RATHMULLAN CELTIC and Kildrum Tigers continued their good starts to the new season with wins today on a busy afternoon in the Donegal League.
Brian Mc Cormick Sports Premier Division
Kildrum Tigers 2 Kilmacrennan Celtic 0
PLAYED under perfect conditions at Station Road Park both teams stared well in a contest that was played at 100 miles an hour.
In the early stages both teams tested the opposition keeper to no avail.
Oran Higgins was brought down in the box in the 42nd minute but William Lynch missed the resulting penalty.
Kildrum started the second half with great intent but missed glaring opportunities through Higgins, Carlin and Lynch.
The deadlock was finally broken through James Melly who deceived everyone with a free kick that floated into the top corner.
Kilmac pushed hard and had a few chances to level the game but the Tigers defended well. Kildrum sealed the game through William Lynch late on.
Milford United 0 Lagan Harps 1
(No report submitted)
Castlefin Celtic 2 Glenea United 3
GLENEA recorded an impressive away victory over Castlefin in Parkview on Sunday.
The visitors started the brighter and scored within two minutes when Lee O’Brien rifled home from 25 yards. The hosts responded almost immediately when JP Malley headed home a Barry Tourish cross from the right. Both sides exchanged chances, Ian Ward broke clear for the hosts but his shot went narrowly wide.
Ryan McFadden then had a volley but it crashed off the crossbar.
In the second half there was little between the two sides but then Glenea took the lead in the 60th minute when a free from the left was headed down by Darren Mc Geever and Kevin Mulhern tapped home at the back post. The hosts began to press but were caught on the break when Mulhern played through Aodhan Ferry who finished well from 12 yards in the 70th minute.
The home side pulled a goal back when an Emmett White free kick was headed home by Malley.
Castlefin continued to press for an equaliser but couldn’t find a way past the Glenea defence.
[adrotate group=”38″]Rathmullan Celtic 5 Convoy Arsenal 1
RATHMULLAN Celtic continued their strong start to the Donegal League season with a five-star performance in dispatching Convoy on sun-kissed day at the Flagpole.
Player-boss Dara Patton helped himself to another brace while Paddy Sheridan, David Fisher and skipper Eoin Sheridan also got their names on the scoresheet.
Ryan Carlin found the net for Convoy in the final minute of the contest.
There was little in an even tussle for 45 minutes, with Patton’s goal separating the teams at the break. The Hoops striker got the opener on 25 minutes after what onlookers described as a shemozzle in the Convoy penalty box following a corner.
The predatory instincts of Patton prevailed and he blasted past Chris O’Donnell.
Convoy had the aid of a strong breeze in the first half but they weren’t able to level matters, despite some promising attacking play from full-back Emmett McNulty.
Rathmullan started brightly after the break and Paddy Sheridan got his first of the season with a typical set-piece. He curled a left-footed effort from the right win and it was the proverbial goalkeeper’s nightmare. No one got a touch and it went straight in at the back post.
Just after the hour, recent signing David Fisher capped an impressive display with his first goal in the Hoops. His right-foot shot from 30-yards found the bottom corner of the Convoy net.
Convoy tried hard to get back into the game and missed a golden chance on 65 minutes when James Kee headed over from six-yards following Anthony Boyle’s whipped corner.
That miss was to prove costly as Patton soon made it four at the other end. Having skipped away from a couple of challenges he found himself one on one with O’Donnell and never looked like missing as he slotted home right-footed. With three minutes left skipper Eoin Sheridan got his goal.
Paddy Sheridan played a fantastic through ball and Eoin Sheridan battled hard with Paul O’Leary to get there before the outrushing goalkeeper.
From 20-yards out, someone dinked the ball over the keeper’s head and just under the bar with the type of loft that would see Ryder Cup star Phil Mickelson shed a tear in appreciation.
Who got that touch will remains a case for the dubious goals committee but for now history will record that it was Eoin’s goal! Convoy got their goal in the final minute when Carlin made the most of a chance presented to him, curling a super finish around Mark Gallagher into the bottom corner.
[adrotate group=”85″]Plenty of good performances from a confident home team today but the overwhelming opinion of the sideline judges was that James McCahill deserved special mention for his performance.
Setting the tone in the middle of the field with tough tackling and steady passing, the Ramelton man is making a steady reputation for himself in getting the small details right for this Rathmullan side so far.
Temple Domestic Appliances Division One
Erne Wanderers 2 Glenree United 1
ERNE Wanderers hosted Glenree United at the Lakeside Centre on Sunday and limped over the line with a narrow 2-1 win. Erne were far from their best and wasted a lorry load of chances to win comfortably and in the end were just happy to hear the final whistle.
Glenree took the lead on two minutes when a harmless cross evaded everyone and the Erne right back unfortunately headed into his own net. Wanderers equalised on the half hour mark when Mark Dorrian tapped home from two yards after a scramble from a Phillip Patton corner.
David Dolan put the homesters ahead on 41 minutes when he latched onto David Dorrian’s through ball and finished well past Cunningham in nets.
Erne had all the possession in the second half but couldn’t put United away and in the end were under pressure but did well to see out the game and gain three precious points. Glenree battled well as a team while Wanderers did well to gain an important victory.
Bonagee United 2 Gweedore United 1
THIS game reversed to Carrickboyle saw the visitors go home with all three points in what could only be described as a scrappy affair. Chances were few and far between with both defences doing well.
The home side had two good chances through Niall Friel and Darren Ferry however John Carr in the Bonagee nets did well on each occasion. Bonagee’s only chance in the first half came in the 38th minute and Austin Marron made no mistake beating Michael Carroll with a shot from 10 yards.
Gweedore nearly pulled one back in the 45th minute when Shane O Donnell’s excellent free kick rattled the crossbar.
The second half continued in similar fashion to the first with no team really settling. Bonagee made it 2-0 in the 62nd minute when Kevin Kelly’s free kick deceived the defence and keeper to roll into the bottom corner. Gweedore pulled one back in the 84th minute with an excellent finish from John Mc Fadden after good work from Gary McFadden.
[adrotate group=”76″]Keadue Rovers 0 Raphoe Town 1
RAPHOE Town went away from Central Park with full points after a hard fought and deserved win over Keadue Rovers. It was a decent day for football despite the strong breeze.
It was Raphoe who were slightly better in the opening exchanges although overall it was quite scrappy. Keadue did start to come into things a bit more after twenty minutes but didn’t create any real chances.
By the 30-minute mark they had created a few chances, both falling to Sean Yank Boyle, one of which unluckily hit the post.
On 36 minutes Hugh Moy’s close range header went just wide while just a minute later Conor Greene’s headed effort from a long range went wide also.
On 40 minutes Raphoe’s first effort was a shot from distance parried by Ben Boyle in the Keadue goal. Into the second half and it was Raphoe who started much the brighter pushing up with the wind advantage. They were rewarded on forty eight minutes when they were awarded a penalty for a mistimed tackle in the box. Christy Bogle made no mistake with the spot kick.
Ten minutes later they were unlucky not to make it two shooting just wide. Keadue made a few subs around the hour mark and had a lot more possession while Raphoe were content to hit on the break.
In the last ten minutes it became more stretched and Oliver Quinn’s effort hit the crossbar for Raphoe while a few minutes later Keadue’s Ryan Greene made a great run at the near post but his shot drifted just wide. In the closing minutes Raphoe’s defence held firm despite lots of possession for the home side.
Donegal Town 4 Gweedore Celtic 0
DONEGAL Town hosted Gweedore Celtic at the Hospital Field in beautiful sunny conditions in this early season clash.
Donegal dominated Gweedore from the start without making very many chances until Joe McIntyre stepped up after 30 minutes. He received the ball inside the Gweedore half, beat four players, cut in from the right hand side and smashed the ball into the top left hand corner.
Donegal continued to dominate and went two ahead on the stroke of half time, Benny Byrne converting from an Eoin Slevin corner.
The second half was a more even contest with both teams playing good football and creating chances.
Donegal put the game out of sight on 35 minutes, David Graham scoring after a rebound from a Joe McIntyre shot which was well saved by the Gweedore keeper.
Dermot McCafferty made a great save with five minutes to go to deny Gweedore a consolation. Donegal completed the scoring in the last minute when David Graham broke down the right and delivered a great cross for Benny Byrne to bag a brace.
[adrotate group=”53″]Deele Harps 0 Cappry Rovers 3
DEELE hosted Cappry in Division One and the points went back up the road through Ballybofey.
Cappry started well and piled on the pressure which paid off on 20 minutes when an unchallenged cross from the left picked out Paddy McNulty who headed home.
Soon after Deele conceded again when Calvin Bradley evaded two Deele tackles and fired home a great strike from 20 yards.
As Deele were beginning to threaten the visitors delivered the sucker punch on 44 minutes when some hesitant defending from Deele let Bradley in and he needs no invitation and he lobbed home from a tight angle.
The home side improved in the second half but the damage was done and Cappry deserved the win.
CT Ball Division Two
Dunkineely Celtic 4 Kerrykeel ’71 F.C. 1
ON A beautiful day for a game Dunkineely started very briskly and were one up after only two minutes through Conor Shovlin.
Kerrykeel couldn’t get into the game and before they knew it they were two down after seven minutes when Cian Kennedy latched onto a good ball from Andrew Mackey and it was Mackey who got number three in the 10th minute from a good cross from Conor Shovlin.
There were chances at both ends but 3-0 it stood at half time.
Conor McGonigle had a good chance for Kerrykeel in the 50 minute but he put it wide . Kevin Mc Gonigle then hit the post for Kerrykeel in the 70th minute.
Paul Murrin struck for number four in the 75 minute before Conor Mc Gonigle struck in injury time for Kerrykeel.
[adrotate group=”83″]Copany Rovers 1 Curragh Athletic 2
THIS match between two evenly matched sides was played under the lights at the New Camp Complex on Friday night. Curragh Athletic went ahead on seventeen minutes when Tim Callaghan ghosted in undetected at the back post to score.
Micky O’Brien had played a great diagonal ball out wide to the left wing from where it was returned across the Copany box and there was Callaghan to convert.
Ten minutes into the second half and Curragh got their second. Tackles from behind always tend to bring free-kicks and it was no different on this occasion. Renato got up and dusted himself down before curling the ball into the top left hand corned of Stephen Doherty’s net.
With eight minutes remaining Copany were awarded a penalty and Pauric Rooney converted to give his side a fighting chance in the closing minutes. Both sides had chances in those closing stages but Curragh held out to claim three valuable points.
A special mention for Copany goalkeeper Stephen Doherty who played almost the entire game with an injury picked up in the opening exchanges.
Ballybofey United 6 Eany Celtic 0
BALLYBOFEY United saw off the challenge of an Eany Celtic side who have blown hot and cold so far this season.
Brian Lafferty Jnr. opened the scoring for the Finnsiders and a brace from Damien Glackin backed up by a Mark Griffin strike meant that the home side held a healthy four goal advantage at the interval.
Ex Finn Harps man Neil Lloyd added Ballybofey’s fifth goal in the second half before Griffin was again on target to wrap up the points.
This result sees Ballybofey United continue their solid start to the new season under newly installed manager Brian Lafferty senior. He has a great mix of youth and experience in his squad and they will be hoping to keep their good run going over the next few weeks.
Drumkeen United 3 Letterbarrow Celtic 3
NIALL Bonner put the home team ahead with a headed goal after about ten minutes but the lead was short lived as Alex McNelis equalised almost immediately for Letterbarrow.
Peter McNamee for Drumkeen and Nathan Carr for Letterbarrow both had chances before Drumkeen took the lead again.
Their second goal was created by Garvan Tinney out wide on the right when he played a great ball in to Niall Bonner on the edge of the penalty box and he finished well past the rapidly advancing goalkeeper.
Peter McNamee added a third goal for Drumkeen before half time when he turned and fired home a great shot from 20 yards.
Despite the fact that they were behind for a long spell the visitors were still in the game and as we entered the last 15 minutes they had a good spell during which they got a foothold in the game and pulled a goal back through Nathan Carr and shortly after that Gerard McBrearty got the equaliser.
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