By Michael McMullan

DERRYLAUGHAN defender Colm O’Hagan never took a competitive penalty in his life until a dramatic moment last Saturday.

The Tyrone champions fought back from seven points down against a goal-hungry All-Saints Ballymena.

Just like he did at the end of normal time, James Donnelly levelled matters with the last kick of normal time to force penalties.

James Kennedy made the only save of the shootout and when Brendan McDonnell scored for Ballymena, O’Hagan knew a goal from the final kick would see the Kevin Barrys into the semi-final.

He tucked the ball to goalkeeper Ryan Stewart’s right-hand side with the poise of a man who’d kicked penalties all his life. Except, he hadn’t.

“I’ve never took a penalty in my life,” he admitted with the same calmness he demonstrated minutes earlier out on the grass.

“We’ve been practising penalties at training for 15 years just me and a couple of lads, we’d always be practising beforehand.

“I’ve always joked I’ve never took one so whenever the chance came, I said ‘put me down’ and I’d take one.”

They worked the kicking order between themselves. When O’Hagan’s turn came, he picked his spot, didn’t change his mind and kept his head down.

It wasn’t his first score. After Ballymena’s second purple patch in the third quarter, O’Hagan got forward to kick a point but it took two Brian Kennedy goals to give them the helping hand into Saturday’s blockbuster.

O’Hagan was part of the same defence that closed out Termon’s dangerous inside duo but Ballymena offered something different. A mixture of Paddy McAleer, Sean McVeigh and plenty of service gave them a tough afternoon.

Standing outside the Derrylaughan dressing room, O’Hagan was beginning to sift through a belter of a game.

📺 MATCH HIGHLIGHTS@AIB_GAA Ulster Club Intermediate Football Quarter Final 🏐@AllSaintsGAC 6-12@DerrylaughanGAC 3-21
(AET Derrylaughan won 5-4 on penalties)#UlsterClub2024#ClubMeansMore pic.twitter.com/b8gngmWSXS

— Ulster GAA (@UlsterGAA) November 13, 2024

“I don’t really know where to start,” he said with a grin. “There’s not many days you can leak six goals and come out the right side of a game. It’s just relief at the end of the day to get to the next round.”

It was their second game in a week and the prize is two weeks to prepare for a semi-final against Ballinderry.

Did battling back from seven down against Termon help? O’Hagan ponders. It’s not something to be made a habit of but when Ballymena hit three first-half goals, the Derrylaughan dressing room knew they’d climbed the same ladder before.

“Teams are going to get purple patches on you and it’s just limiting it and then you try to turn it around,” he said.

“If you are five, six, seven points down, it’s important to just keep knocking the points over. The goal chances came and we took them when they did and it is just a relief.”

A big part was Brian Kennedy and his move to full-forward. When Shane Scullion’s perfectly flighted diagonal ball dropped in, he grabbed before hammering home. Later in the game, his goal brought Derrylaughan level.

“He’s a huge asset to us wherever he plays whether it’s out around the middle or the edge of the square,” O’Hagan said.

“You can look up and you know even if he’s going up with two, three or four men, you think Brian’s going to come down with it.”

O’Hagan is thankful the forwards steered them back in contention. In the days of grinding one-point wins, it’s often defenders who do the heavy lifting.

On Saturday, it was case of glancing twice at the scoreboard to check if they were up or down. It was a day that punters got value for money.

After winning the club’s second Tyrone intermediate title, Derrylaughan don’t view Ulster as a bonus.

It’s new ground and a new piece of silverware. It’s county champion versus county champion.

“Every game’s going to get tougher from here on in,” O’Hagan said before knowing if they’d face Carrickcruppen or Ballinderry.

“We’re going to have to raise our game another two or three levels again for the next day.

“Whoever it is, you know the performance and especially on the defensive end is going to have to tighten up a wee bit.”

They are thankful for two weeks to diffuse any sores from eighty plus minutes of graft. If their semi-final goes to penalties, O’Hagan will step forward.

“I’ll put my name down for the fifth again,” he said with another grin.