Four Masters 0-17
Malin 1-10
By Damian Dowds
Four Masters secured an extra time victory over Malin in the quarter final of the U21A Championship (2009 edition) on Saturday. Two evenly-matched sides served up a hugely entertaining game in bright sunshine at Naomh Pádraig Iskaheen's grounds at Ture. Malin got off to a dream start with a goal in the opening minute but Four Masters pulled it back and the teams went into the half-time break level at 0-7 to 1-4.
Malin had the better of the second half, but hit seven wides over the half hour and Four Masters looked to have snatched it right at the death when Conor McDaid boomed over a difficult free into the breeze from 35 metres out to give them a 0-11 to 1-7 lead. But Malin mounted one final attack and won a free far from goal. Seventeen year-old Dan McDaid took responsibility and split the posts with a monstrous kick from outside 50 metres to send the game into extra time.
Both sides had looked tired at the end of normal time and fatigue led to mistakes in extra time. But Four Masters found a second wind from somewhere and finished both periods of extra time strongly, but their win wasn't quite as comprehensive as the four point margin suggests.
A pointed Matthew Byrne free had pushed Malin ahead a minute into extra time, but Conor McDaid responded with a free for Four Masters five minutes later.
Two points in the two minutes before half time in extra time gave the Donegal Town men the upper hand. First, Stephen Keaney intercepted a short free in the Malin defence and punished them by slotting over, and they heaped on the misery by winning the resulting kickout which allowed the impressive Conor McMonagle to point and give them a 0-14 to 1-9 lead at half time in extra time.
Malin remained dangerous, though. Michael Doherty was moved to full forward and after winning a high ball he was unlucky to see his shot hit the butt of the post with the keeper beaten. Matthew Byrne made amends with a point moments later to reduce the deficit to a single point, but it proved to be Malin's last score of the game. Conor McDaid and Conor McMonagle pointed in 76th and 77th minutes to put three between the teams. Malin had one final chance with midfielder Declan Walsh, who was influential throughout, hitting the side netting after breaking into the parallelogram from the left.
Oisin McGinty applied the coup de grace when he pointed late on to put four between the teams and seal Four Masters' progress to the semi-finals.
Malin had got the best of starts when Gary Farren goaled within 60 seconds of the throw-in, but Conor McMonagle – who ran the Malin defence ragged in the first half – and marauding wing back Raymie McGrory responded with points in the second and fifth minutes respectively.
Matthew Byrne was Malin's main scoring threat, and he hit three first half points, two from frees, and was central to most of their attacking play. Declan Walsh was hugely influential at midfield, although the Four Masters pairing of Sean O'Kennedy and Davy Crawford came into it as the game wore on with the latter notching up a good point five minutes before half time.
Stephen Keeney, too, was dangerous for Four Masters scoring two points and giving his marker a torrid time of it.
Malin's Dan McDaid, who is minor again in 2010, made a good target man at full forward and his first point of the day came on 27 minutes to level the sides at 1-4 to 0-7 at the half time break.
Malin switched midfielder Conor Farren onto McMonagle and that certainly curbed the influence of the Four Masters playmaker, at least until extra time.
Two Dan McDaid frees on either side of a John O'Kennedy point from play maintained Malin's single point advantage at the end of the third quarter, before points from Josh Lacey and Stephen Keeney put Four Masters a point clear by the 47th minute.
With both sides wilting in the energy sapping conditions and mistakes creeping in, clear cut chances were at a premium as the clock ticked down. Dan McDaid pointed a 52nd minute free to draw Malin level before those two magnificent late frees, Conor McDaid's for Four Masters and Dan McDaid's for Malin, sent the game into extra time.
Malin: Ruairí Kelly; Finbar Collins, John G McLaughlin, Ciaran McColgan; Simon Ward, Danny Green, Patrick McLaughlin; Declan Walsh, Conor Farren; Eddie Kelly, Matthew Byrne (0-5, 3 frees), Michael Doherty; Seamie Doherty, Dan McDaid (0-5, 4 frees), Gary Farren (1-0). Subs: Stephen McLaughlin (FD) for P. McLaughlin (23 mins); John Doherty for S. Ward (39 mins); Martin Ward for S. Doherty (Extra Time); Ryan McDaid for E. Kelly (Extra Time)
Four Masters: Sean Martin; Jamie McCrea, Barry Farragher, Ryan O'Donnell; Darren Walsh, Josh Lacey (0-1), Raymie McGrory (0-2); Sean O'Kennedy (0-1), Davy Crawford (0-1); Conor McMonagle (0-4, 1 free), Luke Keaney, Dermot McHugh; Oisin McGinty (0-1), Conor McDaid (0-3, 2 frees), Stephen Keaney (0-4). Subs: Ryan Earley for D. McHugh (half-time); Robert Timoney for R. O'Donnell (47 mins); Stephen Walsh for R. Earley (Extra Time).
Referee: Kieran McShea
