They say that goals win football matches and when the McDonnell sisters, Alanah and Aoife, added two to the Naomh Conaill total in the last minute of the first-half of this Ladies Intermediate final in O’Donnell Park, you certainly felt this game was over as a contest.
Naomh Conaill 4-9 Buncrana 1-7
The Glenties girls were destined to add the Intermediate Championship to the Junior A title they won last year.
Those goals left the half-time score at 4-05 to 0-05 in Naomh Conaill’s favour and it was hard to see a way back for the Buncrana girls.
Joanne Gallagher knocked over two early points for Naomh Conaill but Paula McGrory and Anne-Maire Gallagher had Buncrana back on level terms very quickly.
Laoise Ward restored the Glenties lead and then Alanah McDonnell raced onto a long ball in and slotted to the net for the game’s first goal in the 7th minute.
McGrory had a great chance to equalise two minutes later but blasted wide from 13 metres.
McGrory pointed to leave a goal in it but in the 14th minute Joanne Gallagher finished off a super Naomh Conaill move with an excellent finish. The teams then exchanged four points between them, Aoife Mc Donnell got both for Naomh Conaill while McGrory and Caroline Gallagher replied for Buncrana to leave the score 2-5 to 0-5
In the final minute of the half Alanah and then her sister Aoife burst through the Buncrana defence to blast home to cracking goals, both to the same top corner of the net and at 4-5 to 0-5 in Naomh Conaill’s favour it was surely game over.
Buncrana
The opening quarter of the second-half saw a slow down in the scoring.
McGrory converted a couple of frees and Danielle McDevitt and Aoife McDonnell replied.
To their credit Buncrana kept trying and were rewarded in the 46th minute when Deirdre Grant did well before setting up Ann-Maire Gallagher who drilled the ball low to the bottom corner past Bronagh Gallagher to leave it 4-07 to 1-07.
Naomh Conaill: Bronagh Gallagher; Gemma Burke, Megan Byrne, Niamh O’Donnell; Shana Quinn, Briana McDonnell, Helen Roarty; Laoise Ward, Leah MacInnes; Zoe Campbell, Alanah McDonnell, Danielle McDevitt; Joanne Gallagher, Aoife McDonnell, Ellie MacInnes. Subs: Deirbhile Ward for Campbell (33), Niamh Agnew for Roarty (35).
Buncrana: Fiona Doherty; Catherine Loughrey, Danielle Loughrey, Ciara Doherty; Lauren Hegarty, Noreen Doherty, Rhianne McDermott; Laura Reid, Doreen McGee; Kirsty Downey, Sophie Doherty, Ann-Marie Gallagher; Caroline Gallagher, Paula McGrory, Deirdre Grant. Subs: Katelyn Doherty for C.Doherty (43), Brianna Doherty for S.Doherty (52).
Referee: Siobhan Coyle (Gaeil Fhánada)
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