NEFL | Bellurgan United book their place in Tully Bookmakers Cup final

NEFL Challenge Cup semi-final | Bellurgan Utd 3–2 Trim Celtic

Bellurgan United will meet Navan Cosmos in this year’s NEFL Tully Bookmakers Challenge Cup final after overcoming Trim Celtic at Marian Park in Drogheda on Sunday afternoon.

Padraig Gollogley’s side went ahead on the quarter of an hour mark when Paddy Quinn rifled home after Trim Celtic failed to clear a ball into the penalty area.

Trim, however, hit back 10 minutes later when they equalised from a dubious corner that left the Bellurgan players and management team unhappy.

This was the wake-up call Bellurgan needed and they dominated the rest of the first half, taking a 2–1 lead just before the interval.

Owen Armstrong whipped in a fantastic corner from the left and Danny O’Connor was there to nod home and give the peninsula side the advantage.

Bellurgan continued to attack and they found themselves with a two-goal cushion after just two minutes of the restart when Ciaran Sheelan’s beautifully weighted free-kick went around the Trim wall and nestled into the bottom left-hand corner.

The Meath side refused to throw in the towel and they pulled a goal back through a set piece on 55 minutes which left Robbie Arthur in the Bellurgan goal helpless.

It became very scrappy after that and both sides finished with 10 men — John Smyth man seeing red for the Bellurgan — but they held on to secure their place in the final.

Gollogley’s side meet Navan Cosmos in the final at United Park on Sunday, May 28th at 2.30pm. Before that, Bellurgan have the chance to win some silverware when they meet Quay Celtic in the Kilmessan Shield final in Glenmuir on Saturday evening at 5pm.

BELLURGAN UNITED: Robbie Arthur, Owen Treanor, Ray Finnegan, Sean McEvoy, John Smyth, Diarmuid Murphy, Owen Armstrong, Stephen Finnegan, Danny O’Connor, Paddy Quinn, Ciaran Sheelan.