First game to throw in was Northumbria versus Cu Chulainns. A local derby to start the day meant some fierce tackling as the days competition started at a fast pace. The weather played a role as the match started in the rain and both team’s midfielders and defences cancelled each other out completely in the first half and at the break the game was scoreless. Straight from the throw in starting the second half Northumbria strung a few passes together and a strong finish from Mayo man John Reilly opened the scoring. Two minutes later the sides were level with a point from Cu Chulainns midfielder and Newcastle University student Padraig McCloskey. Another passage of play with defences on top was ended with Cu Chulainns scoring the only goal of the game. This time a long ball into the square from the right half forward position was met by Sean Gribben with a strike into the roof of the Northumbria net past goalkeeper Willie Ryan. The kick out was fielded well by the Cu Chulainn’s half forward line and the students were again punished with a simple point from 14 yards. Northumbria fought back and attacked strongly in the closing minutes scoring another point from play by Armagh man Marty McCoy but this was cancelled out by another point from Cu Chulainns who closed out the win.
Semi-Final Two
Sunderland University 0-2
Coa, Fermanagh 3-14
The senior team from Coa eased past the students of Sunderland in what proved to be a one-sided semi-final. Played in the Sunderland half for most of the game Coa were 1-5 to no score up at half time. Sunderland were short of a few key players on the day and struggled to keep pace with the Fermanagh side who are plying their trade in the intermediate league in Fermanagh this year. Ryan Beacom from Coa and captain of the Sunderland team met up with his local neighbours from Fermanagh who didn’t show much mercy to the student side.
In the second half, Fermanagh county star Darren McQuaid’s younger brother, Kevin, was creating havoc along with the skilful centre half forward who took some very impressive scores from outside the 20 meter line.
Final score was 3-14 to 0-2 to put Coa up against the local senior club Cu Chulainns in the final.
Final
Cu Chulainns, Newcastle-upon-Tyne 1-5
Coa, Fermanagh 0-8
A tough and uncompromising game for the final was just what the conditions and spectators had hoped for with Marty O’Doherty’s exiles against Brian Coulter’s tourists. A strong opening half from Coa showed that tactical nous coupled with some accurate forward line play allowed them to open up a significant half time lead with the score at 0-6 to 0-1 at half time.
Cu Chulainns changed shape as they came out for the second half and had much more success working the ball out of defence with a series of fast hand passing moves to score the first two points of the second half. Again Coa responded well and a free in from McQuaid meant the lead was down to four points.
Throughout the game the full back for Coa gave an assured performance but waves of pressure from Cu Chulainns paid dividends after a foul was punished by a free kick taken by their half forward 25 meters out on the right hand side. Coa then appeared to secure the tie as they countered again to make it 8 points to 4. With the game approaching the final 10 minutes, some robust defending from the local men gave Coa two great free kick opportunities to close out the game but uncharacteristically these opportunities were missed with both falling short of the near side posts.
Cu Chulainns never gave up and attacked relentlessly and with three minutes left got their breakthrough after a high ball was floated into the square by Jonny Scales and fisted into the net by full forward James Tully. This change to the momentum of the game allowed Cu Chulainns the belief to hem the Coa defence in for the final few minutes of the game and an inevitable equaliser came with just one minute on the clock. A frantic final minute saw both teams miss opportunities to win the game but in the end a draw seemed the fair result to end another great day in the emerging hotbed of Gaelic games in Newcastle.
