Burt complete an unbeaten league season with victory in Division 3 final

Burt are the Division 3 league champions, overcoming Red Hugh’s by two points in the league final at Convoy on Saturday evening.

Marty Coyle’s side led by 0-7 to 0-6 at the break, and a lightning start to the second half where they reeled off 1-4 inside ten minutes, and had a penalty saved, saw them open up a seven point lead on the Killygordon side.

Goal chances went abegging at both ends, but with Calvin Bradley’s free-taking keeping Red Hugh’s in touch they hit a purple patch taking Burt for 1-3 without reply to draw level by the 55th minute.

Both sides missed opportunities in the closing stages, and it looked like the game was heading for extra time until Red Hugh’s were twice punished for technical breaches of the new rules – first for failing to keep three men in the attacking half, and then for a pass to the goalkeeper – and Burt tapped over the resulting close range frees to seal the win.

Both sides were already promoted before Saturday's final, but it’s Burt who go up to Division 2 next season as champions.

Read more: Termon hit three goals in Division 1 league final victory over Four Masters

There’d been 15 points between the sides when they met at The Cross a fortnight earlier, and Red Hugh’s manager Darren O’Leary was determined not to allow a repeat and set up his side defensively to thwart Burt’s long-range shooters.

Sean McHugh and Calvin Bradley exchanged points in the opening five minutes, but points from Stephen O’Donnell, Mark McElhinney and McHugh again had Burt 0-4 to 0-1 ahead by the ninth minute.

With Gerry Melaugh sweeping Red Hugh’s got to grips with Burt’s bursts inside the arc, and while Andrew Walker clipped over a good point for the Inishowen men, two points from Liam Carlin on either side of one from Caolan McClintock pulled the deficit back to one.

Full forward McElhinney hit two points, one of them a 45, for Burt, but Calvin Bradley from a free and Liam Carlin with the last kick of the half left the minimum between the teams at half time, 0-7 to 0-6.

Andrew Walker got Burt’s first point within 20 seconds of the restart, and Darragh Donaghey quickly added a second after being picked out by midfielder Conor Gartland, although he might have had a goal.

Burt were rampant and their cause was aided when referee Cathal Gallagher awarded them a 34th minute penalty. Red Hugh’s goalkeeper Luke Kelly fielded a shot the dropped short just under his crossbar above Mark McElhinney and went to ground inside the square.

Referee Gallagher adjudged there was no contact between the keeper and the attacker, and with Kelly failing pass the ball he was penalised for overcarrying and that technical foul inside the small square resulted in a penalty.

McElhinney struck the penalty hard to Kelly’s right, but the keeper made a fine diving save to turn it out for a 45

Burt’s goal came from that 45. McElhinney’s effort dropped into the square and after a bit of pinball the ball fell to Darragh Donaghey and he side footed it into the net off the post for a 1-9 to 0-6 lead.

Six down, Red Hugh’s came out of their defensive shape and attacked at will.

Calvin Bradley fired over a 37th minute free after a long advantage ended with Ryan Kelly missing an easy palm in goal with Burt keeper Niall McGlynn stranded.

McHugh and Shayne Gallagher from a free kept the Burt scoreboard ticking upwards, with Cathair Browne pointing in response for Red Hugh’s.

Oisin Duffy replaced Darragh McMenamin at centre field for the Finn Valley men and helped swing the momentum their way.

He fielded a couple of Burt kickouts, scored a point and set up Cathair Browne for the goal as Red Hugh’s hit 1-3 without reply in a four-minute spell was bookended with a couple of Calvin Bradley points.

Red Hugh’s were in the ascendancy and only a last gasp Leo Kelly clearance off the line denied midfielder James Doherty a goal.

Stung, Burt drove forward with Stephen O’Donnell bursting through late on only to see his shot saved by Luke Kelly and scrambled clear by the defence.

The final minutes were played mostly in the Red Hugh’s half of the field and fatigue as much as anything may have been responsible for two breaches of the experimental rules.

County hurlers Oisin Kelly and Conor Gartland had charged up field in injury time, with the latter seeing a shot drift narrowly wide.

But Burt earned a reprieve when linesman Anthony McCallig brought a ‘three up’ breach to the attention of the referee after wing forward Liam Carlin had given chase to Gartland and left just two Red Hugh’s men in the Burt half of the field.

Sub Calvin Gallagher tapped over the close range free to put his side one ahead.

Burt won the kickout and played the ball into the danger area. Red Hugh’s turned them over, but in the chaos a defender passed the ball back to the keeper and, again, another close range free for a technical breach was awarded with Shayne Gallagher tapping over as Burt earned the win by the skin of their teeth.

Burt scorers: Darragh Donaghey 1-1; Sean McHugh 0-3; Mark McElhinney 0-3 (1 ’45); Andrew Walker 0-2; Shayne Gallagher 0-2 (2f); Stephen O’Donnell 0-1; Calvin Gallagher 0-1 (1f).

Red Hugh’s scorers: Calvin Bradley 0-6 (5f); Cathair Browne 1-1; Liam Carlin 0-2; Caolan McClintock 0-1; Oisin Duffy 0-1.

Burt: Niall McGlynn; Rory McDaid, Leo Kelly, Oisin Kelly; Dara Grant, Tom Doherty, Darren Gallagher; Conor Gartland, Stephen O’Donnell; Andrew Walker, Sean McHugh, Caolan McKinney; Darragh Donaghey, Mark McElhinney, Shayne Gallagher. Subs: Darren Bradley for C McKinney (50 mins); Calvin Gallagher for A Walker (52 mins); Ciaran Bradley for T Doherty (59 mins).

Red Hugh’s: Luke Kelly; Jason Callaghan, Ryan Kelly, Aaron McGlinchey; Shane Gallagher, Gerry Melaugh, Peadar McGlinchey; James Doherty, Darragh McMenamin; Liam Carlin, Pauric McMenamin, Colm Melaugh; Cathair Browne, Calvin Bradley, Caolan McClintock. Sub: Oisin Doherty for D McMenamin (40 mins).

Referee: Cathal Gallagher (Glenswilly)