The Inishowen League returned this weekend with a small schedule of entertaining games, including Moville Celtic’s rout on the road against Glengad Reserves.
Strand Hotel First Division
Glengad Reserves 0 Moville Celtic 3
Moville dominated the early exchanges but found the home defence a tough nut to crack. But they took the lead midway through the half after a Ryan McColgan ball over the top released Nathan Harkin whose first time cross deflected off a defender past Michael McLaughlin.
McLaughlin then made a fine save to tip Harkin’s powerful shot round the post before an injury to Shane Canning saw Glengad come more into the game.
A John McDaid corner found Adam Byrne but his header was cleared off the line before McDaid fired just over the bar from the edge of the area.
Glengad had the first chance of the second half after Cathal Doherty wriggled past three defenders but saw his effort saved by Ryan Coyle.
Moville replied and when Harkin got in behind the home defence McLaughlin saved well. Glengad spurned their best chance on 66 minutes when Seamus Doherty raced clear but was denied by the outstretched leg of Coyle.
Moville upped the tempo and doubled their lead when Harkin’s free-kick was flicked home by Conor Doherty from close range.
They completed the scoring late on when with the home defence appealing for offside Conor Doherty raced clear and squared for Conor Lafferty to slot home.
Buncrana Res 2 Cockhill Youths 4
After a cagey opening fifteen minutes, with both sides sizing one another up, this match broke into life. Cockhill opened the scoring through David Laird but Buncrana were back on level terms within a minute, Michael Doherty finding the back of the net.
Cockhill might have taken the lead again on thirty-four minutes, but Buncrana keeper Paul Mc Daid diverted a long-range free-kick onto the crossbar and Benny Murphy cleared the ball off the line.
On 41 minutes Odhran O’Brien Daly hit the bottom of the Buncrana post and Buncrana responded on the stroke of halftime when Stephen McHugh goal bound shot was deflected wide for a corner from which John O’Loughlin’s snapshot just cleared the crossbar.
Within a minute of the restart Cockhill retook the lead, O’Brien Daly scoring. Liam Mc Carron had a great opportunity to restore parity but he could not get enough power on his header and on seventy minutes Keegan Heggerty added a third to give Cockhill a seemingly unassailable lead.
With twelve minutes remaining Buncrana broke from defense and Liam Henderson’s defense-splitting pass found Darrach O’ Connor who rounded Cockhill keeper Dougall to score. Suddenly Buncrana were on the front foot and Cockhill were under pressure.
Two minutes later O’ Connor chased down a back pass, blocked Dougall’s clearance, but the keeper got back to retrieve the situation when it seemed certain that O’Connor would put Buncrana back on level terms.
Buncrana’s Michael Doherty then had a great opportunity but his header went wide and with Buncrana committed to attack, Cockhill broke and Mark McDaid got their fourth and final goal in the eighty-sixth minute.
This result keeps Cockhill in the hunt for promotion while Buncrana face an uphill struggle to avoid relegation.
Inishowen Engineering Division Two
Redcastle Reserves 3 Moville Reserves 0
In an entertaining game, the home side had the first chance on 11 minutes when Ronan Hoy fired narrowly wide. Moville responded and Danny Murphy saw one effort saved by Ryan McCole before the same player broke clear and fired past McCole but just past the far post.
The home side broke the deadlock on 25 minutes after great work by Terry McColgan found Brendan Murphy who picked out Hoy to fire high past Sean McGuinness.
Five minutes later they doubled their lead with a clinical finish from Murphy inside the area. Redcastle were dealt a blow on the stroke of half-time when Gary Kelly was red carded. Moville with the extra man found it difficult to create clear chances.
Murphy fired wide when well placed before after a scramble in the area McCole gathered at the strikers feet. With Moville pushing they were caught on the break on 83 minutes and Brendan Murphy pounced to drill home from fifteen yards.
QPS Reserves 4 Clonmany Reserves 0
After a cagey start, Clonmany forced three corners and Pearse McCarron had a header well saved by keeper Bell. QPS opened the scoring on 23 minutes, when Joe Johnstone ran through, held off two challenges and shot low into the bottom corner.
Michael Devlin for Clonmany released Nathan McKinney who brought the best out of QPS keeper Bell from twenty yards.
QPS doubled their lead on 40 minutes, when a one-two between McConnelogue and Johnstone released Johnstone who drew Clonmany keeper Dillon McCarron before squaring to Mark Bell who scored easily from 6 yards. QPS got a third just before the break, when a ball from Bell over the top, saw Johnstone beat keeper McCarron to the ball, hold off a defender and score.
Clonmany started the second half much better with Paul McLaughlin and Michael Devlin prominent without really testing QPS keeper Bell.
Oisin Burke for QPS clipped the crossbar from twenty-five yards. Joe Johnstone completed his hat-trick when Sean McColgan outpaced the Clonmany defence and squared to Johnstone who tapped home from five yards.
Greencastle Reserves 5 Cockhill Reserves 1
Greencastle started this game well and Andrew Peoples, Kevin McLaughlin and Ronan Doherty all went close but failed to hit the target. Cockhill responded and Gary Breslin laid the ball off for David Grant but he fired narrowly over.
Greencastle hit back and a Puaric Gillen free-kick was well saved by Kevin McDaid in the visitors goal. Cockhill stunned the home side when they took the lead on 21 minutes after a Daithi Grant corner kick sailed all the way into the top corner.
But the home side equalised five minutes later when Peoples fed Doherty who turned smartly inside the area to drill low past McDaid from fourteen yards.
They took the lead then on 39 minutes after Conor Gillen received a pass from Adam Harkin and held off a defender to drill low past McDaid.
On the stroke of half-time it became 3-1 when Peoples intercepted a clearance and fired a superb lob over the stranded McDaid from thirty yards.
Greencastle continued on top after the break with Peoples and Gillen firing wide while Gillen was denied by an excellent save from McDaid before Daniel Rowan unleashed an effort which crashed off the bar.
Cockhill replied and when Gary Breslin raced clear onto a ball over the top he fired wide when well placed. Cockhill ‘s Martin Breslin was then unlucky when his effort crashed off the post. But two late goals sealed the win when Peoples drove home at the second attempt before Ronan Doherty evaded three defenders and slotted home.
Rasheney Reserves 0 Carn Reserves 5
Rasheney had the first chance when a Conor O’Neill corner was cleared off the line by a defender. Carn responded when Conor Doherty fired over before Christy McDaid broke into the area but Roger McGilloway advanced and smothered.
Carn took the lead when a Niall McGuinness free came off the bar but Tiernan Coyne reacted first to slot home.
Rasheney had a good spell then with Nathan McConalogue hooking the ball wide before Brian Devlin fired straight at Jack Nelson when well placed.
But Carn doubled their lead on 40 minutes when Dylan Cooke surged forward and cut inside before driving a powerful effort to the roof of the net.
Rasheney had the last chance of the game when after a superb build-up Matthew Duffy laid the ball back for Tiernan McDonald whose attempted chip just cleared the bar.
Rasheney started the second half well and when McConalogue broke clear he elected to shoot early and Nelson saved before Duffy shot wildly wide from a good position. Carn responded and McGuinness had an effort parried away by McGilloway at full stretch. Two goals in as many minutes from Coyne to complete his hat-trick ended the game as a contest.
Firstly he fired high to the roof of the net before minutes later converting at the second attempt after McGilloway had blocked his initial effort.
They scored their fifth on 82 minutes after Conor Doherty’s long ball was controlled by Christy McDaid on his chest before he lobbed McGilloway.
Rasheney had a late chance for a consolation when substitutes Ciaran Dillon and Caelum Long combined for the latter to see his effort saved by Nelson.
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