Due to the Inishowen League’s Oscar Traynor Trophy game against Monaghan-Cavan yesterday evening, there were no games today in the Jackie Crossan Premier Division today.
However, there was plenty of action in the Strand Hotel Division One and Inishowen Engineering Division Two.
Strand Hotel Division One
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Illies Celtic 8 Carrowmena FC 0
Illies dominated from the start but a failure to convert a number of chances.
Martin Coyle had an early chance but fired wide with only Samuel Bredin to beat before Bredin made a fine save to deny a Michael Coyle header on 21 minutes.
Stephen Doherty then had two chances within a short space of time but failed to hit the target and on the stroke of half time Martin Coyle again broke clear but fired wide when well placed.
Illies broke the deadlock on 47 minutes when substitute Ryan McElhinney broke on the right to shoot low and hard past Bredin from a tight angle.
Minutes later Paddy Doherty ran from midfield and fired high to the roof of the net from the edge of the area before Dominic Coyle robbed a defender and rounded Bredin to slot home the third.
McElhinney scored the goal of the game with a thirty yards effort to the top corner before Stephen Doherty got in on the act running onto a Paddy Doherty pass before slotting home.
Two goals from Paddy Doherty and one from McElhinney in the closing minutes saw both players complete their hat trick.
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Cockhill Youths 9 Sea Rovers 0
The first half gave no indication as to what was to come as Rovers were well in the game and very unfortunate to trail by three goals.
Rovers had the first chance when a Damien Ward effort from point blank range was brilliantly saved by Sean Parker in the home goal.
Minutes later play swung to the other end where Jack McDaid crossed for Michael Owen Doherty to head home from eight yards.
Rovers went close again on 18 minutes after Wards free was superbly tipped away high to his left by Parker.
Again Cockhill hit back and doubled their lead when Doherty tapped in for his second of the game after good work by Jarlith Herrity and Kevin McDaid in the build up.
Ward tried an audacious effort from a huge distance and with Parker furiously back tracking the ball dropped narrowly over.
Cockhill increased their lead then on 36 minutes when Christopher Duffy broke from defence and fed Michael Noone whose cross was turned home by Kevin McDaid.
Rovers had the final chance of the half but Conor Gallagher blazed over when well placed. Rovers were completely over run in the second period and gaols from Michael Noone, Shaun Doherty, Eoin Deery and a hat trick from substitute Darragh McDermott completed the rout.
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Clonmany Reserves 3 Rasheney FC 5
Clonmany opened the scoring in the second minute when Oisin Hession’s corner from the right was headed in by Dessie Doherty from six yards out past Sean Friel in the Rasheney goals.
Clonmany almost doubled their lead in that opening period but were thwarted by the post and Sean Friel.
Rasheney weathered that opening pressure and gradually their midfield got on top and equalised in the 19th minute after a quick break down their right wing with Declan McLaughlin getting in behind the Clonmany defence and squaring across for David McLaughlin to finish past Liam McGonigle from two yards out.
Rasheney almost grabbed a quick second goal within two minutes when Charlie Doherty gained possession in the centre circle and tried an audacious shot from at least 35 yards out, which had Liam McGonigle desperately back pedalling but the ball struck the face of the crossbar and ricocheted off Liam’s back and behind for a corner.
Rasheney stayed on top of the play for the rest of the half but in the last minute of the half were thankful when Clonmany’s Brendan Doherty’s overhead kick in the box came back off the crossbar before being cleared.
Clonmany made a sub at half-time with Jason Devlin replacing Aaron Harkin but it was Rasheney who started the better, and John Grant scored in the 49th
minute to make it two one to Rasheney after David McLaughlin’s shot came back off the post and came to him ten yards out from goal. Jason Devlin almost grabbed an equaliser for Clonmany in the 57th minute when he broke onto a loose
Rasheney pass but Sean Friel came out quickly to block at his feet and deflect his shot behind for a corner.Clonmany Reserves did equalise in the 65th minute when a free-kick was awarded on the left side of the box and
substitute Martin Doherty drove a low shot past the wall, beating Friel at his near post.Rasheney then had a seven minute spell where they scored three times,to decide this contest.
Their third goal came in the 73rd minute and was the best move of the match.Charlie Doherty won the ball in the centre circle and sent a sweeping pass in behind Clonmany’s left back for Declan McLaughlin to run on to before squaring across the face of the Clonmany goals for Damien Friel to poke home from close range.
Rasheney’s fourth came in the 77th minute when a right wing corner from Michael Toland was headed in at the near post by Rasheney’s right back James McConologue.
Rasheney’s fifth goal came in the 80th minute,a free-kick was awarded on the halfway line which Michael Toland slid through for substitute Kieran Friel and he slid it past Liam McGonigle, and into the bottom left hand corner of the net.
Clonmany added a late third goal, through Jason Devlin but were not able to threaten again and suffered their first defeat of the season.
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Inishowen Engineering Division Two
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Buncrana Reserves 3 Gleneely Reserves 1
The opening 20 minutes of this top of the table clash was a cagey affair as both defences pressed high up the pitch and so limiting any chance of creative play in midfield.
Besides a couple of long range shots that either flew high or well wide both keepers were virtual spectators.
Then on 21 minutes Gleneely won a corner which the Buncrana defense failed to clear and Evan O’Brien was one hand to slot home from close range.
After this Gleneely enjoyed a period of dominance with Corey O’Brien and Christy Smith both causing the Buncrana defense problems, In fact within two minutes Smith was denied firstly by a fine save by Eoghain O’Doherty and then by a great last ditch tackle from Benny Murphy.
This flurry of activity seemed to shake Buncana into action and on thirty one minutes John O’ Loughlin broke down the right and his cross picked out Gerard Boyle and he gave Geneely’s keeper no chance from close range with a first time volley.
Buncrana continued to press and ten minutes later a Gleneely clearance from defence was picked up by Michael Doherty out on the right and his first time cross picked out Gerard Boyle on the back post and he headed home Buncrana’s and his second goal of the match.
The second half started with Gleneely pressing for an equaliser and this meant that Buncrana’s forwards Boyle, Friel and Bradley were given more space to operate in.
On 56 minutes as Gleneely broke from defense they lost the ball in mid field and Ben Bradley was able to break from the halfway line and run in on goal, giving Duffy no chance, to extend Buncrana’s lead.
For long periods after this Gleneely were camped in the Buncrana half but good work by O’Loughin, Murphy, Timlin and Adair meant that Buncrana keeper O’Doherty was rarely troubled.
On 65 minutes Corey O’Brien did force O’Doherty into making a fine diving finger tip save. Buncrana did hold on for the win but if this match was an indication of what is to come very little separate these two teams at the end of the season.
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Culdaff Reserves 2 Moville Reserves 3
Moville gained a crucial three points to keep themselves in contention at the top of the table.
In the opening minute they got off to a dream start when Kevin McDermott threaded a ball through to Matthew Mclaughlin who finished neatly passed Pauric O’Donnell.
Culdaff replied straight away when Patrick McGrenaghan blazed over from six yards after an Aiden Cunningham corner.
Culdaff had another chance when Brian Harris released Michael McLaughlin but from the edge of the area his low effort was saved by Ryan Coyle.
Before the break a Michael McFadden free found Cathal McGrenaghan whose powerful shot was brilliantly tipped over by Coyle.
Moville started the second period well and increased their lead from the penalty spot when Kyle Harkin drove low to the keepers right after Norbert Indyka was upended.
Culdaff reduced the deficit on the hour mark when a corner broke out to Michael McFadden who despatched a brilliant effort from thirty yards low to the bottom corner.
The home side equalised minutes later when Joe O’Connor sent Cunningham clear and when his effort was blocked by Coyle the loose ball fell to Brian McCandless to slot home.
But within a minute Moville regained the lead when a Matthew Harkin corner was headed home by the veteran midfielder Graeme Doherty.
Culdaff tried hard and on 87 minutes a Liam Doherty header found McCandless whose header crashed off the post onto the keepers back and onto the post again before Coyle claimed it.
Culdaff forced a number of corners in a row but the nearest they came was when Harris headed over.
