DONEGAL SCORED THREE second half goals to advance to the final of this year’s Ulster U-17 League at the expense of Group A winners Monaghan at Annyalla today.
Donegal 4-10 Monaghan 3-7
In truth Donegal were the better team throughout and perhaps could have won by more but for the concession of two first half goals that helped keep Monaghan in the game until midway through the second half. Donegal will square off in next week’s final against Tyrone who easily accounted for Cavan in the other semi-final, 2-18 to 1-7.
In a game played in conditions more akin to mid-November than mid-April, Donegal started the brighter of the two sides with the slight slope to their advantage and they opened their account in the first minute when Thomas McGowan slotted over a free after Mickey Gallagher was fouled. McGowan doubled the lead in the third minute from another free before firing wide when similarly placed in the sixth minute.
Monaghan got their first score when full-forward Michael O’Brien beat Darragh Byrne to a high ball and he fed the explosive Cormac Ó Coinnean who blasted high into Paddy Gallagher’s net from eight metres to give the Farney lads the lead and they may have had a second moments later but for the diving block intervention of Aaron Deeney.
The referee then presented Oran McElligott with the simplest of tasks when he brought a free forward for the Donegal players rightly protesting that the free was being taken from the wrong place and McElligott duly obliged to open a two-point lead for the home side.
Thomas McGowan then reduced the deficit to the minimum when pointing a 45 before Sean Gorrell levelled matters with Donegal’s first point from play in the 18th minute. Cian McEniff then had Donegal’s first goal chance a minute later only to see his effort blocked by a defender.
Donegal hit the front when left-half back Paul Murphy broke up the field and his pass found Mickey Gallagher and he drilled low to the net from close range. Aaron Mohan replied a minute later with a point from play before Mickey Gallagher set up Thomas McGowan who pointed from 20 metres with his left foot on the turn. Gorrell got his second point from play straight from the Monaghan kick-out.
The game was headed into first half injury time but there were still more scores to come. First, McGowan sent over another free for Donegal after McEniff was fouled, McElligott replied for Monaghan. Within a minute Monaghan reduced the deficit to a single point after Byrne fouled Ó Coinean and McElligott stepped up to drive low past Paddy Gallagher from the resultant penalty. Half-time Monaghan 2-3, Donegal 1-7.
Donegal had kicked four first half wides to Monaghan’s three but another telling stat was that Donegal dropped four balls into the hands of Monaghan net minder Liam McCarney compared to just one to Gallagher at the other end.
Shortly after half-time Donegal replaced the ineffective Sweeney and Dolan with Matthew McGovern and Niall Hannigan. With both teams struggling to create any scoring chances as the hail stones fell to begin the second period, it took until the 40th minute for a second half score to come and when it did it put the home side into the lead once again after corner-forward tandem Ó Coinean and McElligott linked up and McElligott fisted to the Donegal net to leave two points between the sides.
Donegal settled and a minute later got their first second half point from McEniff who fired over from 25 metres.
Donegal then regained the lead when a free was played to Paul Murphy, he launched a 30-metre pass into the run of Matthew McGovern who turned his man and fed the ball back to Murphy who had continued his run and he buried to the net.
O Coinean then pointed a free and McElligott did likewise within a minute to reduce the Donegal lead again. Ronan Docherty had entered the fray for Gorrell on 44 mins and he ventured forward in the 52nd minute onto Michael McGroary’s pass and pointed off the top of the crossbar when a goal may have been on.
Donegal didn’t have to wait long for a third goal however, Thomas McGowan intercepted the resultant kick out and shrugged off the attentions of Callum Blanche and fired past McCarney. Ó Coinean then added another free to his tally but at this stage the influence of the lively McElligott and Ó Coinean had been well and truly snuffed out by corner-backs Deeney and Walsh. Deeney ventured forward in the first minute of injury time to point from play after a pass from McGroary.
Donegal sealed the game as the referee continued to play on after Matthew McGovern found space and drove at the heart of the Monaghan defence, as the defenders were attracted to him, he smartly fisted across goal to the waiting, unmarked McEniff and he put Donegal seven points up after a neat finish. Monaghan still had time to venture up the field and Ed Walshe pointed from 15 metrs out to end the scoring.
Brian McGeehin’s charges will hope to overturn their only defeat in the competition, suffered at the hands of Tyrone in Ballybofey a few weeks ago – in a game that could have gone either way – when they meet again in next weekend’s decider.
Monaghan: Liam McCarney; Matthew Ward, Callum Blanche, James Shields; Oisín Gleeson, Seamus Kindlon, Conor McCale; Karl McMenamin, Hugh McGirr; Oran Martin, Aaron Mohan (0-1), Ed Walshe (0-1); Cormac Ó Coinean (1-2) Michael O’Brien, Oran McElligot (2-3).
Donegal: Paddy Gallagher, Aaron Deeney (0-1), Darragh Byrne, Danny Walsh; Michael McGroary, Ryan McMahon, Paul Murphy (1-0); Shaun Gorrell (0-2), Luke Devlin; Cian McEniff (1-2) Mickey Gallagher (1-1), Paddy Dolan; Johnny Sweeney, Thomas McGowan (1-4; 2f, 45), Karl McGlynn. Subs: Matthew McGovern and Niall Hannigan for Sweeney and Dolan (35); Ronan Docherty for Gorrell (44); Shane Gillespie for Gallagher (56).
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