Crossmaglen Rangers face Edendork in Ulster semi-final following late, late heroics in Cavan

ULSTER GAA CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP – QUARTER-FINAL

GOWNA 2-18

CROSSMAGLEN RANGERS 1-22

“I don’t really know what happened there, it was some finish wasn’t it?

“Honestly, I had to ask at the final whistle what the score was, I thought we needed two to draw and we were trying to work two at the very end,” said Crossmaglen captain Callum Cumiskey, only seconds after the final whistle.

“If we could play a bit more for the first 30 minutes, I would be a lot happier. We got out of there by the skin of our teeth and being honest we only played football for 30-minutes.”

If that is what was racing through the Crossmaglen captains head, you can only imagine what the rest of the crowd in Kingspan Breffni Park felt on Saturday night in what was an outstanding game of football.

Crossmaglen had to come from 11 points down after Gowna bossed the opening half, but Rangers found a way back and they looked to have rolled their opponents over when the Cavan midfielder Ryan Donohue landed a two-pointer to edge ahead with time all but up.

However, Cross were awarded 50-metre free, it was the Clann Eireann game all over again but as Oisin O’Neill lined up the difficult shot, he intelligently passed to younger brother Rian, who launched an almighty shot over the bar, to clinch a late, late dramatic winner.

“It’s our first in Ulster since 2018, so if winning the county final was a relief and to get that championship win for the younger boys, then this is multiplied by tenfold, just due to the fact that this a new group, it is a young team and to get the win in Ulster, we can only build from here,” Cumiskey said.

“An ex-teammate of mine sent me a nice message during the week. He said, ‘in 1999, the Cross team came down to Cavan against Gowna and got out with a single point win and it was good enough for them, they went on to win the All-Ireland that season.”

Played in Kingspan Breffni Park on Saturday night, the air was fresh but the play from Gowna in the first half was red hot. They were in tune, played aggressively and with conviction whereas Rangers looked a little ragged and off the boil. The south Armagh men’s attacks broke down on too many occasions, 12 in all and cheaply too, such as fist passing to an opponent on three first half occasions.

Oisin O’Neill got the ball rolling with a point but Gowna had replied on four occasions in the next five minutes, with Cian Madden, Conor Brady and Conor Casey on target, including the latter powering through the heart of Crossmaglen’s defence.

Fiachra Bradley’s two-pointer stretched Gowna’s lead as the Cavan champions scored with each attack. Brothers Rian and Oisin O’Neill replied with points but that was a drop in the ocean as Gowna had pressed further ahead especially after Conor Casey’s outstanding two-pointer.

The game appeared to be running away from Rangers when Cian O’Neill collected a beautiful looping pass from Rian before turning and lashing into the Gowna net, while substitute Keelan McEntee tagged on a point with his first touch.

So, Gowna were eight points to the good at the break (Gowna 1-13 Crossmaglen Rangers 1-05), but midfielder Ryan Donohue bagged a goal straight from the restart to place the Cavan champions firmly in the driving seat.

But it still gave Cross plenty of time to launch a comeback and Rian O’Neill’s two-pointer, his brother Oisin O’Niell’s two-pointed free and another score from substitute young McEntee left the score 2-13 to 1-11 with only 38 minutes gone.

Cross changed tact by pressing with intensity and forcing Gowna to kick long and Rangers were coming out on top around the middle, winning dirty ball and they tightened up in defence, they no longer were giving away cheap fouls.

“We hadn’t faced this team before and sometimes you don’t know the dangermen until you are on the pitch and we got that sorted and I think we got more breaks than they did in the second half and maybe we wanted it more,” said defender Chris Crowley.

“It was just that we have been here before, it should have been level at half-time, we wasted a lot of shots in the first half and when our chances fell short, they went up the other side of the pitch and we ended up conceding a few scores as well. We knew we were still in it, and we had to keep doing what we are doing only we needed to put the ball over the bar or kick it dead and that is what we did.”

Momentum was fully behind Crossmaglen Rangers, but they squandered chances to cut into the lead even more, although Cian McConville’s blocked shot on goal rebounded over the bar. Still, the Cross wave kept coming, Pearse Blessings two-pointer made it three-point game and a minute later that was then reduced to two when captain Callum Cumiskey fired over on 49 minutes, insuring a frantic and exciting last ten minutes.

Odran Madden’s fisted point restored Gowna’s goal lead, but Oisin posted another booming two-pointer to level the game before substitute James Teelan struck Rangers into the lead, with a smart point.

This was tense and utterly brilliant football and Gowna were not going to bow out gracefully, instead there was still enough time for Ryan Brady add point before Pearse Blessing produced another stunning point. It looked as if Cross had done enough to complete the comeback, but Ryan Dohohue’s two-pointer was worthy to win any game but not this one.

Because the O’Neill brothers worked it out with Oisin’s smarts and Rian’s unwavering confidence and talent, he sent his long-range effort flying between the posts and Cross had done it again and came back from almost the abyss to clinch victory.

“It is unreal, I thought it was very like the Clann Eireann game, I thought it was gone for us, but we have serious kickers, the three O’Neill’s, McConville and Pearse Blessing, which kept us in the game at that is my first win in Ulster and our first since 2018,” said Crowley.

“Gowna are very strong and probably the most physical team we met this year and it is just great to win it like that; it is great to be a part of.”

Crossmaglen’s reward for their late, late comeback heroics is an Ulster Senior Club semi-final against Tyrone champions Edendork who overcame Cathal Murray’s St Brigid’s of Antrim (1-15 to 2-11) at O’Neill Park in Dungannon. The Armagh champions will face Edendork on November 21/22 weekend, with speculation the game could take place in Newry’s Pairc Esler.

GOWNA: Mark Brady; Fionán Brady, Cormac Brady, Ryan McGahern; Fiachra Brady (0-2, 2pt), Conor Brady (0-1), Tiarnan Madden; Ryan Brady, Ryan Donohoe (1-3, 2pt); Conor Madden (1-0), Seanie Hartin (0-1), Daire Madden (0-2, 2pt); Oisin Pierson, Conor Casey (0-4, 2pt), Cian Madden (0-4, 4f).

Subs: Eoghan Hartin for McGahern (34’), Odhran Madden (0-1) for S Hartin (47’), Robbie Fitzpatrick for Pierson (59’), Caolán Fitzpatrick for Fionán Brady (60’).

CROSSMAGLEN: Miceal Murray; Christopher Crowley, Caolan Dillon, Eugene McEntee; Odhran Caraher (0-1), Callum Cumiskey (0-1), Harry Cumiskey; Stephen Morris, Pearse Blessing (0-3, 2pt); Aaron Haughey, Oisin O’Neill (0-10, 2pt, 2ptf, 1f), Rian O’Neill (0-5, 2pt, 2ptf); Cian McConville (1-1, 1f), Aaron O’Neill, Ryan Martin.

Subs: Keelan McEntee (0-2) for H Cumiskey (29’), Padraig Stuttard for Caraher (38’), Seamus Teelan (0-1) for E McEntee (53’), Paul Hughes for C Dillon (58’).

Referee: Paul Faloon (Drumgath, Co Down).