Mayobridge 1-7 1-10 Ballinderry Ballinderry bridged a 20-year gap by winning the AIB Ulster Club title with a three-point win over Mayobridge at Casement Park.
The Derry club just about deserved their success even though Mayobridge will point to a couple of contentious decisions by referee Brendan Gorman.
In particular his disallowing of Glen McMahon’s 44th minute goal which would have put only a point between the teams had it stood.
Overall the match was laced with controversy.
Eyewitness reports said that a number of players from both teams tangled in the Casement Park tunnel area at half-time as they made their way to the dressing-rooms.
Ballinderry captain Adrian McGuckin Jnr described the half-time incidents as a “bit of pushing and shoving”.
 Conleth Gilligan: Another impressive display
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Certainly tempers did become frayed after the break and Mayobridge defender Darragh Tighe was red-carded late on for kicking Declan Bateson.
The Ballinderry forward had attempted to prevent Tighe taking a quick free-kick and the Mayobridge man stupidly lashed out.
Another talking-point was the surprising 55th minute substitution of Mickey Linden.
The Down veteran was replaced late on in Mayobridge’s previous games against Cargin and Castleblayney but he appeared none too happy with manager Jim McCorry’s decision.
Referee Gorman’s decision to disallow McMahon’s 44th minute goal was a key factor in the match.
But probably the pivotal moment had come earlier when Enda Muldoon blasted Ballinderry’s goal in the 38th minute after he had fielded a long ball from Sean Donnelly.
Less than 60 seconds earlier, McMahon had goaled for Mayobridge to put them 1-5 to 0-7 ahead.
For a few brief seconds it appeared as though the momentum was finally shifting towards Mayobridge as they had taken control in the early minutes of the second period.
 Michael Walsh improved after half-time
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But Muldoon’s goal restored Ballinderry’s lead and the Derry champions were never headed thereafter.
The match started in sparkling fashion with both teams claiming two points in the opening four minutes.
The superb Conleth Gilligan’s third minute score from an acute angle was probably the pick of the early scores although McMahon made the score 0-2 each with his second point.
After the early burst of scores, the play became a little more subdued and by the 23rd minute, the sides were level at 0-4 each.
A four-minute period then saw both sides inches away from claiming goals.
The largely ineffective Benny Coulter fisted an effort against the Ballinderry crossbar in the 25th minute.
At the other end, Barry McOscar saw a shot tipped onto the woodwork by Mayobridge goalkeeper Sean Featherstone.
However within seconds of McOscar’s chance, the impressive Declan Bateson did edge Ballinderry ahead at 0-5 to 0-4.
 Captain Adrian McGuckin lifts the cup
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Two further points in the closing seconds of the first half were crucial to Ballinderry’s eventual win.
The three point margin was always going to be hard for Mayobridge to peg back.
To their credit, the Down champions did fight back in the early stages of the second period.
Walsh, picked himself up from a disappointing first half, to become more influential and his immediate score left two points between the sides.
McMahon’s 37th minute goal was the product of superb work by Walsh and meant Mayobridge were 1-5 to 0-7 ahead.
Ballinderry had been very much second best in the minutes after the restart but then out of nothing, man of the match Muldoon blasted a goal to put the Derry side ahead once more.
Bateson and Conway points then left Ballinderry four clear by the 43rd minute.
Then came referee Gorman’s highly-suspect decision to cancel out McMahon’s apparently good second goal.
Comfortably repel
As he ran in on goal, McMahon appeared to have been fouled by a couple of Ballinderry defenders and the referee’s call seemed harsh in the extreme.
With Ballinderry bottling up their opponents, the closing 16 minutes saw only three scores.
Mayobridge’s last real chance to turn the match around came nine minutes from time but Ronan Sexton pulled the excellent goal chance wide.
A goal then would have left the minimum between the sides.
Sexton did grab a point in the 56th minute but Ballinderry were able to comfortably repel the couple of late attacks which Mayobridge produced.
 Declan Bateson: Impressive for Ballinderry
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Meanwhile, Killyclogher won the Tyrone Football League title thanks to a thrilling 1-7 to 0-9 win over holders Carrickmore on Sunday.
Carrickmore looked set to retain the title when they led 0-9 to 0-6 with two minutes of normal time left.
However, underage star Leo Meenan then crashed a goal for Killyclogher and his free in the third minute of injury-time earned the club their first senior title in their 97-year history.
Magheracloone claimed the Monaghan Football League title thanks to a 1-9 to 0-4 win over Clontibret.
The Freeman brothers Damien and Tom supplied most of the Magheracloone scores.
Paudie Finnegan scored the only goal with six minutes left.
Na Fianna draw
Meanwhile, Cork’s Nemo Rangers beat Fethard of Tipperary 1-11 to 0-10 in the AIB Munster Club Football Final in Fermoy on Sunday.
In the Connacht Club Football Final, Charlestown of Mayo overcame Annaghdown of Galway by 2-9 to 2-7.
In the Leinster Club Football semi-final at Navan, Na Fianna of Dublin and Sarsfields of Kildare drew 2-10 to 1-13.
Also in Leinster quarter-final replay, Rathnew of Wicklow overcame Meath’s Dunshaughlin at the third attempt in the quarter-final replay with a 2-9 to 1-6 win.
In the Leinster Club Hurling semi-final, Castletown of Laois beat Wexford’s Faythe Harriers 1-10 to 1-5.
In O’Byrne Cup ties, Wicklow edged out Wexford 0-10 to 1-6, Offaly beat Meath 2-12 to 1-9 while Carlow defeated Longford 1-20 to 4-10.
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