AILEACH SHOWED magnificent bouncebackability yesterday to come from 3-0 down at home to Dunree to win 4-3, while Buncrana Hearts and Clonmany continued their solid starts to the campaign.
Buncrana Hearts 5 Carn FC 2
BUNCRANA got off to a dream start and were two goals ahead inside the opening 12 minutes.
Gary Duffy got on the end of a Kieran McDaid corner to head home before Stephen McHugh added a second finishing off a fine move.
But the visitors got back into the contest when a Ronan Doherty free kick eluded everyone and landed in the net.
The home side started the second half well and Adam Duffy converted from close range to restore their two goal advantage on the hour mark.
Once again Carn replied and got a goal back from the penalty spot with Doherty sending hearts keeper Eoghan O’Doherty the wrong way.
Buncrana sealed the points on the stroke of full time when McDaid went past five defenders and slotted home and in the final kick of the game McHugh added another to make it five-two.
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Aileach FC 4 Dunree United 3
IN AN amazing game the visitors led 3-0 with 17 minutes remaining but the home side hit four goals to maintain their unbeaten league record.
Dunree took an early lead after the home defence failed to deal with a corner and Kevin McColgan headed past John Roulstone.
Aileach replied with Philip Doherty parrying a Kieran McGrory effort and Dermot Doherty just failed to get on the end of Darren McMonagle’s cross.
Dunree replied and when Philip McGuinness beat the offside trap he fired weakly at Roulstone.
Dunree doubled their lead when Ryan Bradley was left unmarked to flick home a McGuinness free from eight yards.
Aileach upped the tempo on the restart and Dermot Doherty saw an effort clip the outside of the post.
Adam Barr then unleashed a 30-yard effort which drew a fantastic save from Philip Doherty.
It looked all over for the home side on 73 minutes when a McGuinness free broke in the area for McColgan to blast high to the roof of the net.
Within a minute the home side got one back after McMonagle fired a superb effort low to the corner from 20 yards.
Two minutes later McGrory headed home a Stephen McKendrie cross before the same player equalised on 80 minutes when he turned home an Anthony Doherty cross from six yards.
It was all Aileach now and they struck for the winner when McMonagle curled a superb effort in off the post to complete an unlikely come back.
[adrotate group=”38″]QPS 1 Clonmany Shamrocks 3
CLONMANY Shamrocks maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 3-1 victory over Quigley’s Point Swifts in Muff on Sunday afternoon.
The result sees Clonmany remain second behind Aileach, while Quigley’s Point have yet to register their first points of the season after three games.
The first half saw very little in the way of goal-scoring chances, but Clonmany landed the first blow of the game in the seventh minute. A Jason Devlin corner was headed on to the back post, and an unmarked Aidan Friel was allowed to tap into the net from six-yards.
Clonmany doubled their lead on 58 minutes. Jason Devlin played a short corner to Aidan Friel, whose cross was headed clear by Kevin Wallace. The ball fell to Friel outside the box and his low drive took a huge deflection off Raymond Buchanan and wrong-footed Oisin Burke, who could only watch as the ball sailed into the top corner.
Clonmany looked to further their lead, but Quigley’s Point showed good character to get back into the game on sixty-seven minutes. A free-kick on the left side from Jordan McLaughlin was cleared to Stephen Grant. Grant’s shot was deflected and the ball fell to a waiting Raymond Buchanan who thundered the ball into the net from inside the Clonmany six-yard box.
With Quigley’s Point in the ascendancy, Clonmany weathered the pressure well and finished the game strongly.
On 75 minutes, Michael Devlin had a great chance but his shot from a tight angle flew across the face of an empty Quigley’s Point net. Two minutes later, Mark McLaughlin should have done better from eight yards after being played in by Aidan Friel, but blazed his shot over the bar.
The Shamrocks kept pushing the tempo, and with nine minutes left Gary Doherty’s smart shot from the right went inches wide after good link-up play between Aidan Friel and Michael Devlin.
Quigley’s Point could not find a response, and with the final attack of the game Clonmany made it three-one.
Mark McLaughlin made a good run deep into the Quigley’s Point half and played the ball to Gary Doherty. Doherty hit a cross low from the right into the penalty area which was spilled by Oisin Burke, allowing an oncoming Paddy Doherty to slot the ball into the bottom left corner.
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| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Aileach FC | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 9 | 12 |
| Clonmany Shamrocks | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 5 | 10 |
| Glengad United | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 6 |
| Buncrana Hearts | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 6 |
| Greencastle FC | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 4 |
| Carn FC | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 3 |
| QPS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| Dunree United | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 0 |
| Culdaff FC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 0 |
