Ballinderry are AIB Ulster Intermediate Football Champions
AIB Ulster Club IFC Final
Ballinderry 1-12 Arva 2-8
from GAA.ie
Ballinderry made it over the line in a whirlwind finish at O’Neill’s Healy Park as Darren Lawn curled over a glorious winner in a wonderfully entertaining AIB Ulster Club IFC final at O’Neill’s Healy Park.
They’ll feel that justice was done on an evening when they created five goal chances, but managed to take just one of them.
Storm Darragh had delayed the staging of this provincial decider by a week, but two heroic teams gave of their best.
They’d come at this from different directions – Arva the 2023 All-Ireland Junior champions, Ballinderry the former Derry supremos and All-Ireland Senior title winners in 2002.
History didn’t daunt the Breffni braves as they went toe to toe with their big-name opponents in a bid to become the first club to back up an Ulster Junior title with an Intermediate crown.
Ballinderry dominated possession through the opening five minutes, going ahead through Shea Coleman and Charlie Crozier, who converted a free after Darren Lawn’s piercing run was halted.
Arva took their time to settle into the game, with Ciaran Brady asserting himself in the middle third and Trisan Noack Hofman showing no fear in taking on Gareth McKinless at every opportunity.
Jonathan McCabe hit the target in their first attack of any note, but approaching the end of the opening quarter, they trailed 0-3 to 0-2 after Ryan Bell and McCabe had traded scores.
Hofman was the instigator of the move that led to Arva’s 15th minute goal, with Peter Morris also involved as Barry Donnelly cut in from the left to angle his shot past Ben McKinless.
They protected the lead to the turnaround, with some solid defending from James Morris and Stephen Sheridan, assisted by their inspirational skipper Brady, who stepped in with a couple of vital tackles.
As they broke to put the Derry champions on the back foot, Lawn and Eoin Devlin tracked to force turnovers and frustrate the Cavan men.
After soaking up a spell of pressure, the Shamrocks created a goal chance, Conor O’Neill charging through a gap to release Tiarnan Rocks, but his shot came off the wrong side off the butt of a post.
Straight from the kick-out, Arva countered for Brady to ease them into a two points interval lead, 1-4 to 0-5.
No sooner had Ruairi Forbes brought the Shamrocks level than Arva struck for a second goal, chasing a turnover opportunity with huge reward for Donnelly to unselfishly send Conan Sheridan in to bury his shot in the net.
Ballinderry missed another goal chance, going route on for Forbes to send his shot wide at the far post.
Moments later they did hit the net at the third time of asking, Shea McCann firing a bullet to the top corner, all square ten minutes into the half.
As the wind picked up in favour of the men from the shore of Lough Neagh, they tagged on points from Conor O’Neill (2) and Niall O’Donnell to go two clear, but the Breffni warriors stood firm, Kevin Bouchier landing a couple of scores to send them down the final straight on level terms.
But they lived dangerously as Ballinderry created a fifth goal chance, this time ‘keeper Cian O’Neill pulling off a magnificent save from Ryan Bell.
A riveting encounter was set up for an enthralling finish, and it didn’t disappoint, with three magnificent stoppage time scores capping a memorable decider.
O’Donnell thought he had won it, but Bouchier levelled again, only for Darren Lawn to seal it in the 33rd minute for Ballinderry.
Scorers for Ballinderry: S McCann 1-1, C O’Neill (1f), N O’Donnell, C Crozier (1f) 0-2 each, R Bell, D Lawn, R Forbes, S Coleman 0-1 each.
Scorers for Arva: B Donnelly, C Sheridan 1-1 each, K Bouchier 0-3 (1f), J McCabe 0-2, C Brady 0-1.
Ballinderry: B McKinless; A Mullan, O Duffin, R O’Neill; E Devlin, G McKinless, R Forbes; N O’Donnell, C Crozier; T Rocks, C O’Neill, S McCann; D Lawn, R Bell, S Coleman.
Subs: D McKinless for Rocks (45), M Smyth for Devlin (48), E McCracken for Mullan (53), M Quinn for D McKinless (59), E Rocks for Lawn (64).
Arva: C O’Hara; D Maguire, J Morris, F McAvinue; E Ward, S Sheridan, T Brady; C Brady, B Donnelly; F McGlade, T Noack Hofman, J McCabe; P Morris, K Bouchier, C Sheridan.
Subs: P Conneely for P Morris (53), S Hamilton for McGlade (59).
Referee: K Eanneta (Tyrone).
