All square between Laragh and Ramor in thriller

Senior Football Championship quarter-final

Ramor United 1-12

Laragh United 3-6

Paul Fitzpatrick at Kingspan Breffni

Ramor and Laragh must do it all over again after their engaging battle last Friday night at HQ resulted in stalemate.

Ramor will be the happier team to have another crack at it; they fell seven points behind in the first half, didn’t lead until the 55th minute and still trailed heading into injury time after a mistake handed Laragh their third goal.

The Stradone-based side started at a high tempo and their industry was rewarded when they opened a 2-1 to 0-0 lead after eight minutes.

With less than two and a half minutes played, midfielder Fergal McKenna powered through the centre and beat five defenders before planting a left-footed shot in the net.

Better was to follow with exactly six minutes played when Pauric O’Reilly dinked the ball to Jack McKenna, who played a one-two with Paddy Rudden and bundled the ball home while sliding under the weight of a challenge.

It was a dream start and Laragh kept coming, punching holes in the usually-airtight Ramor rearguard. Sean Tierney, Evan Kelly and Jason Walsh were full of running, Fergal McKenna was battling well at midfield and up front, Jack McKenna, target man Paddy Rudden and playmaker Paul Smith were all winning their own battles early on.

As the game wore on, though, Ramor would steady the ship and from the eight to the 58th minutes, they were nine points better – but that dreadful start meant they were always chasing.

Smith won and converted a free to make it 2-1 to 0-0 and it would be the 17th minute before Ramor scored with an Ado Cole mark – by that stage, Matthew Smith (two) and James Bradley had been uncharacteristically off target with very poor frees.

Another strong run and finish from Fergal McKenna restored Laragh’s seven-point lead but they would add just three more points from there till near full-time as Ramor got to work eating into their advantage.

Key to the Virginia men’s revival were Jack Brady and Mark Magee; Brady took over free-taking duties and was unerring while also contributing from play and Magee took the fight to the Laragh men.

Magee gathered a break off Cole and knocked over Ramor’s second point and they soon added another when the Maguire brothers combined, with Cathal driving over.

Two Jack Brady frees cut the gap to three before Ramor had a shout for a penalty after James Bradley went to ground waved away.

At the other end, Pauric O’Reilly gathered a long ball over the top and pointed – although he had Jack McKenna free at the back post had he spotted him.

As it was, Laragh went in leading by 2-3 to 0-5 after an entertaining first half with Ramor unusually jittery at the back.

On the resumption, Brady again slotted over a free after a foul on Cole, who was beginning to get the upper hand on Shane O’Rourke in an excellent tussle.

The game turned when Ramor worked a superb goal. Paul Smith saw a point attempt strike the upright; Brían O’Connell came out with the ball, Matthew Smith found Mark Magee and Brady played a one-two with Cole before palming in.

That tied the game with 20 minutes remaining but Paul Smith nudged Laragh back in front with a stylish point off the left after good work from Rudden.

A brilliant individual point from Matthew Smith, who came into the game well in the second half having been sidelined for the previous six weeks, levelled matters once more but Laragh weren’t wilting and Ciaran Cooney fired over a fantastic score from outside the 45 to take the lead again.

A Jack Brady free saw it all square again but, at the other end, Paul Smith stepped up with a slick dummy and finish off the left to make it 2-6 to 1-8 with 47 minutes played.

Laragh then missed a couple of chances which would prove costly in the end. A Brady free after a foul on Cathal Maguire levelled the game and when lively sub Conor Bradley was fouled, Brady sent Ramor into the lead for the first time with 55 minutes on the clock.

They doubled that advantage when Enda Maguire sent the ball long to Cole, who managed to keep his footing and poked over another to make it 1-11 to 2-6.

Just when it looked like the 2021 champions were finishing strongly, Laragh struck for a third goal. A shot from the outstanding James Tully dropped short, goalie Liam Brady broke it down but sub Lee Reilly reacted quickest and palmed the rebound to the net.

Laragh were ahead by one and broke through for a goal chance which would have sealed it but Evan Kelly was off target, having done everything right bar the finish, and Ramor broke out of jail.

When a Liam Brady free dropped short, Jack Brady was in the right place to grab the break and hook over from play.

Both sides went for it in injury time but neither could muster a score. The replay is down for decision this Sunday at Lavey.

Laragh United: Fergal O’Rourke, Stephen Cooney, Eoin Donohoe, Sean Tierney, James Tully, Jason Walsh, Ciaran Cooney (0-1), Shane O’Rourke, Fergal McKenna (1-1), Evan Brady, Paul Smith (0-3, 1f), Evan Kelly, Pauric O’Reilly (0-1), Patrick Rudden, Jack McKenna (1-0)

Subs: Lee Reilly (1-0) for J Walsh (temp, 20, reversed 22), Dylan Adams for S Cooney, Lee Reilly for E Brady (both 55)

Ramor United: Liam Brady, Adm O’Connell, Damien Barkey, Matthew Magee, Lorcan Lynch, Brían O’Connell, Shane Keenan, Enda Maguire, Mark Magee (0-1), Eoin Somerville, Cathal Maguire (0-1), James Bradley, Jack Brady (1-7, 6f), Ado Cole (0-2, 1m), Matthew Smith (0-1)

Subs: Ben Smith for S Keenan (19), Anthony Monaghan for J Bradley (ht), Gareth Mannion for L Lynch (46), Conor Bradley for C Maguire (55), Killian Brady for E Somerville (58)

Ref: Conor Dourneen