From outsiders to finalists, Burt on the trail to further glory with U-21 success

When they finished in seventh place in the league table after the group stages there was no mad rush to the bookies to put a wager on Burt as potential U-21B champions. 

After all they had won just one game in the group stages and were well beaten by Glenfin in Hibernian Park and had lost by a point to Naomh Padraig, Uisce Chaoin. That game was later declared null and void by the county board in a wrangle over player registration.  

The only game Burt won was away to Milford, in Moyle View Park where they outscored the locals 0-12 to 1-6.  

But after making the knockout stage of the championship, two games later, and a couple of notable scalps on the way, the side jointly managed by Sean McHugh and Dara Grant are 60 minutes away from a possible first-ever U-21B championship success. 

They face Cloughaneely, who just finished one place above them in sixth position, in the final on Saturday evening at the Donegal Training Centre in Convoy.  

“We won just one game in the group; that was against Milford in Milford and we lost away to Glenfin,” said Sean McHugh. 

“Naomh Padraig, Uisce Chaoin beat us by a point but after a wrangle over player registration, the county board deemed the game null and void.  

“It was a really tough group and that stood to us in the two games since against Glenfin and Carndonagh, the two top teams who were unbeaten in the group.  

“We pulled off a big win against Glenfin up in Glenfin in the quarter-final. They had beaten us by six points at home in the group but we turned it around to win by a point 2-8 to 1-10.  

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“It was a big upset but the lads played very well and deserved to win. But it was a huge result, Glenfin was unbeaten up to that and was only second behind Carndonagh on score difference at the top of the table at the end of the group games. 

“We had to dig deep to come from three points down in the closing minutes against Carndonagh to draw the game and force extra-time. 

“Ciaran Porter scored the goal that levelled it at the end and the good thing is it was a well-worked goal and was not the result of just a high and hopeful ball in the goalmouth.  

“It really rattled Carndonagh, who were unbeaten up to last weekend and had ambitions of going on and winning the championship. 

“They lost two men to black cards in injury time and played the first half of the extra-time with just 13 players.   

“The momentum was with us and when Shayne Gallagher scored the second goal in the middle of the first period of extra-time it gave us a cushion and a lead to hang on to which we did.  

“We are going into the final with good momentum but we are aware that Cloughaneely has momentum too after wins over Malin and Milford in their last two games.  

“Most of our lads have already won the U-21 hurling so they are hoping to win the double and of course, a number of the lads have also won the senior hurling championship. If we come out on the right side of the result it will go down as a good year for the players.” 

Burt squad: Kevin O’Boyle, Shaunie Bradley, Lee Callaghan, Aaron Clarke Doherty, Kevin Curran, Matthew Curran, Michael Doherty, Darrach Donaghy, John Eyre, Paul Eyre, Cormac Ferguson, Shayne Gallagher, Conor Garland, Fiachra Gill, Fionnan Gill, Ciaran Kelly, Leo Kelly, Oisin Kerr, Shane Kerrigan, Eoin McDaid, Rory McDaid, Niall McGlynn, Liam Og McKinney, Gareth McElroy, Aidan McKinney, Coalan McKinney, Kyron McColgan, Fionn O’Riordan, Ciaran Porter, Colm Purves, Colm Tonner, Andrew Walker.