DERRY MADE IT through their Ulster quarter-final against Antrim to make it to a semi-final against the winners of Cavan and Monaghan.
This was Derry’s first win in Ulster since they put two provincial titles back to back in 2022 and 2023. The last two years they met Donegal in their first game and they have inflicted serious damage on a group that were in the conversation, for a time, as potential All-Ireland winners.
Antrim had coped well with Derry in the opening stages, with Niall Burns very prominent and finishing off a turnover from a Derry kickout with a smart shot to the net.
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But a loose handpass from Dominic McEnhill allowed Lachlan Murray to steal in and grab possession. With Antrim goalkeeper John McNabb stranded at the halfway line, Murray ran the ball all the way in to drive a shot low to the net.
At 1-7 to 1-2 with 21 minutes gone, even allowing for how games can switch with the rules in play, it still felt over as a contest.
A bad miss from Ethan Doherty and a brilliant save by McNabb, a shot that cannoned off the post from Diarmuid Baker all felt that a big wave was about to swallow up Antrim.
That never really happened as a series of chances were passed up and Derry found McNabb in good shot-stopping form.
Antrim even looked as if they might eat into Derry’s lead with an Eoghan McCabe two-pointer. But this was immediately followed by a McNabb save from a Niall Loughlin shot, with the Cargin man powerless to stop Paul Cassidy slotting home the rebound for Derry’s second goal.
From then on, it was a procession as Ciaran Meenagh’s men managed the margin and got the job done without sustaining any injuries.
Meanwhile, Down beat Antrim for the second time this season in the Joe McDonagh Cup opener.
The two had met in the league in Newry when Down won by two points and at Dunloy, it appeared Antrim were in control as they led by a point heading deep into time added on.
However, Donal Hughes, as he did in the league, killed off Antrim, making himself available to take a pass from a breaking ball and smartly finishing with a feathered tap to the net as the clock ran out.
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Once again, the future of Davy Fitzgerald as the Saffrons manager will be examined with the Saffrons expected to have done much better.
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Derry get the job done against toothless Antrim in Ulster
Derry 2-23
Antrim 1-13
DERRY MADE IT through their Ulster quarter-final against Antrim to make it to a semi-final against the winners of Cavan and Monaghan.
This was Derry’s first win in Ulster since they put two provincial titles back to back in 2022 and 2023. The last two years they met Donegal in their first game and they have inflicted serious damage on a group that were in the conversation, for a time, as potential All-Ireland winners.
Antrim had coped well with Derry in the opening stages, with Niall Burns very prominent and finishing off a turnover from a Derry kickout with a smart shot to the net.
But a loose handpass from Dominic McEnhill allowed Lachlan Murray to steal in and grab possession. With Antrim goalkeeper John McNabb stranded at the halfway line, Murray ran the ball all the way in to drive a shot low to the net.
At 1-7 to 1-2 with 21 minutes gone, even allowing for how games can switch with the rules in play, it still felt over as a contest.
A bad miss from Ethan Doherty and a brilliant save by McNabb, a shot that cannoned off the post from Diarmuid Baker all felt that a big wave was about to swallow up Antrim.
That never really happened as a series of chances were passed up and Derry found McNabb in good shot-stopping form.
Antrim even looked as if they might eat into Derry’s lead with an Eoghan McCabe two-pointer. But this was immediately followed by a McNabb save from a Niall Loughlin shot, with the Cargin man powerless to stop Paul Cassidy slotting home the rebound for Derry’s second goal.
From then on, it was a procession as Ciaran Meenagh’s men managed the margin and got the job done without sustaining any injuries.
Meanwhile, Down beat Antrim for the second time this season in the Joe McDonagh Cup opener.
The two had met in the league in Newry when Down won by two points and at Dunloy, it appeared Antrim were in control as they led by a point heading deep into time added on.
However, Donal Hughes, as he did in the league, killed off Antrim, making himself available to take a pass from a breaking ball and smartly finishing with a feathered tap to the net as the clock ran out.
Once again, the future of Davy Fitzgerald as the Saffrons manager will be examined with the Saffrons expected to have done much better.
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Derry advance GAA Gaelic Football Ulster championsip