Gavin Sweeney nets late goal as Ardara see off St Naul’s in tight U-21 B opener

Gavin Sweeney scored a late goal as Ardara snatched an injury-time win over St Nauls in a highly competitive opening U-21 B championship group stage clash in Gerard Gallagher Memorial Park.

Sweeney, who also top scored for Ardara in Friday night’s Division 2 MFC final win over Dungloe, was only on the field a matter of minutes when he struck for the game winning score. 

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It was a cruel blow for St Naul’s who had only minutes earlier come from three points down to lead by one with the clock ticking onto the hour mark. 

The decisive goal came as the result of a high ball into the St Naul’s goalmouth and was tapped back from going wide by Ardara full forward Kyle McHugh, into the path of Sweeney, who made no mistake from just outside the large rectangle.

St Naul’s players and mentors disputed the goal claiming the ball had gone wide when it was knocked back by McHugh. 

But their appeals were waved away by referee Paul Hardy who did not have an umpire at the posts. 

This was an evenly contested encounter in difficult conditions on a sticky sod. Ardara got off to a dream start with a fisted Cian Sweeney goal inside the opening minute. 

But with Declan Duignan, Oisin Mogan and Niall Prenderville leading the St Naul’s charge, the locals were soon back on level terms thanks to three Duignan points and one them a two-pointer free.

And the sides were level twice more in the half thanks to a Duignan free and a Mogan two-pointer from play. 

Goal scorer Sweeney (2) and Eoghan ‘Ban’ Gallagher were the Ardara point scorers.

But courtesy of a second Duignan two-pointer, the Mountcharles lads pulled two clear before Darragh Hennigan responded with a brilliant strike to make it a one point game at the half-time break as St Naul’s led 0-8 to 1-4. 

Driven on by Hennigan, Gallagher and Maitiu Clerkin, the visitors began the second period on the front foot and they reeled off four unanswered points from Cian Sweeney, Niall McHugh (2) and Kyle McHugh to lead 1-8 to 0-8 by the end of the third quarter. 

Declan Duigan had kicked Naul’s first point of the new half in the early seconds of the final quarter. 

Shane Sweeney, with his first touch after being introduced, restored Ardara’s lead back out to three points with a little over ten minutes remaining. 

After being outplayed for the best part of 20 minutes, St Naul’s rallied and with Mogan landing a two-pointer and Duignan splitting the post with two close in frees, the hosts were in now front as the clock ticked down on the hour mark. 

And in a frenetic injury time period, Mogan picked up a black card as Gavin Sweeney, off the bench, delivered the vital strike. 

Ardara scorers: Cian Sweeney 1-2; Gavin Sweeney 1-0; Niall McHugh and Darragh Hennigan 0-2 each; Eoghan Gallagher, Kyle McHugh, Shane Sweeney 0-1 each. 

St Nauls scorers: Declan Duignan 0-8, 1tp; Oisin Mogan 0-5, 2tp. 

Ardara; Zach O’Donnell; Charlie Bennett, Johnnie McGonagle, Gerard Gallagher; Josh Malley, Darragh Hennigan, Niall McHugh; Eoghan Gallagher, Maitiu Clerkin; Aaron McHugh, Michael Mulreany, Anthony Bennett; Conor Sweeney, Kyle McHigh, Cian Sweeney.

Subs: Shane Sweeney for C Sweeney (51); Gavin Sweeney for G Gallagher(54).

St Naul’s; Peadar Shallow; Eoin Kennedy, Barry Burke, David McGettigan; Kevin Rose, Niall Prenderville, Darragh Burke; Kian McCabe, Oisin Mogan; Matthew McInerny, Declan Duignan, Jack Bennett; Odran Breslin, Jonathan O’Driscoll, Christian Ward.

Subs: Thomas Donoghue for P Shallow (4 inj); Seamus Ward for M McInern (56). 

Referee: Paul Hard (Naomh Columba).