IN THE END, it came down to a lick of paint between Glenswilly and St Michael’s this afternoon in the All-County Football League Division 1.
Glenswilly 2-9 St Michael’s 2-10
St Michael’s Michael Langan (pictured above by Geraldine Diver), with practically the last kick some eight minutes into injury time, was almost 50 metres out but with an unpredictable wind at his back. His kick was true, looked like it might wilt but it clipped the inside of the Glenswilly upright to go over and the visitors had won.
Seconds beforehand it looked as though Glenswilly had done enough to snatch a draw. Ciaran Bonner’s ball into the St Michael’s packed square caused all sorts of bother and the ball cannoned off the Mark Anthony McGinley’s crossbar and Caomhin Marley bundled it home.
All in all, though, there was enough in the fixture to give both sets of management perfect competitive preparation ahead of their opening Donegal SFC fixtures next Sunday. Glenswilly will welcome Ardara and St Michael’s make the trip to MacCumhaill’s.
[adrotate group=”91″]There was never much between the sides today, with Michael Murphy and Colm McFadden scoring goals beforehand for their respective sides, with McFadden’s coming from he top drawer. Hugh O’Donnell had struck the opening goal of the game for the Dunfanaghy-based club.
At half-time it was 0-5 apiece, with both teams occasionally cancelling one another out. Late in the half, for example, St Michael’s played the ball laterally over and back patiently as Glenswilly’s defence had set up with their toes on the 45-metre line like sprinters at the start of the 100 metres. From there, attacks, in which St Michael’s had a monopoly of possession for almost five minutes, all there was to show for it was three wides.
[adrotate group=”46″]Glenswilly were aided by the elements in that first half but it was occasionally something of a poisoned chalice with the wind proving hard to judge. Adrian Glackin’s team shot seven wides in that period, with Michael McGinley, the St Michael’s full-back, doing ably on Murphy.
Colm McFadden and Caolan McGee opened the second half scoring for St Michael’s to establish a 0-7 to 0-5 lead only for Bonner, who was getting more frequently involved, to halve Glenswilly’s deficit with a fine curled effort.
On 39 minutes, the first goal of the day arrived when Martin McElhinney broke free having won a kickout from his goalkeeper McGinley and having played passes to Michael Langan and then Colm McFadden, the latter struck the Glenswilly woodwork.
However, O’Donnell was on hand to tuck home the rebound from close in and St Michael’s were 1-7 to 0-6 up.
Only two minutes later, though, Murphy pushed on the accelerator and burst hid way through the St Michael’s defence and having played a give and go with Cathal Gallagher got in to shoot past McGinley – Glenswilly 1-6 St Michael’s 1-7.
Bonner then leveled it up for the home side before Patrick McFadden was on hand to prevent a certain St Michael’s goal with a clearance on the Glenswilly goalline from Odhran McFadden’s shot.
An with only five minutes to go Glenswilly looked in a decent position 1-9 to 1-7 up thanks to points from Oisin Crawford and Murphy.
But there was still a considerable twist or two in the tale as the contest approached boiling point. With three minutes to go, St Michaels’ worked the ball from right to left and when Colm McFadden got inside in a central position he drove an unstoppable drive past Philip O’Donnell from 20 metres.
The ball flew right into the bottom corner and almost ripped the net from the goal-frame. St Michael’s added points from Michael Langan and Colm McFadden to go 2-9 to 1-9 up deep into stoppage time.
That looked as though that was how it was going to finish but despite Marley almost grabbing a draw for the home team with his dramatic, scrambled goal, it was St Michael’s who left with the two points after Langan’s superb long range free.
Glenswilly: Philip O’Donnell; Ruairi Crawford, Eamon Ward, Patrick McFadden; Ryan Hunter, Aidan McDevitt, Joe Gibbons; Cathal Gallagher (0-1), Ciaran Bonner (0-2); Ciaran Gibbons, Caoimhin Marley (1-1), Oisin Crawford (0-1); Gary McFadden (0-2, 2f), Michael Murphy (1-2), Ryan Diver. Subs: Keelan McFadden for C Gibbons (58), Mark McAteer for Diver (60+3, black card).
St Michael’s: Mark Anthony McGinley; Christopher McElhinney, Michael McGinley, Ruairi Friel; Michael Cannon, Ciaran Gallagher, Oisin Langan (0-1); Michael Langan (0-4, 4f), Martin McElhinney; Keelan McGee (0-1), Andrew Kelly, Hugh O’Donnell (1-0); Colm McFadden (1-3, 1f), Odhran McFadden, Ciaran McGinley (0-1). Subs: Liam Kelly for C McGinley (55), Jamie Hunter for L Kelly (60+4, black card)
Referee: Â Mark Dorrian (Four Masters)
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