Stranorlar break St Columb’s in last quarter of Markey

Danske Bank Markey Cup quarter-final
St Columba’s Stranorlar 2-9 St Columb’s Derry 1-10
St Columb’s Derry failed to raise a flag in the last 23 minutes plus four of injury-time and that ultimately is why they exited the Danske Bank Markey Cup to St Columba’s Stranorlar at the quarter-final stage yesterday.
St Columb’s looked good during the opening half with Shane McElhinney, James Lynch, Cormac Mooney and Derry minor Fearghal Mortimer all prominent. However Lynch picked up an eye injury before the break and had to sit out the second half.
The influence of Stranorlar’s two Schools’ All-stars, Paddy Dolan and Oisin Gallen, increased as the game wore on with Joe Boyle and Luke Gavigan also putting in good shifts.
Dolan was a 12th minute goal-scorer to tie the teams on 0-4 to 1-1, but St Columb’s pulled clear and deservedly led by 0-8 to 1-2 at the break with good scores from Morgan Murray, Mortimer and Tiernan O’Kane.
That gap increased with a point from Jason McAleer on the re-start and although Stranorlar hit back with successive points from Joe Magill, Oisin Gallen and Jamie Keegan, Derry broke up a promising move on their half-back line and quickly transferred the ball through four players before Oran Fox found the net.
Fearghal Mortimer quickly added a point and it looked as if St Columb’s could push on, but that 37th minute point was their last score.
They kept it at 1-10 to 1-5 until the 48th minute but then within a five minute spell Stranorlar hit 1-3 to take the lead, the goal coming in the 53rd minute from Chad McSorley.
From then until the final whistle the game was quite intense with no change on the score-board until the 4th minute of injury-time when Matthew Doherty scored the last point to seal a semi-final spot against St Patrick’s Keady at the start of the week
St Columba’s : Paddy Dolan 1-1, Chad McSorley 1-0, Oisin Gallen 0-2, Joe Magill 0-2, Jamie Keegan 0-1, Coreylee Bogan 0-1, Matthew Doherty 0-1
St Columb’s : Oran Fox 1-0, Morgan Murray 0-4, Fearghal Mortimer 0-2, Tiernan O’Kane 0-2, Shay Brown 0-1, Jason McAleer 0-1.