Defending champions Slaughtneil emerged victorious from their mammoth clash with Lavey after extra time, a team that had beaten them in the group stage of the competition.

The Loup proved to be no match for Glen as they were blown away at Owenbeg in a 23-point defeat.

Slaughtneil survived their biggest test of the Derry county championship on Saturday, October 30 when they dispatched of Lavey, who had finished the group stage ahead of the champions.

Shane McGuigan and Christopher Bradley were on hand throughout the game to get some important scores for their side – the pair combined for 1-12 of their team’s 1-13.

The pacey and young Lavey side had the lead early on courtesy of a Hugh McGurk strike that found the back of the net.

Patsy Bradley was black-carded, like in the group clash but the fixture turned out differently for the holders.

McGuigan got a goal for his side with a penalty and put his side in firm control of the tie after the side outscored their opponents by 1-5 to 0-2 following McGurk’s goal.

However, Lavey fought back and got three scores that crescendoed in an Eamon McGill equaliser that hit the net just moments from time to force the extra 20 minutes.

Yet, they could not keep up with Slaughtneil, who showed why they’re champions against a side who finished the game with 14 players under 24.

Elsewhere at Owenbeg on Sunday, Glen’s audition for a spot in the final was more than enough as they took down The Loup with ease.

Their well-drilled system kept a high-scoring Loup side to a low score as Malachy O’Rourke’s men made their semi-final look easy.

The winners of Group A had been firing on all cylinders in attack but leaking scores at the back heading into this game and O’Rourke and co. made them pay for it.

Glen now head into the Derry county final with an outrageous +81 point difference (130 points for, 49 against) after six games and their momentum could carry them even further.

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Slaughtneil will face fellow Group C graduates Lavey in the first scheduled semi-final on Saturday, October 30 at 6:45 pm.

The Loup and Glen, winners of Group A and D respectively, will battle it out for the second spot in the final on Halloween – Sunday, October 31 at 2:45 pm.

Both matches will be held at Owenbeg.

Slaughtneil v Lavey

Defending champions Slaughtneil are attempting to win their second John McLaughlin Cup in a row and achieve such a feat for the second time since 2017.

Standing in their way of a second successive appearance in the final is Lavey, who topped their group previous to the start of the knockout phase and put two goals past The Robbies in a three-point win back in September.

Cailean O’Boyle and the Downeys, Enda, Shea, Matthew and Callum, have been effective in attack for the challengers as the young side bring the most momentum into the tie.

Slaughtneil, however, bring the champions mentality into the game and, with the nature of the match taken into account, it can be expected that they will aim to right the wrongs of September and take down possibly their biggest threat to a seventh Derry SFC title.

Shane McGuigan has led the side in attack with his free-taking but their defence has allowed a goal in every game since their loss to Lavey.

Lavey, on the other hand, have only conceded two goals in the championship thus far but both sides have conceded less than 45 points – Lavey have conceded 41 while the champions have allowed 42.

The Loup v Glen

The only survivors of Group A and D have made it to the semi-final stage and will face each other for a spot in the county final.

The winners of Group A, The Loup, have been firing on all cylinders in attack but leaking scores at the back.

The work of the likes of Anthony O’Neill, as well as Ciaran and Cormac Devlin has countered the defence that has allowed five goals in five games, leading to high-scoring matches throughout the Derry Championship.

Glen have a much more impressive defence that has kept opposition scores below ten in all games they have played bar one – Kilrea put 3-8 past the Glen defence but lost in a group game in September.

The side have conceded only 44 points after five games, with 17 of those coming from one game.

Impeccable attacking performances from the likes of Paul Gunning and Danny Tallon have given the side a potent attack that has scored 107 points in just five games – the strongest in Derry.

However, The Loup are only a point behind in their overall attacking output, making this an exciting matchup of the two best attacking sides in the Oak-Leaf County.

Where To Watch

The two semi-finals will be available to watch on live streams, which can be accessed through 247.tv for a fee.

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This year’s instalment of the county championship includes a group stage – two groups of four, where each team in a group plays each other once before a knockout stage helps determine the winner.

Group A consists of Ballinascreen, Banagher, Eoghan Rua and Slaughtneil while Group B involves Kevin Lynch’s, Lavey, Na Magha and Swatragh.

Slaughtneil come into the 2021 Derry SHC as reigning champions and have not relinquished their crown since winning the first of eight-in-a-row in 2013.

The side will be hungry to continue that streak and their dominance in both Gaelic football and hurling with another county championship victory.

Kevin Lynch’s are seen as the biggest threat to Slaughtneil’s conquest of Derry as the 23-time champions search for their first title in 10 years.

Lavey and Swatragh’s league campaigns are seen as impressive within the county and they are expected to impress again in the championship.

However, both teams are in a group with Kevin Lynch’s, meaning one of the three teams will be out of the competition before we reach knock-out hurling.

Derry SHC Fixtures/Results

Group Stage – Round 1

Friday, August 27: Kevin Lynch’s 1-15 – 0-17 Lavey, Páirc Chaomhín Uí Loingsigh, 7 pm – Group B

Friday, August 27: Slaughtneil 4-26 – 2-13 Ballinascreen, Slaughtneil, 7 pm – Group A

Friday, August 27: Swatragh 2-20 – 1-10 Na Magha, Davitt Park, 7:30 pm – Group B

Saturday, August 28: Eoghan Rua 0-13 – 0-21 Banagher, Coleraine, 7 pm, Slaughtneil – Group A.

Group Stage – Round 2

Wednesday, September 8: Ballinascreen 0-19 – 0-4 Eoghan Rua, Ballinascreen, 7:30 pm – Group A

Wednesday, September 8: Kevin Lynch’s 1-22 – 1-15 Swatragh, Celtic Park, 7:30 pm – Group B

Wednesday, September 8: Na Magha 1-15 – 2-28 Lavey, Owenbeg, 7:30 pm – Group B

TBA: Banagher – Slaughtneil, Banagher, TBA – Group A

Group Stage – Round 3

Sunday, September 12: Slaughtneil 3-27 – 0-10 Eoghan Rua, Slaughtneil, 1 pm – Group A

Sunday, September 12: Banagher 1-15 – 1-9 Ballinascreen, Owenbeg, 2 pm – Group A

Sunday, September 12: Lavey 1-15 – 1-15 Swatragh, Lavey, 4:30 pm – Group B

Sunday, September 12: Na Magha 0-10 – 3-19 Kevin Lynch’s, Na Magha, 4:30 pm – Group B

Where To Watch

Fans can attend the game live in a limited capacity. Alternatively, games and re-runs can be streamed with a #WeAreDerry season pass. Replays can also be bought.

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