STABANNON PARNELLS 1-11
JOHN MITCHELS 1-10
In what can only be described of a game of two halves, Stabannon eventually came out victorious in this quarter final replay to claim their place in the last four of the Junior Championship.
Sean Halpenny was the hero for the Parnells as his late point put an end to the brave Mitchels comeback and ensure his side clinched victory.
It was a bitterly disappointing end for the Ballybaillie side as the fought back from ten points down at the break to draw level in the closing stages. However, they couldn't complete the job as Stabannon held their nerve in a dramatic finale.
Unlike the first game when John Mitchels started at the best, Stabannon began at lightening pace and went a goal up inside two minutes through David Cluskey. After the Mitchels replied with a point it was all Stabannon and a brace of excellent points each from brothers Aonghus and Colm Giggins helped Stabannon go in at the break leading by 1-9 to 0-2.
It looked as if the result wasn't in doubt at that stage, but the second half saw a complete transformation with the Mitchels totally on top.
A goal from Diarmuid Durnin along with points from Kevin Gallagher helped the Mitchels draw level with six minutes to play.
had Stabannon out of sight, or so the large crowd thought, at half time with the score at 1-9 to 0-2.
However, centre half back Sean Halpenny was to unlikely match winner with an excellent point to put the Parnells ahead with four minutes remaining.
The Mitchels kept applying pressure and nearly won it in injury time when a long ball deceived goalkeeper Anthony Briscoe however Wayne Lynch was on hand to save the day for Stabannon by clearing off the line to leave the Mitchels ruing the fact that they did not complete the job on the first day.
STABANNON: Anthony Briscoe; Conor Fanning, Alan Lynch, Peter Lynch; Peter Shearman, Sean Halpenny 0-1, Daniel Bannon; Wayne Lynch, Aidan Shevlin 0-2; Shane Sweeney 0-1, Niall Cluskey 0-1, Colm Giggins 0-2; David Cluskey 1-1, Martin King, Aonghus Giggins 0-3. Subs: Andrew Mackin for C Giggins, Cathal Halpenny for D Bannon, Niall Fanning for M King, Tom Byrne for P Lynch, Barry Lynch for S Sweeney BC.
JOHN MITCHELS: David Anderson, Ryan Carroll, Emmett Farrell, Conal Keenan, Aaron Kane, Rory Durnin, Mitchel Keenan, James Clarke, Conor Reilly 0-2, Kevin Gallagher 0-5, Brendan McDonnell 0-2, Phil Smith, Ben O'Brien, Stephen Coyle, Diarmuid Durnin 1-1. Subs: Aaron Keeley for P Smith, Anto Coyle, Gerry Maguire, Barry Kirk, Gary Aylward, Emmett Ward, Micky Nulty.
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