Corey frustrated by Crossmaglen heartbreak

By Niall Keenan

Vinny Corey admitted it was a "pity" the way his Gowna side fell to defeat in controversial fashion in the Ulster Senior Club Championship quarter-final to Crossmaglen, insisting his players believed the final free kick had been signalled as the last action of the game.

The Cavan champions looked poised to secure a famous victory after Ryan Donohoe produced a superb two-pointer to edge them in front late on, but Crossmaglen were handed one final opportunity to rescue the game with a free-kick from outside the arc and responded dramatically to snatch the victory in a remarkable encounter.

Gowna's players dropped off Rian O'Neill in the belief that the free was the final kick of the game. Instead Oisin O'Neill opted to play the ball short, allowing his brother Rian to convert and steal the win.

Corey explained that his players had interpreted the free to be the final kick of the game, leading to confusion when the south Armagh outfit opted to take it short.

"The players understood that it was called as the last kick of the game, so they all dropped off Rian O'Neill thinking it's going to be kicked off the ground and then it's taken short to Rian O'Neill for the score," he explained.

"That's where the confusion was. Boys obviously wouldn't have dropped off Rian O'Neill if they didn't think it was the last kick, so that's where the confusion arose and that's why the players asked Paul Faloon (referee) about it after the game."

The Gowna manager acknowledged that O'Neill had produced an outstanding score to win the game but felt it was a disappointing way for his side's involvement in the competition to end.

"It was a hell of a score to win it. We had two boys hunting down on the kick. It was a hell of a score to win," he said.

"It's just a pity about the confusion."

Corey felt there were other decisions throughout the contest that contributed to the momentum shifting towards Crossmaglen, particularly around the physical battles in the middle third.

However, the former Monaghan manager was keen to acknowledge that his side had their own shortcomings and that Crossmaglen deserved credit for the manner in which they fought back.

"I'd say it was a brilliant game for the neutral, a brilliant spectacle. Obviously, bitterly disappointing for our team," he said.

"I think we lost the grip around the middle of the field. It was raid after raid after raid in the middle of the field.

"I think some of it was down to maybe Cross upping the ante. Some of it was down to refereeing decisions that allowed fouls and that to go for one team and allowed it to play on for another team, which contributed to the chaos which is what that game needed to get it back in Cross' favour."

He also believes Gowna's relative lack of experience at that level was also a factor, with the Cavan champions unable to reproduce the composure needed to withstand the sustained pressure.

"Maybe the three games we had in the Cavan championship didn't equip us for dealing with a second half like that," he admitted.

"We just needed to get out and, in fairness, the few times we did get out, there were times where we could have used the ball a lot better ourselves just to manage it."

There was little doubt that the defeat was a painful one for a Gowna side who had come within touching distance of a famous provincial victory. Nevertheless, Corey believes there is plenty for his players to take from the experience, particularly given the age profile of the squad.

Gowna have a young group who were facing the unique atmosphere and intensity of an Ulster club championship contest against one of the competition's most experienced sides.

Corey was particularly pleased with the courage his players showed in their approach, rather than being overcome by the occasion.

"Sometimes you can go into a game like this and you're with a young team and you can sort of stand back in awe of Crossmaglen," he said.

"I was happy with how they attacked the game and how they went after the game."

However, he believes the biggest benefit will come if Gowna can return to the Ulster Championship in the coming seasons rather than allowing this experience to become an isolated occasion.

"You'll get most benefit from it if you're back in the competition straight away, whereas you get very little benefit if it's another five years until you're in it again," he said.

"You see the clubs that are constantly getting back to the Ulster club are the teams that do well in it."

For now, there will undoubtedly be disappointment in Gowna at how their season ended, particularly given how close they came to producing a memorable result.

But while the manner of the defeat will leave questions to be answered, Corey was equally determined that the performance of his young side should not be overlooked amid the controversy surrounding the closing stages.