Red Hughs open IFC tilt in confident fashion against Cloughaneely 

Red Hughs were off the mark in impressive fashion on Saturday evening as they easily brushed aside the challenge of Cloughaneely. 

By the 24th minute, it looked like Darren O’Leary’s charges were on their way to a landslide victory as they led 2-6 to 0-1. 

However, Cloughannely finally found some life down the stretch in that otherwise lopsided first-half as they landed six successive points, including a pair of two-pointers from Donnachadh Ó Baoighill.

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Still, Cloughaneely didn’t throw any kitchen sink at the second stanza and the men from the Cross comfortably navigated through that to win out, in the end, by nine points. 

Jack Gillespie had got the hosts off the mark in good fashion with an early two-point free and that set the tone as Gerard Melaugh followed that up from play to give Red Hughs an early three-point advantage. 

Jonny Carlin and Liam Carlin made sure that scoring traffic remained one-way and when Calvin Bradley fired in the game’s opening goal just shy of the quarter hour mark, nine points already split the teams. 

Michael Lynch’s visitors were finally up and running on 22 minutes through Darren McGeever but six minutes out from the break things went from bad to worse for Cloughaneely as James Doherty raised a second green flag to leave a gap of 11 in it. 

Perhaps realising that the contest was on the verge of slipping beyond them, Cloughaneely rallied as Shaun Curran landed a steadying effort and with Ó Baoighill nailing a two-point free immediately after, the visitors moved to four. 

Ó Baoighill then clipped over another two-point effort from play while Curran closed out the half for Cloughaneely with his second effort, this time from a free. 

Jack Gillespie had the last say of the opening half hour for the home team and, at the midpoint, Red Hughs exited with a 2-7 to 0-7 advantage. 

James Doherty and Cloughaneely stopper Shaun McClafferty, from a ‘45, both traded scores after the restart as six remained the difference while Ó Baoighill was then off cue from close range after Cloughaneely were gifted a free for a ‘three back’ breach by the hosts. 

Curran did reduce arrears to five soon after but that was as good as it got as Red Hughs pressed on the accelerator. 

Jack Gillespie converted a two-point free while Carlin also registered from outside the arc, to go along with a previous point, as Red Hughs eased over the line.

Red Hughs scorers: Jack Gillespie 0-6, 2 tpf; Jonny Carlin 0-4, 1tpf, 1f; James Doherty 1-1; Calvin Bradley 1-0; Gerard Melaugh 0-1; Liam Carlin 0-1

Cloughaneely scorers: Donnachadh Ó Baoighill 0-5, 1tp, 1tpf, 1f; Shaun Curran 0-3,1f; Darren McGeever 0-1; Shaun McClafferty 0-1,1’45; 

Red Hughs: Luke Kelly; Shane Gallagher, Jason Callaghan, Aaron McGlinchey; Stephen McMenamin, James Gallagher, Geralrd Melaugh; Jack Gillespie, Darragh McMenamin; James Doherty, Jonathan Carlin, Pauric McMenamin; Liam Carlin, Calvin Bradley, Cathiar Browne. 

Subs: Peadar McGlinchey for James Gallagher (ht), Brian Irwin for Doherty (40)

Cloughaneely: Shaun McClafferty; Remy Moran, Cian McFadden, Cormac Coyle; Seamus Doogan, Darren McGeever, Patrick Doohan; Shaun Curran, Michéal McHugh; Padraig Coyle, Donnachadh Ó Baoighill, Ciaran McGeady; Christopher Barrett, Shaun Maguire, John Fitzgerald

Subs: Tiernan McHugh for McGinty (ht), Denis Boyle for Barrett (43), 

Referee:  Jimmy White (Killybegs).