Derry ease past Antrim in U21 Prelim

EirGrid Ulster U21 Football Championship Preliminary Round:
Derry 0-16 Antrim 0-11

Derry will play Donegal in next Wednesday’s Ulster quarter-finals after defeating a battling Antrim side at Celtic Park on Wednesday evening.

Fergal McCusker’s side were 0-12 to 0-3 ahead at the interval but they only scored four points in the second half and allowed Antrim to slowly reduce the arrears, with only five separating the sides at the end.

Peter Hagan, Niall Loughlin, Aidan Keenan and accomplished freetaker Niall Toner were all on the scoreboard in the opening 10 minutes for Derry, and further scores from Hagan and Loughlin helped the Oak Leaf County into a 0-8 to 0-3 lead after 20 minutes.

Derry missed a penalty before the interval but it mattered little as the nerveless and technically superb Loughlin had them 0-12 to 0-3 ahead at the break after further points.

Two more ’45s from Loughlin – he scored four ’45s in total in a superb display of placed ball kicking – had Derry 11 clear early on in the second half but then they very noticeably took their foot off the gas as Antrim hit eight of the final 10 minutes in the game.

While the result was never really in doubt, scores from OisÍn Leneghan, Ryan McNulty, Odhrán Eastwood (2) cut the gap to six for the Saffrons with 10 minutes to go at 0-14 to 0-8.

Derry saw out the win in the end, but they will have to improve if they are to trouble a strong Donegal side next week.

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Scorers for Derry: N Loughlin (0-9; 0-5f, 0-4 45s), P Hagan, J Donaghy 0-2, N Toner, M McGrath, A Keenan 0-1.

Scorers for Antrim: O Eastwood (0-5, 0-5f), S McGarry (0-2), O Leneghan, S McNulty, B Rice, R McCann 0-1.

Derry: C McCloy; N Keenan, T McCrossan, O Hegarty; J Rocks, M McEvoy, P Hagan; J Bradley, M McGrath; D Tallon, T O’Brien, J Donaghy; N Toner, N Loughlin, A Keenan. Subs: O Duffy for P Hagan (50), R McElwee for N Toner (57), D Curran for T O’Brien (64), Conor Convery for A Keenan (66).

Antrim: R Hanna; R Delargy, O Hamill, G McCorley; J McAuley, P Healy, R Hannigan; O Leneghan, C Loney; R Scott, R McCann, S McGarry; O Eastwood, D Nugent, C Small. Subs: R McNulty for C Loney (38), C Lyttle for R Hannigan (38), Ben Rice for R Scott (58), Joe Maskey for R McNulty (67).

Referee: S McLaughlin (Donegal).

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Report: gaa.ie