Saturday 03 November 2007 LOUGHMACRORY 1 - 08 1 - 07 TRILLICK (AT ESKRA) Seniors defeat Trillick to capture third place (1 of 2)PAGE 2 OF 2 CLICK HERE It may be November but no one could complain about the weather in Eskra on Saturday evening as the sun shone brightly and Loughmacrory came out on top of a close tussle with Trillick to grab third place on the division 1B table and so go on to face Kileeshil in a division 1A/1B play off with the prize a place in the top flight in Tyrone football next year. Having played 22 league games Trillick and Loughmacrory were locked at 32 points each on the division 1B table and as this encounter was drawing to a close and with just a single point separating them it looked as if sixty minutes might not be enough to separate them again. Niall Gormley had the ball over the Loughmacrory crossbar for the opening score within 15 seconds of the throw in but Stephen Donaghy levelled the affair within a minute and three minutes later he was fouled going through and Ronan Ward converted the free to put his side 0 - 2 to 0 - 01 up. Trillick’s Conor Daly sent over two points within a minute to put the Reds one ahead once more but five minutes later Ronan Ward clinically dismissed a penalty to the Trillick net to give his side the cushion which saw them through in the end. The St Teresa’s then hit three excellent scores which gave them a four points lead, the first a sweet strike form Ronan Ward and within a minute the same player was fouled giving Emmott Donaghy the chance to hit an excellent score with his left boot thirty metres out near the right sideline. Enda Ward then split the posts having taken a pass from Benny Ward who was having a brilliant game at left half forward grabbing every loose ball around midfield and foraging far back and helping out in defence. Loughmacrory were looking the part now but that all changed when the ever dangerous Niall Gormley goaled for the Reds reducing the deficit to a single point and putting the game right back in the melting pot. Ronan Ward had the final say of the first half pointing a free on thirty minutes after he himself was fouled leaving the half time score 1 - 06 to 1 - 04. On the restart Ward sent over his fourth point to open a three points gap once again but it was stalemate for the next quarter hour as neither side could fine the range and the half was nineteen minutes old before Trillick opened their second half account with a point leaving just two between them with little over ten minutes to go. Ronan Ward replied right away with an excellent strike from right out on the sideline but that was the Lough’s final score as they desperately defended a slender lead and Trillick put every thing into a last ditch effort to at least force extra time. [CONTINUED HERE]
