Kilcoo (Down) 4-13

Maghery (Armagh) 0-12

Kilcoo are back in the Ulster club SFC final for the first time since 2012 after hammering Maghery at Pairc Esler.

Paul McIver's charges ran riot after Maghery had Aidan Forker sent off on a straight red card just before half-time. Ryan Johnston had raised the game's first green flag moments earlier as the five-in-a-row Down champions took a commanding 1-8 to 0-4 lead into the break.

The result was never in doubt after that as Kilcoo set up a Ulster final showdown with 2014 champions Slaughtneil in two weeks' time.

Maghery led just once after Conor Mackle fired them into a four-minute lead. The Magpies underlined their superiority by responding with five unanswered points between the sixth and 15th minutes, with Paul Devlin, Ceilum Doherty, Eugene Branagan and Johnston all finding the target.

Forker slotted over a brace of frees before Johnston netted in the 28th minute. Maghery's task was made even more difficult when their full forward was given his marching orders by referee Joe McQuillan following a 30th minute scuffle.

It was all over bar the shouting three minutes into the second half when Lavery teed up Doherty for a palmed goal. Maghery rallied to reduce the gap to five points, 0-9 to 2-8, at the end of the third quarter before quick-fire goals from sub JJ McLoughlin and Doherty in the 49th and 50th minutes put the icing on the cake for Kilcoo.

Kilcoo - N Kane; N McEvoy, D O'Hanlon, N Branagan; D Branagan, E Branagan (0-1), Aaron Branagan; J McClean, F McGreevy; C Doherty (2-1), A Morgan (0-1), R Johnston (1-3); M Devlin (0-1), Paul Devlin (0-4, 3f), C Laverty. Subs: D Kane (0-1f) for E Branagan, Gary McEvoy for M Devlin, JJ McLoughlin (1-0) for N McEvoy, Gerard McEvoy (0-1f) for D Branagan, N Morgan for F McGreevy, Patrick Devlin for Paul Devlin.

Maghery - J Montgomery; K Nugent, O Lappin, G Campbell; D Lavery, C Higgins, N Forker (0-1); J Lavery, B Crealey (0-1); E Scullion, C Mackle (0-2), Stefan Forker (0-4, 2f); R Lappin (0-1), A Forker (0-2f), S Cusack. Subs: S Fox for E Scullion, Seamus Forker (0-1f) for C Mackle, P Forker for G Campbell, S Tennyson for D Lavery, J Lavery for R Lappin.

Referee - J McQuillan.

Tweet

Most Read Stories