GAELS WIN GOAL-FEST IN CLONES
AFTER not one sniff of a goal chance in a drab drawn game last week, these two returned to Clones yesterday and lit the place up with a goal in the sixth minute of injury time putting Cavan Gaels into a first Ulster club SFC final in 40 years. Fermanagh champions Derrygonnelly were denied the win after Barry Fortune tapped into an empty net to snatch victory at the end of a crazy semi-final replay. Cavan will now face holders Slaughtneil in the final next Sunday. Paul O’Connor scored a hat-trick, his aerial threat and physical presence causing Derrygonnelly problems all day and it was he who broke the ball down for Fortune’s winning strike. Still, they fought back from the concession of some soft goals to lead deep into stoppage time until Cavan Gaels somehow found a way. The sides were level three times in a lively opening quarter before Paul Ward’s low shot across goal in the 18th minute pushed Derrygonnelly into a 1-5 to 0-4 lead. But Cavan killed them on the counter-attack and O’Connor was rampant close to goal. He stepped round the ‘keeper Dermot Feely in the first of three Cavan goals in a five-minute spell, and two minutes later beat Feely at the near post to fist home Martin Dunne’s assist. Seanie Johnston slid home a third to put his team 3-5 to 1-8 up at the break. O’Connor completed his hattrick within a minute of the restart to move six points ahead. Conal Jones’ spectacular goal, and a monster 50m point by Ryan Jones, put Derrygonnelly back in front three minutes into stoppage time. They restricted Cavan to just 0-2 in over 30 minutes of football until Fortune followed up Johnston’s ball across to O’Connor to tap the ball home.