Derry Masters turn back the years to retain their All-Ireland Intermediate Shield title

All-Ireland Masters Shield Final

Derry 2-17

Cork 1-06

Derry turned on the style in the Capital on Saturday afternoon to retain their All Ireland Intermediate Shield title.

The reigning champions, who struggled to find their very best form all season, produced a display for the ages and led this game from gun to tape.

Ciaran ‘Papa’ McIvor  and Raymond ‘Crook’ Wilkinson scored the Derry goals in either half but in truth this was well oiled team performance with nine different scorers and any number of men raising their hands when he came to ‘man of the match’ candidacy.

The Rebels, buoyed by a solid league campaign under their belts, marauded north to Dublin with the scent of Ulster blood in their collective nostrils. And while the likes of that towering giant Nicholas Murphy was outstanding in the midfield aerial battle, slick Derry simply clicked into a much superior gear from the moment they turned on the ignition. Cork would endure nothing less than a shellacking.

M.V.P. and skipper Kevin McGuckin, the Duracell-battered Eugene Scullion and battering ram Paul Cartin all ran continuously and relentlessly at increasingly tiring Cork legs. Fans favourite Cartin was once asked to run head first into the Banagher Dam just to stress test its resilience. The Dam’s thick concrete walls survived, barely. Carty wants a rematch.

Sport at its greatest allows the artist to express himself and Brian ‘Tiddles’ Mullan orchestrated around the middle third, as always, with Jimmy O’Connor’s high octaned running and Ciaran ‘Banty’ Mullan’ range of kick passing devilishly bamboozling their opponents.

But that’s just to mention a few warriors in red and white. Goalkeeper Pearse McCallan pulled off an outrageous penalty save to keep Cork at bay, with a teak tough defensive wall of Aidy Deery, Eddie McLaughlin and Philly Mooney forming a triumvirate of nightclub bouncers that you really wouldn’t want to face on a night out.

Drum’s Donal Brolly has been excellent throughout his Masters career, with his old club mate Rory O’Reilly bringing added pace, conditioning and game intelligence to Derry’s play in his rookie year.

Up top forwards the calibre of Gavin Diamond, who tore London a fresh backside in last year’s final, and livewires Ryan ‘Peacock’ O’Kane and Raymond Wilkson forming a twin nightmare no defence fancies curtailing.

The brilliant Ciaran McIvor’s early point and goal set Derry on their way. Cork responded briefly before rapid-fire points from Wilkinson, Paul Cartin, Gavin Diamond and a monster from Kevin McGuckin more than suggested the Oakleafers were in the mood.

With McIvor and Cartin both filtering back to snuff out Rebel attacks, points from Marty McGuinness – superb throughout – and a brace from Crook Wilkinson handed the Derry men a 1-9 to 1-2 half-time lead.

Rory O’Reilly assisted an early McIvor point to open the second half, before a beauty from James McNicholl and second Marty McGuinness effort all but sealed Cork’s fate.

When raiding defender Jack Joe Bigmore was hauled down just as he bore down on goal it left Wilkinson to clinically drill home Derry’s penalty. Frees from super subs Joe Gray and Marty Donaghy further intensified the Rebel’s pain. A late Gavin Diamond point with his ‘bad’ foot concluded the afternoon’s scoring leaving Derry, once again, the All Ireland Intermediate champions.

The Derry management of Honda Mullan, Enda O’Hagan, Sig Doherty and Frankie Davey introduced any number of enthusiastic replacements who, to a man, all made a telling impact as the Oakleaf contingent refused to take the pedal off the medal.

Substitute ‘keeper Kieran O’Kane, arriving straight from a night shift as a firefighter, pulled off a wonderful save late on that epitomised the quality on the Derry bench.

Reports of record takings at St Peregrine’s social club in the post-match celebrations cannot be confirmed, but what is undeniable was the craic on the big Yellow Bus all the home never cooled. In a rollercoaster year for Derry football, Derry Masters have once again concluded the season with a trophy. Roll on next year!

Derry scorers: Raymond Wilkson (1-3), Ciaran McIvor (1-2), Marty McGuinness (0-3), Joe Gray (0-2), Gavin Diamond (0-2), Kevin McGuckin (0-1), Paul Cartin (0-1), Marty Donaghy (0-1), Brian Mullan (0-1), James McNicholl (0-1)

Derry: Pearse McCallan, Aidy Deery, Eddie McLaughlin, Philly Mooney, Brian Mullan, Donal Brolly, Paul Cartin, Kevin McGuckin (C), Eugene Scullion, Jimmy O’Connor, Ciaran Mullan, Gavin Diamond, Ryan O’Kane, Ciaran McIvor, Raymond Wilkinson

Subs: Rory O’Reilly, Marty Donaghy, Joe Gray, Kieran O’Kane, James McNicholl, Gareth Murphy, Marty McGuinness, Jack Joe Bigmore, Joe Bradley, Ricky Clarence, Liam McElhone, Kevin Cosgrove, Kevin Donnelly, Daryl Moore