THE DEFENDING DONEGAL senior football champions Naomh Conaill got their Dr Maguire defence off to a winning start against Termon tonigh.
Naomh Conaill 1-11 Termon 1-2
However, a nasty injury to Termon player Ricky Gallagher brought a dark cloud over the game.
Gallagher sustained the injury just on half time and was taken away from Davy Brennan Memorial Park with a suspected broken collar bone.
Gallagher had scored Termon’s goal in the 15th minute, a score that had his team in front until Daragh Gallagher leveled things up for Naomh Conaill.
Sean O’Donnell had fired Termon in front, but Naomh Conaill responded through Dermot Molloy and Marty Boyle before Gallagher found a way past Naomh Conaill goalkeeper Stephen McGrath for a goal.
Termon had pushed Naomh Conaill all the way in a quarter-final of last year’s Championship, but the Glenties residents prevailed and went on to win Dr Maguire.
They showed their clout in the second half when they inched away, bit-by-bit with Termon adding just one more point, that from James McSharry late in the game.
Daragh Gallagher bagged Naomh Conaill’s goal in the 36th minute, after a brace of points from Ethan O’Donnell.
Brendan Friel was black carded for Termon and Eoghan McGettigan – the star of the show for Naomh Conaill’s minors on Wednesday in a Minor Legaue semi-final win over St Michael’s – was among the point scorers.
Dermot Molloy kicked three points as the men in blue and white went on to win by nine, but the thoughts of all inside the ground were with Termon’s Gallagher, following his injury.
[adrotate group=”40″]Naomh Conaill: S McGrath; Aaron Thompson, K McGettigan, S Molloy; M Boyle (0-1), L McLoone, E Waide; C Thompson, E O’Donnell (0-2); D Gallagher (1-2), D Molloy (0-5, 1f), E Doherty; J O’Malley, S Corcoran, L Thompson. Subs: E Mc Gettigan (0-1) for S Molloy, C Ellis for L Thompson, S Molloy for Aaron Thompson.
Termon: C Tinney; A McGrenra, K McDaid, S O’Donnell (0-1); E McCormack, K McElwaine, A Marren; R Gallagher (1-0), C Mellet; S Callaghan, J McCafferty, A Sweeney; C McDaid, N McElwaine, D McDaid. Subs: D Conaghan for Callaghan, J McSharry (0-1) for Gallagher, B Friel for Sweeney, F O’Flynn for Friel (black card), J O’Donnell for S O’Donnell.
Tags: