Kilcoo and Cargin retain Down and Antrim titles

Kilcoo's triumph earned their a 12th Down Football title in 13 years

Kilcoo and Cargin retained their Down and Antrim Football titles but in contrasting fashions.

The Magpies won a sixth straight Down title with a dominant 1-10 to 0-4 win over Burren, who finished with 13 men as Daryl Branagan hit Kilcoo's goal in the closing seconds.

Kilcoo's win secured their 12th Down title in 13 seasons.

Cargin needed extra-time to clinch a third successive Antrim title as they earned a 0-10 to 0-8 win over Portglenone, who had hit late second-half points to level the contest at 0-7 to 0-7 at Corrigan Park.

A Niall McKeever point put Portglenone one ahead early in extra-time but they failed to score again as points from Pat Shivers and Tomas McCann helped Cargin win their eighth Antrim title in 10 years.

St Eunan's secured their a 16th Donegal Football title by holding off a brave challenge from Dungloe on a 1-13 to 1-10 scoreline at Ballybofey after an exciting contest.

Kilcoo earn dominant victory

The Down decider was anything but a classic but Kilcoo won’t mind as they built a first-half lead and kept Burren at arms’ length all afternoon to win a 12th Mourne County title in 13 years.

Remarkably, the first score from play wasn’t kicked until the 29th minute. In that time, there were six frees scored, one mark and four yellow cards dished out.

In the opening minutes it was a free-taking competition between Burren’s Donal O’Hare and Kilcoo’s Paul Devlin, with each player converting twice apiece.

However, little did Burren know that when O’Hare split the posts in the eighth minute that their next point wouldn’t come until the 52nd minute as Kilcoo moved into a 0-7 to 0-2 lead by the interval.

Burren brought more energy into early exchanges after the restart but couldn’t find the mark. Instead, it was Kilcoo who opened the second half's account via a Ryan McEvoy free.

Burren almost had a goal when an O’Hare shot dropped short and was punched goalwards, but Niall Kane made the save.

Kilcoo went into an offensive lull of their own, and Burren finally showed some signs of life with Liam Kerr scoring a free and one from play.

However, there was to be no miraculous comeback with Paul Devlin and Anthony Morgan chipping over late scores.

Burren finished with 13 men after Danny Magill was shown a red card for late hit on his Down team-mate McEvoy and Kerr was dismissed for wrestling with Shealan Johnston before Daryl Branagan hammered in Kilcoo's late goal from close range.

Tomas McCann was among Cargin's scorers in extra-time as they won a third successive Antrim Football title

Portglenone denied first Antrim title

Portglenone, chasing a first Antrim title, made a highly promising start as points from Oisin Doherty, Enda Lynn and Ronan Kelly put them three up after eight minutes.

However, they failed to score again before half-time as a Tomas McCann effort started a run of four Cargin points.

Antrim captain Dermot McAleese brought the sides level after the resumption but Cargin twice moved two ahead, including when Pat Shivers' 58th-minute free put them 0-7 to 0-5 ahead.

But the Casements responded with two injury-time points including Aidan McAleese's leveller which ensured the 20 extra minutes.

Niall McKeever put Portglenone ahead early in extra-time but scores from McCann and Shivers helped Cargin retain their title.

Aaron Deeney was on target for St Eunan's in their Donegal SFC final win over Dungloe

St Eunan's hit three injury-time points to end Dungloe's hopes of a first Donegal Football title since 1958 as the Letterkenny club clinched a 1-13 to 1-10 triumph at MacCumhaill Park.

Underdogs Dungloe led on four occasions in the first half only to be pegged back on each occasion as the sides went in level at 0-4 to 0-4 at half-time.

Conor O'Donnell Junior's 35th-minute goal put Eunan's ahead for the first time at 1-5 to 0-5 and they led by three on four occasions before Ryan Connors' penalty in the final minute of normal time restored parity at 1-10 apiece.

However, Eunan's impressively regrouped in injury-time as goalscorer O'Donnell, who finished with 1-4, Ciaran Moore and Eoin McGeehan all hit points.

Donegal star Moore finished with a crucial 0-3 for the Letterkenny outfit.

Glen beat Slaughtneil in Derry semi-final

All-Ireland champions Glen staged an impressive second-half comeback to beat Slaughtneil and set up a Derry final against Newbridge.

Slaughtneil led 0-5 to 0-3 at half-time at Owenbeg but the Maghera club surged into a four-point lead with six unanswered scores.

And while Slaughtneil reduced the arrears to a single point, Jody McDermott’s fisted goal in the final minute of normal time helped Glen seal a 1-9 to 0-9 victory and keep alive their bid for a fourth successive county triumph.

Elsewhere, the Monaghan final will be contested by two of the county's most decorated clubs after Scotstown and Clontibret won their semi-finals at Clones.

Clontibret beat Ballybay 0-14 to 1-9 while holders Scotstown saw off Inniskeen 0-14 to 0-12 in a repeat of the 2023 decider.

Scotstown and Clontibret, who have 39 Monaghan titles between them, last met in the final in 2019 when the latter ended Scotstown's five-in-a-row bid. It will be Scotstown's 12th successive county final appearance.

CLUB FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

Saturday

Derry SFC Semi-final

Magherafelt 1-4 Newbridge 1-7

Sunday

Derry SFC Semi-final

Slaughtneil 0-9 1-9 Glen

Antrim SFC Final

Portglenone 0-8 Cargin 0-10 (AET)

Down SFC Final

Kilcoo 1-10 Burren 0-4

Donegal SFC Final

St Eunan's 1-13 Dungloe 1-10

Monaghan SFC Semi-Finals

Clontibret 0-14 Ballybay 1-9

Scotstown 0-14 Inniskeen 0-12