Bundoran plant one foot in Intermediate quarterfinals with three point win in Burt

Bundoran planted one foot in the quarter-finals of the Intermediate football championship with this three point win away to Burt on Saturday evening.

Cian McEniff hit a goal late in the first half that ensured Bundoran went into the break with a healthy 1-7 to 0-5 lead.

Burt had been wasteful in the first half, but improved in the second with a Conor Gartland goal 12 minutes after the restart giving them a shot in the arm.

And when Calvin Gallagher tucked away a 48th minute penalty, Burt held a slender one point lead.

Bundoran lost Matthew Duffy to injury soon after, but the break for treatment allowed them reorganise themselves and they dominated the home side’s kickout for the remainder of the game.

Cian McEniff drew them level on 56 minutes and they followed that up with two points from county star Jamie Brennan and one from Ryan Barrett to open up a three point lead going into injury time.

Burt did have a goal chance in the last play of the game when a free was floated into the parallelogram and Keith McColgan swung a fist at it, but substitute Michael McEniff was back on the line to take the catch and ensured the win for his side.

That’s back to back wins on the road now for Realt na Mara who followed up last week’s win in Fanad with victory in Burt, and with four points on the board – Bundoran’s objection to their opening round defeat to Muff was dismissed by the Donegal CCC during the week - Ciaran McCaughey’s side are looking good for a place in the intermediate championship quarter-finals.

Cian McEniff got the opening score of the game for the visitors inside the opening minute, but Sean McHugh responded with a tap over 20m free for Burt after Bundoran had breached the ‘three men up’ rule.

Indeed, McHugh would penalised for the same offence at the end of the half which allowed Gary Clancy a simple one point free.

There was plenty of action in between times. Jamie Brennan hit the first of his six points from a free in the eighth minute, but points from Calvin Gallagher and McHugh had Burt back in front.

Ryan Barrett was showing well for kickouts, and he set up Brennan for Bundoran’s third score in 12th minute but Burt were on top at this stage with Jack O’Brien and Sean McHugh pointing the play, the latter volleying a hopping ball narrowly over the bar when in one-on-one on Bundoran keeper Conor Carty to make it 0-5 to 0-3.

Burt did leave some chances behind during that spell, and they fell behind when Cian McEniff fisted the ball to the net after Clancy, who spent much of the half at full forward, fielded a Brennan two point attempt that dropped short, teed him up.

Bundoran pressed their advantage home with a Brennan two pointer, and points from McNulty and that three up breach free from Clancy to lead by double scores, 1-7 to 0-5, at the break.

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O’Brien and Dara Grant were on the mark for Burt early in the second half, with Matthew Duffy and Anton Govorov responding for Bundoran.

Burt struck the first of two second half goals in the 42nd minute. Bundoran looked to have shepherded Ronan McDermott and Liam Óg McKinney out to the endline and away from danger, but McKinney somehow threaded a pass into the danger area where Conor Gartland was waiting. The midfielder side-stepped his marker, and drove the ball into the roof of the net to whittle Bundoran’s lead down to two points.

Cian McEniff and Jack O’Brien exchanged points, before Burt were awarded a 48th minute penalty, a Bundoran defender penalised for sliding in to block a ground shot from Darragh Donaghey.

Calvin Gallagher struck the penalty low to Carty’s left to put Burt into a 2-8 to 1-10 lead.

They failed to score afterwards, a lengthy stoppage for treatment to the injured Matthew Duffy disrupting whatever momentum they might have created from the goal.

Instead, Bundoran pressed up hard and penned the home team into their own half in the closing stages.

Cian McEniff drew them level with four minutes of normal time remaining, and as Ryan Barrett, Shane McGowan et al off the home side’s kickout time after time, they turned that possession into scores.

Brennan was off target with his left foot before hitting two points inside a minute, and Barrett found time and space to stroke over as the clock hit 60 minutes.

Keith McColgan finally won a kickout to lift the siege for Burt, and they held possession, probing for a goal opportunity that Bundoran were determined not to concede.

With time running out, Burt earned a free on the edge of the arc but a two pointer was no good and they tried to manufacture a goal. The ball was floated across the edge of the square, but Keith McColgan’s swipe at it was caught on the goal-line by Michael McEniff and the danger averted.

Bundoran, then, move onto four points while Burt are in the all-too familiar territory of needing a win in their final game to avoid the relegation play-offs.

Burt scorers: Calvin Gallagher 1-1 (1-0, penalty); Conor Gartland 1-0; Sean McHugh 0-3 (2f); Jack O’Brien 0-3 (2f); Dara Grant 0-1.

Bundoran scorers: Jamie Brennan 0-6 (one 2pt, 1f); Cian McEniff 1-3; Kyle McNulty 0-1; Gary Clancy 0-1  (1f); Matthew Duffy 0-1; Anton Govorov 0-1; Ryan Barrett 0-1

Burt: Niall McGlynn; Leo Kelly, Tom Doherty, Oisin Kelly; Dara Grant, Stephen O’Donnell, Darren Gallagher; Conor Gartland, Ronan McDermott; Liam Óg McKinney, Sean McHugh, Keith McColgan; Jack O’Brien, Calvin Gallagher, Darragh Donaghey. Sub: Mark McElhinney for D Donaghey (48 mins).

Realt na Mara Bundoran: Conor Carty; Matthew Ward, Jonathan Boyle,Matthew Tierney; Matthew Duffy, Ryan Barrett, Ryan McGloinn; Gary Clancy, Lee Smith; Shane McGowan, Jamie Brennan, Dara Hoey; Anton Govorov, Cian McEniff, Kyle McNulty. Subs: Pauric Rooney for J Boyle (10 mins); Peter McGonagle for M Duffy (39 mins); Michael McEniff for M Duffy (54 mins).

Referee: Cathal Gallagher (Glenswilly)