Naomh Conaill, the holders, are back in the Donegal Senior B final after a 10-point win over Sean MacCumhaills in Letterkenny.
Naomh Conaill 5-7 Sean MacCumhaills 2-6
by Chris McNulty at O’Donnell Park
Goals from Paul McGuinness (2), Oran Doherty, Jamie McHugh and substitute Dermot Ward helped sent Seamus O’Malley’s team back to the final and means they join the club’s senior team in the county final.
Six minutes into the second half, McGuinness bagged his second goal of the day. The move began with goalkeeper Noel Gavigan playing a short kick out and the Glenties men built from the back.
It got even better for Naomh Conaill when, in the 40th minute, Oran Doherty fired home a fourth goal.
MacCumhaills, to their credit, did come back and Chris Gallen netted midway through the second period.
Gallen remarkably hit a second goal when with eight minutes left, his free deceived replacement goalkeeper James Boyle.
But, even with that stroke of good fortune, Naomh Conaill led by eight, 4-6 to 2-4.
Ward added the final goal late in the game as he punished a mistake in the MacCumhaills rearguard.
Gallen had tucked over a free for MacCumhaills’ first point in the 23rd minute, but even by then Naomh Conaill were well in command and that score from Gallen was the Twin Towns men’s sole point of part one.
Oran Doherty opened the scoring in the seventh minute and McGuinness bent over to double the lead.
Charles McGuinness scored twice in as many minutes, the second of them a free, but the boys in blue were guilty of some wayward shooting and ought to have been further in front when Gallen broke MacCumhaills’ duck.
Naomh Conaill included the likes of former Donegal forward Leon Thompson in their ranks, with other former SFC winners like Stephen Molloy, Cathal Ellis and Johnny Bonner giving them a strong backbone.
Naomh Conaill had a firm hold of things when McHugh found the net two minutes before the break, the wing-forward doing well to score from close range.
And it was game, set and match when, in added time, McHugh and Hughie Gallagher combined to set up Paul McGuinness, who beat Chris Patton with a low finish to make it 2-4 to 0-1 at the break – and they never looked liked relinquishing the advantage having led from start to finish.
Naomh Conaill: Noel Gavigan; Oran McDevitt, Cathal Ellis, Stephen Molloy; Oran Doherty (1-1), Johnny Bonner, Hughie Gallagher; Tony Byrne, Jamie Cranley; Jamie McHugh (1-1), Charles McGuinness (0-2, 1f), Danny Gallagher; Leon Thompson (0-1), Paul McGuinness (2-1), Cian Doherty. Subs: James Boyle for Gavigan (48), Dermot Ward (1-0) for Byrne (50), Martin Gallagher for Ellis (55), Shane McDevitt for Gallagher (60).
Sean MacCumhaills: Chris Patton; Douglas McDaid, Mark Connolly, Gerard Grindle; Rory Mulligan, Joe Dunnion, James Beirne; Shaun Friel, Pat McNulty; Ryan Duffy, Paul Kelly (0-1), Fintan Griffin; Brendan McLaughlin (0-1f), Brian Patton (0-1), Chris Gallen (2-3, 1-3f). Subs: Shane Duffy for Beirne (half-time), Seamus McGinty for B.Patton (39), Jack McGeehan for Griffin (41), Caelum Bonner for McDaid (59), Ogilvie McGroarty for Kelly (60).
Referee: Aidan McAleer (Naomh Padraig, Muff).
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