at the deficit.
They could have been closer but for some excellent defending from experienced defender Francis McEldowney.
Having failed to score in the second half, the Derry men got back on track with a Christopher Bradley point.
However, Peter Canavan’s side responded, with subs Paul Graham and Niall Smith making an impact, while Dominic Reilly and Robert Maloney-Derham stepped it up in midfield.
Skipper Eamonn Reilly drove their challenge from the back, and when Johnston arrowed over two more frees, they trailed by just a point.
Johnston had a glorious chance to level in stoppage time but missed a 35-metre free, and a grateful Slaughtneil side countered as Gerald Bradley sealed the result.
Slaughtneil: A McMullan, P Kearney, C McKaigue, K McKaigue, F McEldowney, B McGuigan, C Cassidy, Patsy Bradley, P McGuigan, P Kelly, C Bradley (0-03), R Bradley (0-01), G Bradley (0-01), Paul Bradley (0-05, 3f), S McGuigan (0-01).
Subs: C O’Doherty for S McGuigan, P Cassidy for R Bradley, M McGrath for Cassidy
Cavan Gaels: M Cassidy, N Gurhy, J Fortune, N Murray (0-01), B Fortune, E Reilly, L Murphy, D Reilly, R Maloney Derham, D Meehan (0-01, f), M Lyng, D Graham, S Johnston (0-06, 5f), V Coyle, C McClary.
Subs: M Dunne for McClary, N Smith for Coyle, P Graham (0-1) for D Graham, A Graham for Meehan.
Referee: M McNally (Monaghan).
