Greencastle scored a narrow win over Clonmany while Carn earned a spot in the next spot of the Buncrana Credit Cup. Here’s a full Inishowen League roundup.
Carn FC 2 QPS 1
Carn had an early opportunity when a Girts Dzerins pass from midfield found Lorcan Bradley who laid the ball off to Brandon Browne and he shot low to the left and wide from 10 yards.
At the other end Swifts got their first chance on 11 minutes when a Ryan mc Garvey pass down the right wing found Shaun Downey and he, in turn, rounded a defender with his shot seeming destined for the top corner but the ball was well saved by Fergal Doherty in the home goal.
Carn nearly broke the deadlock on 24 minutes. Good approach play involving Michael McDermott and Shane Doherty on the right created a chance for Dzerins who shot low to the right and wide from outside the 18-yard box.
Carn got another great chance on 31 minutes when a McDermott pass found Brandon Browne free and he laid the ball off to Dermot Doherty who was unmarked in the box but he shot over the bar from outside the 6 yard box.
QPS got a chance on 39 minutes when a pass from Ryan Mc Garvey found Stephen Mc Kendry who crossed for Aaron Mc Colgan to shot low to the left and wide from outside the 18-yard box. Carn broke the deadlock on 42 minutes when a Bradley pass found Shane Doherty who squared it for Dermot Doherty to slot it past Aiden Lynch into the bottom right corner of the net.
Swifts equalized on 57 minutes when an Andy Barr pass from midfield found Mc Kendry who squared it for John Mc Closkey who shot low past Doherty. The visitors nearly took the lead on 64 minutes when a Downey run on the right wing found Stephen Harley who shot low to the left and wide from 8 yards.
On 78 minutes Carn nearly went ahead when a Bradley pass from midfield found sub-Tiernan Coyne who rounded the defender but pulled his shot wide.
Carn came close again when sub-Cade Cooke went on a great run on the right wing and squared it for Dermot Doherty whose effort was heading for the right corner but it was well saved by Lynch.
Carn got their second and winning goal 8 minutes into injury time when a pass from sub Matthew Gasserman found Cooke one on one with the keeper and he rounded Lynch and slotted it to the bottom right corner of the net. QPS had chances to again equalise.
Mc Closkey’s pass from midfield found Downey who laid it off for Ryan Mc Garvey who shot over the bar from 10-yard and with two minutes to go James Quigley found Aaron Mc Colgan but his shot was low and wide from 10 yards.
Jackie Crossan Premier Division
Greencastle 2-1 Clonmany
Greencastle had the first chance of the game when a long kick out from keeper Dylan Doherty found full back Gavin Harkin breaking forward but his dangerous cross was well gathered by Clonmany keeper, Patrick Harkin.
With 10 minutes gone a long kick out from Harkin found Jason Devlin racing clear but Greencastle keeper Dylan Doherty raced off his line to clear the danger.
With 15 minutes of the first half gone Clonmany took the lead when a corner, taken by Jason Devlin, in a strong wind, sailed into the top corner.
The same player then had a left-foot shot go just wide five minutes later. Greencastle created a great chance with 23 minutes gone when Gavin Harkin played the ball into Nigel McGonagle who played it back to Jamie McCormack whose shit from the edge of the box went just over the bar.
Matthew Henry then had shot go just wide after being teed up by Nigel McGonagle.
Greencastle had a great chance when Nigel McGonagle played in Jamie McCormack who sidestepped the keeper but whose shot went agonisingly just wide of the right-hand post.
Greencastle had the first chance of the second half when a Shaun Doherty shot from the edge of the box was saved by Patrick Harkin.
Five mins later a matty Henry free-kick was cleared by Raymond McDaid. Nigel McGonagle then played in Stephen grant but his shot hit the side netting. Greencastle Mark Henry then headed over from a matty Henry corner.
With 15 minutes of the half gone Shaun Doherty played a long ball into the box for christy Hegarty, who rose and headed down for Nigel McGonagle whose shot was blocked by a defender.
With 20 mins of the half gone Clonmany had a great chance to go 2-0 up when substitute mark McLaughlin raced to the byline and crossed for Christy Harkin whose header from six-yards out crashed back out off the post.
The home team continued to press and Stephen grant played the ball into Nigel McGonagle who rounded the keeper but had his shot blocked by a defender.
Greencastle drew level with 30 mins of the second half gone when Stephen grant played the ball into the box to Nigel McGonagle who was challenged by the keeper as he was about to shoot.
Michael Barr stepped up and expertly slammed the penalty into the top corner. Barr was on duty at the other end when Fasin Devlin was in on goal but his shot was blocked by a brilliant tackle.
The home side sealed the points with 10 mins to go when they were awarded a free kick on the right-hand edge of the box.
Shaun Doherty played a low hard cross in which found its way to Nigel McGonagle on the edge of the area who turned and hit a powerful low shot to the bottom left corner through a crowd of players.
Clonmany fought on till the end of the game but Greencastle claimed the 3 points in what was a very hard fought battle at a blustery Chapel lane
Strand Hotel First Division
Cockhill Celtic Youth 1 Buncrana Hearts Reserves 0
Cockhill Celtic Youth defeated Buncrana Hearts Reserves with the only goal of the game at the Charlie O’Donnell Sports Grounds earlier this afternoon.
The home side started on the front foot and took the lead inside four minutes when Jack McDaid shielded the ball from Hearts defender Donald O’Doherty inside the six-yard box before laying the ball back for Mark McDaid to fire the ball low past Paul McDaid in the Hearts goal giving the keeper no chance.
Cockhill created another opportunity on 12 minutes but Jack McDaid shot wide at the back post from 8 yards out after a Michael Noone cross from the right.
Buncrana started with former GAA county player Darrach O’Connor in attack and on 25 minutes Cockhills keeper Kyle Dougal had to be alert to sweep up the danger as O’Connor tried to latch onto a pass over the top by Brendan Murphy.
Cockhills Jack McDaid had another chance on 35 minutes but his header from a David Laird cross went wide off the keepers right-hand post. HT 1-0
The second half started in much the same vein as the first with Cockhill looking to create and attack when in possession. The visitors just sitting deep to frustrate and hit Cockhill on the break.
The plan almost worked on 66 minutes when O’Connor again got in behind the Cockhill defence and this time the forward got his toe to the ball before Keeper Dougal only to see his effort go the wrong side of the post much to the relief of the home side.
Cockhill did enough to see the game out and secure a second place finish with a game to spare.
Moville 2-1 Glengad Res
An understrength Glengad took a shock lead in the 10th minute when Moville failed to properly clear the visitors’ corner allowing Gary Kelly to fire home from the edge of the area.
Moville keeper Coyle was at full stretch minutes later to deny a well struck Joe Doherty free kick from 25 yards.
The home side had possession from then on but failed to trouble Michael McLaughlin in the Glengad goal. Moville’s first attempt on target came in the 38th minute but McLaughlin was out quickly to block Michael McNaught.
On the stroke of half time, Glengad nearly made it 2 nil but Kelly’s curling effort went narrowly wide after being put in the clear.
The home side should have equalised at the beginning of the second half but Conor Doherty’s diving header from five yards somehow went over the crossbar from McNaught’ s cross.
Joe Doherty did well to clear McNaught’s square ball from under his bar with Caolan Doherty and McNaught both being blocked with last-ditch tackles.
The equaliser came in the 58th minute after a forward ball from Shane Canning to Conor Lafferty allowed him to set Caolan Doherty free in the box with a reverse pass. Doherty hit his shot low past McLaughlin into the far corner.
Doherty nearly had another a minute later but his fiercely driven shot from an angle came off the top of the near post after being put through by Conor Doherty.
Moville’s second came via Doherty again in the 67th minute after Matty McLaughlin and McNaught combined down Moville’s right with McNaught finding Doherty in the area who rounded a diving McLaughlin and fired low into the net.
Coyle denied Kelly the chance to draw level five minutes later by blocking his attempt after he had burst into the Moville area.
A surging run by McNaught in the 75th minute ended up with Conor Lafferty free in the Glengad box but McLaughlin did well to save his effort.
McLaughlin kept the score at 2-1 near the end with saves from both McNaught and Conor Doherty with Moville putting on the pressure.
Inishowen Engineering Division Two A
Aileach Youth 0-3 Greencastle Res
The game was played in very windy conditions which made good football a difficult task.
The first half hour had few chances as both teams struggled to adjust to the adverse conditions.
Greencastle with the wind on their back started to press and came close when Kevin McLaughlin advanced from right back to fire a shot from 25 yards that clipped the outside of the post.
Greencastle took the lead on 40 minutes when McLaughlin’s cross was headed in from 10 yards by the onrushing Andrew Peoples. Peoples nearly repeated the trick minutes later when Joe Doherty picked him out in the box but this time his header went over the bar.
On the stroke of half time, Ronan Doherty got free on the left but pulled his shot wide of the far post.
Aileach came out with a bit more purpose at the start of the second half but the Greencastle defence coped well. Greencastle then broke on 60 minutes for the second when Jude Harkin slid the ball through to Joe Doherty who tried to round Clarke in the home goal but Clarke saved well at his feet, the ball squirmed free to Peoples who swept the ball home to double their advantage.
Aileach pressed hard to get back into the game but had to settle for long-range efforts.
Neil McElhinney came close with one of these efforts but the keeper dealt with it comfortably.
Greencastle finished the game as a contest on 70 minutes when a deep cross was only half cleared into the path of Harkin who fired past Clarke.
Aileach had a late chance when Pól McGrory had a shot from 25 yards that went just over the bar.
QPS Res 2-2 Moville Res
In very windy conditions at Muff, QPS started brightly and on 3 minutes, Mark Wallace headed a Jack McConnellogue cross against the bar and cleared by the Moville defence.
Five minutes in and Josh McLaughlin beat 3 defenders but Moville keeper McGeady was out quickly to save at his feet.
Against the strong breeze, Moville took the lead on 11 minutes, when Pearse Doherty controlled a Graham Doherty cross and shot low past Point keeper Bell. On 25 minutes, Pearse Doherty released PJ Barr, who chipped the onrushing keeper Bell, but the ball drifted just wide of the post.
QPS looked threatening but a well organised Moville defence kept them at bay. The second half started with most of the play in midfield.
QPS got back on terms on 62 minutes when Chris O’Donnell found Mark Wallace inside the box and he scored with a low drive into the bottom corner.
QPS took the lead on 68 minutes when Ronan Lafferty was brought down 30 yards out and Mark Wallace’s freekick beat McGeady. Moville equalised two minutes later when Pearse Doherty curled a 30-yard free kick into the top corner.
PJ Barr had a chance to win it for Moville in injury time but he hooked the loose ball over the bar from 10 yards.
Cockhill Res 2-5 Culdaff Res
Culdaff took an early lead when a good cross by Ben Curley fell to the unmarked Bryan McCandless to slot home in to the empty net Cockhill responded well and equalised shortly after when Patrick McLaughlin scored past his namesake Patrick McLaughlin in the Culdaff net from 6 yards after being teed up by Bernard Gubbins.
Midway through the first half Cockhill took the lead when a quick breakaway caught the Culdaff defence square and Gary Breslin found the back of the net past Culdaff keeper Patrick McLaughlin with a well-placed effort from just inside the box.
Culdaff pulled level just before the break with Ben Curley at the heart of it for Culdaff, pressuring the Cockhill defence and whipping in a good near post cross which was turned in by Damien Duffy to even things up, giving Ciaran Sharkey in the Cockhill goal no chance from close range.
An even first half turned in Culdaff’s favour within 5 minutes of the restart with 2 quick fire goals. With Bryan McCandless netting his second with a fine effort from the edge of the box and Damien Duffy making it 4 – 2 minutes later with his 2nd of the match with an angled drive into the far corner.
Cockhill came back into the match and were unlucky not to pull one back when a Kevin McDaid corner was headed narrowly wide by Gary Breslin.
Culdaff all but made sure of the points with 20 minutes to go as Jack McLaughlin beat the offside trap and kept his composure to finish low past Ciaran Sharkey.
Cockhill kept pushing to get themselves back in the match and a Mark Gillespie goal direct from a corner reduced the margin but Culdaff held out for the win.
Aileach Youth 0 Greencastle Res 3
The game was played in very windy conditions which made good football a difficult task.
There were few chances in the first half hour as both teams struggled to adjust to the adverse conditions.
Greencastle, with the wind on their backs, started to press and came close when Kevin McLaughlin advanced from right back to fire a shot from 25 yards that clipped the outside of the post.
They took the lead on 40 minutes when McLaughlin’s cross was headed in from 10 yards by the onrushing Andrew Peoples.
Peoples nearly repeated the trick minutes later when Joe Doherty picked him out in the box but this time his header went over the bar. On the stroke of half time, Ronan Doherty got free on the left but pulled his shot wide of the far post.
Aileach came out with a bit more purpose at the start of the second half but the Greencastle defence coped well.
The visitors then broke on 60 minutes for the second when Jude Harkin slid the ball through to Joe Doherty who tried to round Clarke in the home goal but Clarke saved well at his feet, with the ball squirming free to Peoples who swept the ball home to double their advantage.
Aileach pressed hard to get back into the game but had to settle for long-range efforts.
Neil McElhinney came close with one of these efforts but the keeper dealt with it comfortably.
Greencastle finished the game as a contest on 70 minutes when a deep cross was only half cleared into the path of Harkin who fired past Clarke.
Aileach had a late chance when Pól McGrory had a shot from 25 yards that went just over the bar.
Redcastle Res 2 Clonmany Res 4
Goalkeeper Mark Doherty was called into action as Clonmany pushed forward and attempted to take an early lead following a mix up in the home defence.
Redcastle first attempt came on the quarter hour mark when Ronan Hoy just failed to get on the end of a ball from midfield.
The opening goal arrived shortly afterwards. Good work from Thomas Comiskey saw the ball delivered across the box where Conor Doherty was on hand to drive the ball home.
Both keepers were kept busy before the visitors doubled their advantage – Comiskey getting the final touch on a Dessie Doherty attempt on goal. Prior to the interval, Redcastle hauled themselves back into the game when Cathal Crumlish found the net after getting on the end of a Ronan Cassidy delivery.
Clonmany failed to capitalise on early second-half openings and the home side got back on level terms when Murphy delivered in from the left and Hoy volleyed home giving Liam Mc Gonigle little chance.
The game could have gone either way at this stage but Clonmany’s fitness levels proved crucial.
On 75 minutes they regained the lead when good approach play allowed David Mc Gonigle to score.
Hoy then had a chance to level but fluffed his opportunity. With five minutes remaining the visitors sealed the win when Conor Doherty struck for his second goal.
Inishowen Engineering Division Two B
Carn Res 3 Rasheney Res 1
This game was switched and played under the lights in Trawbreaga Park on Friday night.
The home side’s first chance came in the 2nd minute when a Nathan McConologue cross from the left found Connor O’Neill who shot over the bar from 10 yards.
Carn’s first chance came on five minutes when Brandon Browne made a run on the left wing and played a through ball to Tiernan Coyne who shot low to the left but his shot was well gathered by Roger McGilloway in the home goal.
Carn broke the deadlock on 10 mins when Coyne passed to Browne on the left wing and squared it for Conor Doherty to drill low pass McGilloway from 8 yards.
Carn nearly doubled their lead on 15 minutes when a John Downes midfield pass found Conor Doherty who shot low to the left and wide from 15 yards.
Rasheney nearly claimed an equalizer when a Conor McDaid run on the right wing found Charles Doherty who laid it off for Nathan Mc Conalogue who shot low to the right but the ball was parried away wide by Jack Nelson in the Carn goal.
Rashenny equalized on 26 minutes when Tiernan McDonald made a run on the right wing and crossed it for Brian Devlin who laid it off for Charles Doherty to slot the ball home from inside the six-yard box.
Rasheney nearly went ahead on 36 minutes when an Owen McGonagle long ball found McDonald on the right wing and he rounded a defender only for to shoot low to the right and wide.
After the break, Carn missed a chance to reclaim the lead when a Paul Stevens pass from midfield found Coyne and he shot high to the left and wide from 25 yards.
It was Rasheney’s turn to try to take the lead on 61 minutes when a Charlie Doherty corner from the left found McDonald but he shot low to the right and wide.
Carn made it 2-1 on 73 mins when a Stevens pass from midfield found Conor Doherty who went one on one with the keeper and hit a powerful shot to the bottom left corner of the net from 20 yards.
Carn nearly got a third on 86 mins when Downes delivered a pass to Coyne who rounded the defender and shot low to the right and wide from inside the area.
Carn got their third goal deep in injury time when Ryan O’Donnell pass from midfield found Coyne and he shot low to the bottom corner from 13 yards.
Carrowmena FC 1 Dunree Reserves 0
The game was played in blustery conditions at the Warren, Carrowmena which dictated matters and made it difficult for both teams to find any rhythm in passages of play.
Carrowmena started with the wind at their back and for large parts forced Dunree to defend, with William Doherty and Ryan Bradley at the centre coping well.
Carrowmena broke the deadlock on 20 minutes with Finbar McCallion coolly finishing from 10yards past Philip Doherty in the visitors’ nets.
Carrowmena should have doubled their lead 5 minutes later when Gerard Gill broke through the defence only to blaze over from the edge of the box.
Dunree performed well in spells with Jamie Brosnan and TJ McKinley proving good outlets to relieve the pressure on the defence.
Carrowmena had the last chance of the half when Gerard Gill turned well in the box only to see his shot rebound off the post and the keeper pounced on the loose ball.
Dunree started the 2nd half brightly and looked to use the conditions in their favour but Evan McDermott and Mark Doherty performed well in the middle of the field and didn’t allow Dunree any time on the ball.
Brian Houghton in the home goals performed well under some high balls and shots from distance.
As the second half progressed the Carrowmena defence held firm and seen out a deserved 1-0 win.
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