St Eunan's book their SHC final tickets edging past battling Burt

St Eunan’s classy midfielder Brian MacIntyre gave a top-class performance in a thrilling battle with Burt before a big crowd in O’Donnell Park in the Donegal SHC semi-final.

St Eunan’s 1-12 Burt 1-10

Both sides are to be complimented on serving up a very entertaining fare on a very slippery pitch and growing darkness, which set in from about 10 minutes into the second half.

St Eunan’s and Burt rose above adversity in a close-run affair that was in doubt right up to Trevor Maloney’s final whistle in the 66th minute.

On balance, St Eunan’s just about deserved their victory as they had the better forwards - but youthful Burt hurled like men possessed and successfully cut off the supply to the Letterkenny side’s danger man Russell Forde by placing Dara Grant as a sweeper in front.

The game started off at a frenetic pace with both sides playing at a ferocious pace, and it was Burt who struck the first blow after just three minutes. A long shot from Ciaran Bradley hit the upright and the ball fell to Christopher McDermott, who slammed the sliotar to the net.

It was the start that the St Eunan’s did not want but they quickly regained their composure and hit two points on the spin from dual star Kevin Kealy.

Liam McKinney hit a point for Burt, although this was quickly cancelled out by a swift St Eunans’s move as MacIntyre found Ferghal Delaney with a sweet pass and the latter goaled with clinical precision.

That put St Eunan’s ahead by 1-2 to 1-1 after just four minutes a lead that was swiftly negated by. Kieran Brady point. A Liam McKinney free put the Inishowen men ahead by a point and that set the pattern for a fiercely contested match played in niggling insistent rain.

We then had a scoring famine as both sides settled into the rhythm of the game as another McKinney point pushed Burt to a 1-4 to 1-2 lead by the 18th minute.

St Eunan’s marksman Daire O’O’Maoileidigh levelled matters but wasteful Eunan’s also hit seven wides in this period. The darting McIntyre was driving his side forward and he and Matt Ahern put the Letterkenny lads two up on a score of 1-6 to 1-4.

And they had a great chance of putting real daylight between the sides, but O’Maoileidigh’s shot flashed across the goals and wide.

Kieran Bradley narrowed the gap for Burt and Stephen Gallagher tied matters again before an O’Maoileidigh free put Eunan’s leading by 1-7 to 1-6 at the break.

The pace did not flag after the break despite the heavy rain and gathering gloom as both sides went for broke which meant quite a few mistakes, but it was still riveting stuff. Burt had the better restart and McKinney and Kevin Curran edged them in front

O’Maoileidigh levelled from a long-range free but veteran Enda McDermott hit a superb point from a most acute angle to put Burt ahead by 1-9 to 1-8.

Burt were slightly in the ascendancy as Conor Gartland landed a free after McKinney had a few uncharacteristic misses in the 53rd minute. By this stage, it was very hard to see the players from the high vantage point of the press box, let alone the ball.

But both sides went flat out for victory in those final frenetic moments. St Eunan’s were slightly the stronger finishers as O’ Maoiledigh and McIntyre nudged them to a 1-10 to 1-9 lead.

O’ Maoileidigh laned another free but Gartland replied for Burt as both sets of fans roared on their side to glory. Referee Trevor Maloney played 66 minutes and Oisin Kelly pulled off a great save on the line to deny Eunan’s Fergal Kelly a certain goal.

But the match ended on a real quality when St Eunan’s corner forward Peter Kelly arrowed over a great point to huge cheers. Back came Burt with a high ball into the square where anything could have happened in the darkness-but Eunan’s’ survived to fashion a memorable victory.

St Eunan’s scorers: Daire O’Maoileidgh 0-5,4f; Fergahal Delaney 1-0; Kevin Kealy, Brian MacIntyre and Matt Ahern 0-2; Peter Kelly 0-1.
Burt scorers: Christopher McDermott 1-1; Liam McKinney 0-3, 2f; Conor Gartland 0-2, 2f; Ciaran Bradley, Kieran Brady, Kevin Curran and Stephen Gallagher 0-1;

St Eunan’s: Cian Hennessy; Sean Halvey, Conor McVeigh, Lorcan Heavey; Conor O’Grady, Sean McVeigh, Ryan Hilferty; Brian McIntyre, Cormac Finn; Daire O’Maoileidigh, Kevin Kealy Matt Ahern; Peter Kelly, Ferghal Delaney Russell Forde. David Horgan for Russell Forde (44).
Burt: Paul Burns; James Donaghey, Benny Harrigan, Ciaran Curran; Caolan McDermott, Christopher McDermott Ciaran Bradley; Stephen Gillespie, Oisin Kelly; Kieran Brady, Kevin Curran, Conor Gartland; Stephen Gallagher, Liam McKinney, Dara Grant. Callum Purves for Dara Grant (47)
Referee: Trevor Maloney (Buncrana)