A SMALL surprise in the windswept borderlands. Burren, with the weight of history and favouritism behind them, came to the draughty pitch behind the British army base and spent 9 minutes waiting for their hosts to wilt. In the 60th, Crossmaglen fashioned an extraordinary point out of Unpromising circumstances and advanced to the Ulster club SF semi final.
It was a game which took its character from the elements. A howling gale blew in from the exposed fields down towards the army base, taking with it any chance of fine football or warm hands. Every pass and every kick had to be judged in terms of what mischief the wind might make with it.
Burren played into the teeth of the gale for the first half, a decision which looked as if it might pay dividends even when Crossmaglen piled on the scores approaching halftime.
Everything Burren put together in terms of attacking moves came through John Shorty Treanor. They were well served by their reliance on the veteran.
Nominally playing at centre forward, he nosed around the midfield picking up every available ball and working it forward with a variety of techniques. When the quick pass was available Treanor dispatched swiftly and moved for the return. When the openings appeared he soloed towards the heart of the Crossmaglen defence. When a long ball was necessary he deployed a series of effective drop kicks.
After 25 minutes of playing with the wind at their backs, Crossmaglen led by a solitary point and were grateful to do so. They'd had a let off just a few minutes previously when a move initiated by Treanor ended up with Rory Mussen who was fouled. Treanor bundled the penalty into the pit of Jarlath McConville's stomach.
Sensing a let off and noting that Shorty was temporarily short of breath and morale, Crossmaglen responded well, piling on five points before the team went in for their break. Oisin McConville, at the centre of most of the home team's creative moves, buzzed efficiently and the wall of height Crossmaglen had erected at the middle of the field began to produce the goods.
With Tony McEntee switching from centre forward to midfield and Colm O'Neill operating there as a third midfielder, they began turning their surplus of possession into scores. They went to their tea leading by 0-9 to 0-3.
Perhaps expecting the wind to do their work for them in the second half, Burren responded slowly to the threat posed by Crossmaglen's height advantage. To counter Colm O'Neill, for instance, they waited until the 40th minute to introduce big Brian Laverty.
After the break the scores duly arrived for Burren, but not in the manner or number needed. They didn't score from play until the 20th minute of the half and faced the old problem of imbalance with club sides: when Shorty Treanor came deep to win the ball, he had no Shorty Treanor in front of him to pass to.
Midway through the half, however, they got what looked like a critical break. Crossmaglen had just pegged back two quick points to bring their lead out to four points again when Treanor hit a long ball towards Aidan Woods who smuggled it to the inrushing Jimmy McAlinden. With only the goalkeeper to beat, McAlinden cut the arrears to a point and seemingly swung the momentum Burren's way.
Two minutes later, Treanor hoofed another free kick over. Level. The Burren dug out was on its feet waiting to see the coup de grace. It looked as if Crossmaglen wouldn't be permitted so much as a last desperate throw of the dice. Yet, the home side stuck with their task doggedly, hoisting a few hopeful balls into the wind.
By the time they came down the entire population of Burren was gathered underneath the crossbar to avert the danger.
The delivery of a killer blow would require more ingenuity. So it proved. Two minutes into injury time, Oisin McConville slotted a free kick across the face of the Burren goal. As Gary Walsh advanced to collect, Jim McConville nipped in front of him and fisted the ball over the bar. The final whistle blew before the celebrations subsided.
Crossmaglen now play Castleblaney in Clones in two weeks.
