Slaughtneil pushed all the way in getting past Kilcoo

Patsy Bradley grabbed the all-important goal on 37 minutes in a game that was full of incidents

Slaughtneil’s Shane McGuigan was on the scoresheet in their win over Kilcoo. Photo: Lorcan Doherty/Inpho
Slaughtneil’s Shane McGuigan was on the scoresheet in their win over Kilcoo. Photo: Lorcan Doherty/Inpho

Kilcoo 0-12 Slaughtneil 1-11

Slaughtneil battled their way past a 13-man Kilcoo to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Ulster club senior football championship.

Patsy Bradley grabbed the all-important goal on 37 minutes in a game that was full of incidents. Kilcoo lost Dylan Ward and Eugene Branagan to red cards whereas Slaughtneil's Paul McNeill was also forced into an early bath.

The sides were level on four points apiece by the first quarter, with Kilcoo’s Paul Devlin and Celium Doherty finding the target, while Shane McGuigan and Christopher Bradley did the needful for the Derry men and indeed the defending champions finished the half strongly with Brendan Rogers, Christopher Bradley and Cormac O’Doherty giving Slaughtniel a 0-07 to 0-04 lead at the break.

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Kilcoo relied on the free-taking of Paul Devlin and Darragh O’Hanlon to stay in the game.

Rodgers’ goal came only minutes after Branagan’s red card, still though Kilcoo created chances but O’Hanlon’s penalty was saved by Slaughtniel keeper Antoin McMullan and he was forced into action again to deny a late, late Magpies rally.

Kilcoo: S Kane, N Branagan, D O'Hanlon (0-4), N McEvoy, E Branagan, Aidan Branagan, D Branagan, F McGreevy, A Morgan, D Ward, P Devlin (0-5), Conor Laverty, J Johnston, C Doherty (0-1), J McClean. Subs: M Devlin (0-1) for McEvoy 30, JJ McLoughlin (0-1) for McGreevy 41, D Kane for Johnston 55. Red cards: D Ward 8, E Branagan 40.

Slaughtneil: A McMullan, P McNeill, B Rodgers (0-1), K McKaigue, F McEldowney, C McKaigue, K Feeney, P Bradley (1-0), P Casey, Shane McGuigan (0-4), R Bradley, M McGrath (0-1), C O'Doherty (0-1), Sé McGuigan (0-1), C Bradley (0-2). Subs used: B Cassidy (0-1) for C Bradley 50, G Bradley for McGrath 54, C McAllister for R Bradley 60 (black card). Red cards: P McNeill 26, B Rodgers 60.

Referee: Niall Cullen (Fermanagh).