Donegal hurlers secure Division 2B spot with huge win over Mayo

DONEGAL secured their survival in Division 2B with a huge win over Mayo.

Donegal 4-18 Mayo 0-13

By Charlie Collins at O’Donnell Park

Ace scorer Declan Coulter bagged two goals in the space of a minute late in the first half to tee up the victory.

Mayo started well and Eoin Delaney gave them a early lead but poor finishing which saw them hit six wides.

After a shaky start Donegal scored four points. a super solo effort by Richie Ryan and three frees  by Declan Coulter had the home team 0-4 to 0-1 at the water break .                                                                                                                                                                                                                     It got better for Donegal immediately after the break as Danny Cullen’s long ball into the danger area caused problems and Richie Ryan booted the ball to the net, 1-4 to 0-1.                                                                                                                                                                      Shane Boreland pointed a free for Mayo’s second point but Donegal hit them with two goals in a minute.

Declan Coulter got them both. Gerry Gilmore brilliantly set up the first with a super 50m run and then passed to Coulter who hammered it home.

A minute later Ciaran Mathewson launched a long ball inside, Coulter out jumped his marker and raised away to blast the ball past keeper Bobby Douglas, 3-5 to 0-2.                                                                                                                                                                                 Before half-time Mayo added four points, Shane Boreland with two and Corey Scahill and Adrian Phillips one each.

Sean McVeigh and Danny Cullen kept the Donegal scoreboard ticking over to leave it 3-07 to 0-06 at the break.

Coulter converted two frees to start the second half, Richie Ryan added another before a Shane Boreland reply.

Bernard Lafferty fired over three excellent points from play. Coulter added another and then when his long range free dropped short Ronan McDermott hammered the ball to the net to make it 4-14 to 0-08.

Coulter added another two frees to bring his tally to 2-0 and the man who then replaced him young Ruari Campbell converted two to round off a super display and victory for Donegal who secure Division 2B hurling for next year.

DONEGAL: Luke White; Gavin Brown, Stephen Gillespie, Mark Callaghan; Christopher McDermott, Sean McVeigh (0-1), Michael Donoghue; Declan Coulter (2-8, 8f), Ciaran Mathewson;  Danny Cullen (0-1), Richie Ryan (1-2), Jack O’Loughlin; Bernard Lafferty (0- 4), Ronan McDermott (1-0), Gerry Gilmore. Subs: Conor O’Grady for C.McDermott (h-t), Josh Cronolly for McVeigh (45), Niall Cleary and Padraig Doherty for Cullen and Donaghue (55), Oisín Grant, Ruari Campbell (0-2) and Colm Flood for Coulter, Ryan and Ronan McDermott (58).

MAYO: Bobby Douglas; David Kenny, Michael Morley, Sean Kenny; Conor Daly, Pearce McCrann, Stephen Coyne; Kieran Kiely, Daniel Ruane; Adrian Phillips (0-2), Cathal Freeman (0-1), Eoin Delaney (0-1); Corey Scahill (0-1), Brian Morley (0-1), Shane Boreland (0-4). Subs used: Sean Regan, Brian Hunt (0-1), Conor Murray, Gary Nolan, Jason Coyne,Mark Phillips (0-1), Cormac Phillips (0-1),