Following on from the Kildress/Greencastle game Stewartstown and Coalisland served up a real thriller before the Harps snatched it right at the death.
Click Here for Photos from the Game
Incessant rain and strong winds made life difficult for both teams and with defences on top scores were hard to come by. Shea Burke, Dan Lowe, James Lowe and Macauley Quinn found the target to put Stewartstown 0-4 to 0-2 in front midway through the first half.
However with Cormac O’Hagan in fine form and Eoghan Hampsey solid in defence the Fianna drew level with scores from O’Hagan and Peter Herron. There was little between the sides as both teams gave it everything in this keenly contested derby tussle.
Stewartstown led 0-5 to 0-4 at the break following a fine score from Shea O’Neill but they knew they were going to have to work even harder in the second half if they were to maintain the lead.
As it was a converted free kick from the boot of Cormac O’Hagan eight minutes into the half tied the game for the third time. Coalisland were very much on top at this stage, enjoying lots of possession and creating numerous chances but failed to convert them. The Stewartstown defence was having to work over-time with Tiernan Rush, Dylan Mc Elhatton, James Lowe and Gerard O’Neill putting in a real shift for their team.
The Harps maintained their high level of intensity and following some strong defensive work Macauley Quinn put them back in front fifteen minutes into the second half. Coalisland responded with two fine points from the boot of Cormac O’Hagan to take the lead once again as the game entered the closing five minutes.
The Harps maintained their pace and work-rate and Callan Burke drew the sides level once again with less than two minutes of normal time remaining. It seemed the game was destined to go to a replay but up stepped Dan Lowe to convert a very difficult free kick and win the title for his team.
Final score: Stewartstown 0-8, Coalisland 0-7.
The post U21 | Harps Crowned U21 Champions appeared first on Tyrone GAA News Blog.