Holy Trinity wins extra time MacLarnon thriller

Holy Trinity Cookstown 2-8 S Eunan’s Letterkenny 0-13
From Kevin Kelly in Celtic Park
Oran Mulgrew was the Holy Trinity hero at Celtic Park in Derry last night as he landed the winning point at the end of extra time to decide a pulsating Danske Bank MacLarnon Cup replay.
The superb Shane O’Donnell opened the scoring in the 2nd minute following a forty metre run but Holy Trinity levelled matters through a Tiarnan Quinn free. Eoin Gallagher then edged Holy Trinity in front before they struck for an 8th minute goal.
A long delivery in from Mark McKearney saw full forward Tiernan Mackle get in behind his marker and he finished in style to the bottom left hand corner of the net. The Cookstown lads though were to just add another point in the remainder of the half as St.Eunan’s fought back.
O’Donnell got his second point but moments later Mackle should have had another goal at the other end of the field when he was unselfishly picked out by Pauric Lagan but he failed to make a good connection and keeper Eoin O’Boyle easily dealt with it.
Oisin Purdy laid the ball out for Cormac Finn to split the posts but that was cancelled out by a second score from the boot of Quinn. St.Eunan’s though finished the half on top and after midfielder Shane Doherty had left the minimum between the sides that man O’Donnell popped up with his fourth of the half to leave it all square at 1-3 to 0-6.
In the second half both sides were reduced to fourteen men when Tiarnan McNamee and Conor O’Donnell were both red carded. A Tiarnan Quinn penalty looked to have put the Cookstown lads in the driving seat as they led by three with seven minutes to go.
To their credit St.Eunan’s dug deep with man of the match O’Donnell on target again before the same player converted two frees to force extra time, 2-6 to 0-12.
Both sides visibly tired in extra time but there was still no shortage of drama. The outstanding O’Donnell got the only score of the first period of extra time, his 9th of the game, to give his side a narrow lead.
Holy Trinity full forward, one of a number of players who was reintroduced, levelled matters early in the second half of extra time. It looked like ending in a draw again but Mulgrew got the crucial score to win his school a first MacLarnon title that sends them through to the All Ireland semi final next Wednesday.
Holy Trinity Cookstown: C Loane, P Quinn, O Mulgrew (0-1), T McNamee, T Quinn, C Donnelly, E Gallagher (0-1), S Murphy, P Lagan (0-1), E Devlin, K Robinson, T Quinn (1-3, 1f), M Devlin (0-1), Tiernan Mackle (1-1), M McKearney.
Subs: A Moore for Tiernan Mackle, Thomas Mackle for Robinson, C Quinn for Murphy, S Murphy for Devlin, P Quinn for McKearney, Tiernan Mackle for Lagan (black card), E Devlin for Thomas Mackle, M McKearney for P Quinn, D Canavan for E Devlin, Thomas Mackle for Gallagher, K Robinson for Patrick Quinn
St Eunan’s Letterkenny: E O’Boyle, R Hillferty, A Gallagher, S McDaid, P McEniff, B Diver, J Kelly, S Doherty (0-1), T Toye, S O’Donnell (0-9, 2f), PJ McBrearty, S McDevitt, C O’Donnell (0-2, 1 “45”, 1f, O Purdy, C Finn (0-1). Subs: K Tobin for Toye, P Tobin for McDevitt, O Cassidy for Doherty (black card), B Alcorn for Hillferty, M McFadden for McDaid
Referee: D Mullan, Derry