52 SPORT
Letterkennypost Thursday 17 May 2018
SOCCER - KNOCKALLA CARAVANS CUP FINAL
Ryan McConnell was presented with the Tom Bonner Memorial Man of the Match Award by members of the Bonner family.
Cockhill's best chance fell to Laurrence Toland in the second half but he fired over from this good position.
Controversy erupts with sending off
ROVERS RETURN Letterkenny Rovers
2
Cockhill Celtic
1
Chris Ashmore chris@letterkennypost.com
Letterkenny Rovers must love the Knockalla Cup. On Sunday, they came from behind to beat their great rivals Cockhill Celtic to capture the title for the second successive year. In 2017, they triumphed with a 3-0 defeat of Glengad United but one suspects this win over the Ulster Senior League’s topdogs was even sweeter. But for the Inishowen kingpins, there was a sour taste left from this defeat. The main talking point was the dismissal of the influential Malachy McDermott in the final quarter. It was a controversial decision, and one fiercely disputed by the Buncrana side.
Neverthless, Rovers did enough on the day to earn this victory in a final played in ideal conditions at Dry Arch Park, Bonagee. Rovers had the better of things early on but Cockhill took the lead on 11 minutes when Oisin McColgan rose to head home a Gerry Gill corner. But the Letterkenny side was level just three minutes later. Kevin McGrath’s stinging shot from the edge of the area was stopped by Lee McCarron, but he was unable to hold it, and Declan Sharkey followed up to force the ball home from close range. Rovers took the lead on 25 minutes when the industrious Cillian Morrison fed Nelis out on the wing and he drove the ball across the face of goal where Ryan Lonergan, several feet from the far post, somehow managed to steer the ball back past McCarron and into the far corner of the net from an acute angle. Rovers were good value for
their interval lead. Cockhill attacked with more regularity in the second half. On 68 minutes, their best chance fell to Laurence Toland who stormed into the box only to blaze over the target. So often a hero for the men in green and white, McDermott was given his marching orders on 74 minutes after an off-the ball incident that left Rovers’ player Nelis clutching his face - and on the ground - with a trailing elbow being cited as the cause of the controversy. Having consulted with his assistant, Marty Quinn, referee Marty McGarrigle produced the red card for the number eight. McDermott was incensed. His reaction was that of a man who was innocent of an alleged wrongdoing. McDermott’s departure left Cockhill with an even bigger task and on this occasion they were unable to salvage anything. The venting of discontent still carried on after the final
Controversy...Luke Nelis walks away as Malcahy McDermott (far left) looks on while referee Marty McGarrigle discusses matters with his assistant Marty Quinn.
whistle with the officials coming in for a barrage of criticism. Indeed, Cockhill felt Rovers first goal was offside and felt they should have had a penalty for handball as well. But over the 90 minutes, Cockhill lacked their usual creativity in front of goal and ultimately Rovers deserved this win. Cockhill Celtic: Lee McCarron, Kieran McLaughlin, Paul McDermott, Peter Doherty, Oisin McColgan, Ger-
ard McLaughlin, Mark Moran, Malachy McDermott, Laurence Toland, Gerry Gill, Ronan Doherty. Subs: Liam O’Donnell for K. McLaughlin (72 mins), Paul McKinney for Toland (90 mins), Daniel Marty Doherty, Ryan Kelly, Daniel Doherty, Barry McColgan, Gavin Cullen. Letterkenny Rovers: Rory Kelly, David Shovlin, Chris Flanagan, Kevin McGrath, Ryan McConnell, Ryan Lonergan, Luke Nelis, Chris Malseed, Cillian Morrison, Christy Con-
This means the world to us Conaghan With regular captain Darren McElwaine missing the game through injury, it was Christy Conaghan who took on the leadership role for the Knockalla Caravans Cup decider. Delighted with the outcome, he felt that it had been a great team performance. “We all know that Cockhill are a formidable force, and you have to be at the top of your game against them,” he said. He acknowledged that Cockhill had the better of things in the second half, but he paid tribute to his side’s defence and notably Ryan McConnell. Asked what this win means for Rovers, he replied: “This means the world to us. When you come to the business end of the season you want to get a trophy. After all the training and hard work, it is great to see it paying off.”
Celebration time for Letterkenny Rovers after they beat Cockhill Celtic to win the Knockalla Caravans Cup.
naghan, Declan Sharkey. Subs: Ryan Gildea for McGrath (77 mins), Paul McVeigh for Morrison (79 mins), Odhran McMacken for Lonergan (85 mins), Garbhan Grant. Steve Okapo-Emeka, Danny Ferry, John Roulstone. Referee: Marty McGarrigle.
“We did not create enough” – Cullen Cockhill manager Gavin Cullen was understandably frustrated having seen his side lost out to Letterkenny Rovers. But he was quick to acknowledge that his sides’ performance in the first half was flat, and ultimately they did not do enough to win. He said: “We did not create enough chances. We were not good enough on the night. Letterkenny probably deserved to win it.” While they re-jigged things at half-time, it wasn’t enough. Asked about the dismissal of Malachy McDermott, he felt that they there had been three big decisions on the night for the officials, and none of them had gone Cockhill’s way. He felt that Rovers’ first goal was off-side and also felt they should have had a second half penalty for handball, while McDermott had “done nothing” to merit seeing red.