Slaughtneil Launch Appeal Over Hugely Contentious End To Derry Semi-Final

Just a matter of days before the Derry senior football final, doubt has been cast over the result of one of the semi-finals, with Slaughtneil appealing the result of their defeat to Newbridge.

Newbridge prevailed by two points in last Sunday's semi-final in Owenbeg, winning by a scoreline of 0-21 to 1-16.

They are scheduled to take on Magherafelt in this Sunday's senior county final.

However, with just five days to go until the decider, Slaughtneil have launched an official appeal after two contentious decisions made by the match officials in injury time.

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With the clock ticking past 60 minutes, and a further three added on, Slaughtneil and Newbridge were tied at 1-15 to 0-18 in Sunday's Derry semi-final.

With 60:20 on the clock, Derry inter-county star Shane McGuigan landed a monster score that, on first glance, looked as though it would result in two points for Slaughtneil and push them within touching distance of the county final.

However, the score was only rewarded with one point. The call was marginal, with McGuigan right on the line of the 40-metre arc, but Slaughtneil were unhappy that a two-pointer was not awarded.

From the resulting kick-out, a free-in was awarded to Newbridge, with the kick subsequently moved forward by the match referee, with Brendan Rogers adjudged to have deliberately delayed the restart.

Newbridge slotted over a two-pointer from that kick and would score a further point before the final whistle to turn the game on its head and win by two.

The decision to bring the kick forward, however, is not understood to be the central issue of the appeal, with John Fogarty of the Examiner reporting that Slaughtneil believe that they should have been awarded two points rather than one for McGuigan's score.

It's an incredibly tight call, and stills from the TV broadcast seem to suggest McGuigan's right foot might have been on the line as he kicked.

The appeal is to be heard on Tuesday night, though Slaughtneil will not be encouraged by the outcome of a similar appeal in Mayo last month.

Newbridge will hope for clarity sooner rather than later, as they seek to claim a second successive Derry senior title.

Standing in their way (or, most unlikely, Slaughtneil's) will be Magherafelt, who have not won a senior county title since 2019.