Loughmacrory 0-11 Kilcoo 0-16
Kilcoo saw off Tyrone's Loughmacrory with a disciplined and focused performance at O’Neills Healy Park as they booked an Ulster semi-final date with Fermanagh’s Erne Gaels.
Stung by the pain of their final moments of last provincial defeat, when they narrowly lost the final to another Tyrone side, Errigal Ciaran, Kilcoo went some way towards reasserting themselves as Ulster masters with an efficient if unspectacular four-point victory.
Down champions in 13 of the last 14 seasons, Ulster finalists five times in the past ten years and winners twice and All-Ireland champions in 2022, they made it a tough first appearance in the provincial series for Tyrone’s breakthrough champions.
Anthony Morgan’s early score was cancelled out by a Pauraic Meenagh two-pointer and a Ruauri McCullagh free as Loughmacrory eased ahead early on.
The seasoned Kilcoo men however brought a level of intensity to the contest that unsettled the home side, forcing turnovers with strong tackling to keep themselves in control, and they shot the next five scores while defending with discipline.
Paul Devlin’s free was followed by a couple of Shealan Johnston efforts, while centre-back Darryl Branagan was hurting the Tyrone men with his surging runs, offering extra options and adding a point himself.
Composed and comfortable in possession as they switched the ball with men in support, they displayed patience to create a score for Ryan Johnston for a 0-6 to 0-4 lead after 20 minutes.
The St Teresa’s couldn’t get their young attacking stars Eoin McElholm and McCullagh into the game, but they had other men capable of putting the ball over the bar, and as they grew into the contest in the latter stages of the half, Meenagh and Cathaoir Gallagher both found the target.
Kilcoo led by 0-7 to 0-5 at the interval, but with the wind at their backs in the second half, they eased further ahead with a sweetly-struck Devlin two-pointer, and seconds later Darryl Branagan made it double scores, 0-10 to 0-5.
McElholm finally managed to escape the clutches of the tight-marking Niall Branagan to slot over a point, and as they began to weave patterns to unsettle the Kilcoo cover, McCullagh added another from a free.
McElholm, now finding pockets of space to pick passes, sent Cathaoir Gallagher in to close the gap, before Kilcoo displayed their class to craft and execute wonderful scores, first through wing-back Miceal Rooney followed by a delightful Shealan Johnston two-pointer.
By the end of the third quarter, the Mourne champions led by 0-14 to 0-8, and with wing-backs Rooney and Callum Rogers giving them pace along the flanks, they kept their opponents stretched.
Loughmacrory had to press hard to chisel out scores for McElholm and a Gallagher free, but defensively, the Down men were sound and disciplined right to the end, never allowing their focus to slip, with Ryan McEvoy and Darryl Branagan stoic in everything they did.
There were occasional scares, one of which saw Gareth Donaghy fire in a belter which stung the palms of goalkeeper Niall Kane on its way over the bar, but even then a goal would not have been enough for the Red Hand champions.
Loughmacrory: O O’Kane; D Curran, N Kelly, A Macidulskas; S Dobbs, R Fox, S Conway; A Donaghy, C Donaghy; G Donaghy (0-01), E McElholm (0-02), C Gallagher (0-03, 1f); P Meenagh (0-03, 1tp, 1f), R McCullagh (0-02, 2f), M McNamee.
Subs: E Donaghy for Fox (52), R Grimley for Meenagh (52)
Kilcoo: N Kane; A Branagan, R McEvoy, N Branagan; M Rooney (0-01), D Branagan (0-02), C Rogers; Aaron Morgan, Anthony Morgan (0-01); C Doherty (0-01), R Johnston (0-01), S Johnston (0-04, 1tp); P Devlin (0-05, 2f, 1tp), J Johnston, E Branagan.
Subs: J Devlin for A Branagan (11), S Og McCusker(0-01) for J Johnston (41), B McEvoy for Rooney (54)
Referee: M McNally (Monaghan).
