DAIRE MCDAID was on fire this evening as Termon edged their way beyond Naomh Columba in the Michael Murphy Sports Under-21 A Championship.
Termon 3-08 Naomh Columba 1-13
McDaid scored 2-5 of his team’s total, again delivering a reminder of his ruthless edge in front of the target, while his brother Caolan shot the other 1-3.
Naomh Columba battled to the death, but will have made their way back to Glencolmcille cursing the manner of the goals and could perhaps feel a little hard done by.
[adrotate group=”68″]The awarding of the penalty in the final minute of the first half, from which McDaid netted his first goal, seemed harsh on Naomh Columba corner-back Stephen Callaghan.
With the ball bouncing over the head of Eoin Kelly, Callaghan was deemed to have pushed the Termon forward in the back and McDaid smashed the penalty past Paddy Byrne.
That turned the pendulum in Termon’s favour after Glen kicked four points in a five-minute spell to lead for the first – and only – time in the game.
And there was just a point between them, Termon leading 2-4 to 0-9, when McDaid hit his second goal.
[adrotate group=”40″]Given the benefit of the doubt for what seemed a straight pick-up from the floor, McDaid turned on the afterburners and fired home after Aiden Sweeney and Caolan McDaid combined.
It was Caolan McDaid who netted the second Termon major, taking a pass from Daire before drilling low past Byrne.
As is their custom, Naomh Columba fought to the finish, but they were perhaps a little over-dependent on the frees of Ryan Gillespie. The midfielder landed six points, five of them frees, and the south-west men were right back in the hunt when Paul Doherty was teed up by Gillespie and found the far corner of the Termon net.
[adrotate group=”46″]A wonder score by Daire McDaid, from way out on the left-hand side, restored a three-point lead, but the gap narrowed through frees by Gillespie and Pauric Ward.
By then, Naomh Columba had switched Byrne outfield with Eddie Curran donning the gloves, but Termon – who were without Ricky Gallagher, Enda McCormick, Caolan Mellett and Lee Doherty – held their heads to see it out.
How different, perhaps, the tale may have been had Curran managed to find the net with a shot in the opening minute. Glen, via Christopher Byrne and Pauric Cunningham, worked the chance, but Curran fired wide from a promising position and there was a sense that it would be a vital moment.
So it proved.
[adrotate group=”70″]With Daire McDaid (3) and Caolan McDaid on the mark Termon led 0-4 to 0-1 after 20 minutes with Byrne denying Daire McDaid with a strong save after Termon’s sharp-shooter raced clear.
Gillespie (2), Byrne and Cunningham scored to put Naomh Columba in front, but McDaid’s penalty on the stroke put Termon into a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
But they still left feeling thankful for it.
[adrotate group=”37″]Termon: Conor Tinney; Shane Callaghan, Fionntán O’Flynn, Darragh Moyne; James McSharry, Nathan McElwaine, Barry Gallagher; Aiden Sweeney, Joe Gallagher; Eoin Kelly, Caolan McDaid (1-3, 3f), Alan Dugera; Shane Doherty, Daire McDaid (2-5, 1-0pen, 1f, 1 ’45), Brian Alcorn. Sub: Mark Sweeney for C.McDaid (black card, 60).
Naomh Columba: Paddy Byrne (0-1, 1f); Stephen Callaghan, Philip Doherty, Paddy McNelis; Jason McGill, Jamie J McGinley, Stephen Jones; Ryan Gillespie (0-6, 5f), Christopher Byrne (0-2); Ronan Jones (0-1), Pauric Cunningham (0-1), Paul Doherty (1-1); Pauric Ward (0-1, 1f), Eddie Curran, Pauric O’Neill. Sub: Ronan O’Hare for McGinley (6).
Referee: Seamus McGonagle (Aodh Ruadh)
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