O'Loughlin Gaels 1-17 Cushendall 1-16: Dall in agonising All-Ireland semi-final defeat

Cushendall suffered an agonising 1-17 to 1-16 All-Ireland Club Hurling semi-final defeat by O'Loughlin Gaels as they paid for several missed chances.

Joseph McLaughlin's fourth-minute goal helped Dall lead 1-6 to 0-1 after 13 minutes as they were aided by a breeze.

But Sean Bolger's goal contributing to cutting the Ulster champions' half-time advantage in Navan to 1-10 to 1-7.

After the Gaels quickly levelled, the lead was swapped several times before David Fogarty's 73rd-minute winner.

Neil McManus hit 0-9 - including 0-3 from play - but missed a chance to bring the game to extra-time as he fired wide on the turn from near the left sideline in the closing seconds.

Cushendall will also look back on a series of missed chances when they were 1-15 to 1-14 down, as the game entered the closing 10 minutes, with Eoghan Campbell, Fergus McCambridge and Ed McQuillan all firing point-scoring opportunities wide in addition to substitute Sean McAfee's touch letting him down in front of goal when a major seemed on after McManus had squared the sliotar to him.

O'Loughlin Gaels' victory sets up a decider with Galway side St Thomas' who beat Ballygunner after a penalty shootout in Saturday's first semi-final.

Dall have only one semi-final win in 12 attempts

Sunday's result was Cushendall's 11th defeat in 12 All-Ireland semi-finals with their only last-four stage victory coming in 2016 against Galway side Sarsfields.

And this reverse will particularly hurt them as they know victory could - and probably should - have been theirs.

Granted, Dall keeper Conor McAlister performed heroically with his efforts including preventing a second Bolger goal before half-time and also using his stick to stop a couple of additional O'Loughlin Gaels points in the second period.

But the Ulster champions can look back on Ed McQuillan's 21st-minute goal attempt which came back off the foot an upright when they led 1-8 to 0-5.

Had the net bulged, Dall's lead would have been nine.

Neil McManus ended up on the losing side at Pairc Tailteann despite hitting 0-9

Instead, their advantage was trimmed to a single point within four minutes as scores by Conor Heary and free-taker Mark Bergin - who like McManus finished with 0-9 - were followed by Bolger's goal as he dived to prod the sliotar over the line after McAlister had brilliantly saved Luke Hogan's pointblank shot.

The intensity of Cushendall's start at Pairc Tailteann seemed to ruffle the Kilkenny and Leinster champions as McManus' opening free was quickly followed by scores from play from Ronan McAteer and Ryan McCambridge, before McLaughlin mugged All-Star Mikey Butler in the fourth minute and fired into the net past O'Loughlin Gaels keeper Stephen Murphy.

Centre-half back Campbell strode upfield to increase Dall's lead to seven and while Bergin did open O'Loughlin Gaels' account in the seventh minute, they were eight in arrears by the 13th minute after Campbell repeated the scoring dose before McManus thumped over a free from all of 90 metres.

The Kilkenny side regrouped to fire four of the next five scores to cut Dall's lead to five by the 18th minute.

But a Dall point from magnificent corner-back Paddy Burke was then followed by team-mate McQuillan's unlucky near miss as his low shot hit the butt of a post with keeper Murphy beaten.

Bolger's goal suddenly had Cushendall's lead down to the minimum by the 25th minute although the advantage was extended to three by the half-time blow following two McManus points, with McAlister's superb save to prevent a second Bolger major keeping them ahead.

Gaels' celebrations shows their relief

Two Bergin scores helped O'Loughlin Gaels level within three minutes of the restart but if they thought Dall were going to accept the inevitability of the Leinster champions pulling clear, they were mistaken.

Cushendall were back two in front at 1-12 to 1-10 by the 35th minute after McManus scores and they twice more established a two-point advantage at 1-13 to 1-11 and 1-14 to 1-12 thanks to further successful placed balls from the skipper.

Two Bergin frees, the second of which came an errant clearance by Dall keeper McAlister, either side of a Fogarty point, put O'Loughlin Gaels ahead the first time in the 51st minute.

Cushendall responded to dominate the next two minutes of action only for Campbell, Fergus McCambridge and McQuillan to squander glorious point-scoring chances in addition to substitute McAfee's poor touch after McManus had presented him with the sniff of a goal chance.

After Bergin's ninth and final point put O'Loughlin Gaels two up, Campbell, who hadn't put a foot wrong up until point, was then off-target with another great Dall chance from 45 metres as the difficulty of scoring against the wind was again demonstrated.

To their immense credit, Cushendall refused to relent and they were back level two minutes into injury-time as a McLaughlin point was followed by McManus firing over from 70 metres.

But within 60 seconds, Fogarty's point had O'Loughlin Gaels back in front once more and after McManus' last-gasp chance flew wide, the final whistle was blown seconds later as the mightily relieved Kilkenny side's celebrations indicated what a tough afternoon they had come through.