Slaughtneil’s Brendan Rogers Satisfied After Intense Ulster Semi-Final Victory Against Cushendall

Slaughtneil forward Brendan Rogers indicated that the Derry champions were required to be at their absolute best to defeat Cushendall in an exhilarating Ulster Club SHC semi-final played on Saturday night. Eamon Cassidy was noted celebrating Slaughtneil’s goal against Cushendall during the match. The contest, held at the Athletic Grounds, extended into extra-time, ultimately concluding with Slaughtneil achieving a victory by 1-36 to 3-25. Rogers, who earned the man-of-the-match accolade, commented on their opponents, stating: “You know what you get with Cushendall – a battle every time, good hurling, it’s physical and you have to be at your best to beat them.” He further remarked on the high scoring in the game: “We had a lot of scores. When you score 37 times and it’s still tight at the end of the game you know you’re in a battle and that’s full credit to Cushendall.” In the final moments of regular play, Slaughtneil held a three-point lead; however, Neil McManus scored his third goal, which resulted in the match proceeding to extra-time. The team from Derry maintained their composure and ultimately established a clear lead, securing a five-point triumph over the reigning champions. This particular victory followed a succession of previous defeats suffered by Slaughtneil against the Antrim-based squad. Rogers elaborated on the significance of the win for his team: “For this group, maybe because we haven’t beaten Cushendall in the Ulster Championship – we’ve played them about four times and had extra-time twice.” He concluded by stating: “So I suppose for this group to get over that line was one we had to do and we only set our sights on winning the game.”