Kilcoo lived up to their pre-match hype by defeating Crosserlough in an epic Ulster championship tie at Páirc Esler in Newry.
Before a ball was even kicked in this competition, many had the Down champions as favourites for Ulster following the exit of holders Watty Graham’s Glen in their Derry competition.
It only took the Cavan champions four minutes to show that they cared little for the bookies’ thoughts, though, as they drew first blood with a goal from midfielder James Smith.
The ball was crossed in from the right wing like something that would be commonplace in a soccer match instead of a GAA game, but Smith was quickest to react as he got just enough of a paw on the size five O’Neill’s to drive it into the net.
It took the Down champions over seven minutes to respond when Ryan Johnston kicked over a lovely point to give the home crowd something to cheer about.
What was clear to see from the outset was that Crosserlough were not going to be bullied by Kilcoo and matched them for physicality and aggression, playing with an edge that made life very difficult for Karl Lacey’s men.
However, that aggression cost them when Oran Rehill’s tackle on Miceal Rooney resulted in a black card for the Cavan side.
The Magpies made full use of the numerical advantage with Jerome Johnston and Paul Devlin racking up consecutive scores to really put the pressure on the visiting team.
A fine score from captain Peter Smith calmed things down for Crosserlough, and then they turned excitement decibels right up when their goalkeeper Shane McManus got involved in the play.
The Kilcoo forwards backed off the number one, allowing him to come out into the field, and McManus took full advantage, eating up the space in front of him before playing a lovely one-two with Brandon Boylan that put him in a shooting position, and he scored a beautiful point with the outside of his right foot.
Two more scores from Jerome Johnston and Devlin meant that the game was all square as the clock ticked into injury time for the first half, and defender Kieran Smith picked up Crosserlough’s second black card of the game, leaving them down to 14 men for the second time.
Devlin converted the consequential free kick and Kilcoo took the lead for the first time in the match just before the interval.
Smith’s black card meant that the Cavan champions started the second half with a man down and Kilcoo came out on the offensive, with joint captain Darryl Branagan getting the first score of the half.
Emmett Boylan responded with his first score of the game and then, with the team restored to full strength, James Smith caught and converted a mark to equalise for his team.
It was at this stage that the Down senior county manager Conor Laverty was introduced to the fray in place of Eugene Branagan and it seemed to spark a reaction from the men in black and white as they converted the next two scores – both courtesy of Devlin who just couldn’t miss.
An inspirational score from Kieran Smith – who had been exceptional since coming back onto the pitch – made it a one-point game, and shortly afterwards Oran Rehill kicked a mark to make it all square.
With the game in the melting pot, and five minutes left to go on the clock, Laverty kicked over a beautiful point, slicing it with the outside of his right foot and sending Páirc Esler wild.
Unbelievably, Crosserlough picked up their third black card after an off-the-ball altercation involving Dara McVeety, and it put Kilcoo in pole position to see this game out, but Matthew Costello had other ideas and scored a late equaliser to make the home side sweat.
Devlin was never going to let that slide, though, and he kicked his sixth and seventh point consecutively as James Smith was sent off – amazingly for the fourth time – to leave Crosserlough down to 14 and thus allowing Kilcoo to secure their place in the Semi-Final.
Kilcoo: Niall Kane, Niall Branagan, Ryan McEvoy, Callum Rogers, Miceal Rooney, Darryl Branagan, Eugene Branagan, Aaron Morgan, Ryan Johnston, Mac Darragh Hynes, Anthony Morgan, Shealan Johnston, Celium Doherty Jerome Johnston, Paul Devlin.
Scorers: R Johnston 0-1, C Rogers 0-1, J Johnston 0-2, P Devlin 0-7 (5f), R McEvoy 0-2, D Branagan 0-1, C Laverty 0-1.
Subs: C Laverty on for E Branagan (40), Padraig Shalvey on for J Johnston.
Crosserlough: Shane McManus, John Cooke, Patrick O’Reilly, Fionn Lovett, Cian Boylan, Conor Rehill, Kieran Smith, James Smith, Peter Smith, Oran Rehill, Dara McVeety, Harry Boylan, Brandon Boylan, Emmett Boylan , Matthew Costello.
Scorers: J Smith 1-1 (1m), B Boylan 0-1 (1f), D Mcveety 0-2, P Smith 0-1, S McManus 0-1, E Boylan 0-1, K Smith 0-1, O Rehill 0-1, M Costello 0-1,
Subs: Eoin Cusack on for B Boylan (49), Stephen Smith on for E Boylan (52), Ryan Galligan on for H Boylan.
Referee: Barry Cassidy