Omagh CBS set up quarter-final with holders

Danske Bank MacRory Cup Playoff
From Kevin Kelly
Omagh CBS 1-8 St Macartan’s Monaghan 1-4
Omagh CBS managed only one second half point but they still did enough to set up a quarter-final meeting with holders St Mary’s Magherafelt after seeing off the challenge of St Macartan’s Monaghan at Augher yesterday afternoon.
The Tyrone lads recovered from conceding an early goal to lead 1-7 to 1-1 at the break and they looked to be in complete control. They failed to build on that though and when the Sem hit three unanswered points in the third quarter it was very much game on.
St Macartan’s though didn’t trouble the umpires after that but it was still very much anybody’s game despite the Monaghan lads losing defender Ryan Kelly to a straight red card ten minutes from time.
Omagh then got a much needed score from the dangerous James Garrity to get them over the line but they will be well aware that they will have to improve next day out against the champions.
McGarrity opened the scoring from a free and then added a terrific effort from play but in the 8th minute the Monaghan lads took the lead when Robert McAlister and Aaron Mohan combined for Cormac McKenna to palm to the net.
Mohan added a point from a free but they were to then go thirty minutes without registering again. In between Omagh seized control with wing half back John McCrory firing in a goal and Liam Gray, Oisin Gallogly and the impressive Caolan Slevin tagging on points.
It took a dozen minutes for the first score of the second half to arrive via a Mohan free before McAlister surged through to point from play. Macartan’s were now on top and they could well have had a goal but Mohan palmed over the bar from a couple of yards out.
Omagh were struggling at this stage but when their opponents went down to fourteen men it gave them a bit of breathing space. Garrity then ensured their place in the last eight with an outstanding point from a side-line ball on the left as they stumbled through.
Omagh CBS: D Devine, C Breen, A Fox, C McBride, J McCrory (1-0), C Slevin (0-1), A Clarke, R Kennedy, L Gray (0-2), O Gallogly (0-1), R Hollywood, C Colton, C Rodgers, J Garrity (0-4, 2f), M Hayes.
Subs: A Montgomery for Hollywood, C Bradley for McCrory, C Brolly for Hayes
St Macartan’s Monaghan: E Treanor, T Croarkan, O Gleeson, J Clerkin, C Flood, R O’Toole, R Kelly, M O’Brien, A Mohan (0-3, 2f), R McAlister (0-1), C McCrystal, T McShene, C McKenna (1-0), G McPhillips, R King.
Subs: K Gallagher for McCrystal, S Treanor for McShene, J Shields for Flood, J O’Hanlon for McAlister
Referee: P Faloon, Down