Eoghan 'Ban' McNelis shines as Ardara shade superb U-21 B decider against Glenfin 

Ardara and Glenfin delivered a brilliant U-21 B final on Saturday as the south west outfit just about got across the line at the Burn Road. 

With some outstanding scores landed at either end, particularly from the likes of Eoghan Ban McNelis and Shaun Ward, Ardara looked like they had finally got a headlock on matters nearing the end of the third quarter. 

However, Glenfin would turn the screw and land five points on the bounce to narrow the margin to a single over at 1-15 to 1-14. 

But a second Ardara goal through Kyle McHugh, hot on the heels of a huge McNelis two-pointer, again helped swing the momentum back their side’s direction. 

And in six nervous minutes of injury time, Ardara just about held their nerve to deservingly fall over the line. 

In an outstanding first-half of football, it was Adrian Brennan’s side that just shaded it by a single point at the turnover. 

Glenfin had got off to a lightning-fast start as they jumped four clear inside the opening six minutes. Indeed, but for a superb block from Niall McHugh the early lead for Frank McGlynn’s charges could have been even greater. 

Jack Long grabbed the game’s first score while a two-point free from Shaun Ward, off the ground, extended the gap to three. 

Jamie O’Donnell added another Glenfin score before Ardara finally exploded into life with successive two-point scores from Eoghan McNelis and Shane Sweeney almost instantly tying it up. 

Gavin Sweeney then kicked Ardara ahead for the first time nine minutes in and, winning out in front, Shane Sweeney doubled that new-found advantage. 

Luke McGlynn then sent a speculative ball into the area and with Jamie O’Donnell getting a touch on that, the ball ended up in the back of the net as Glenfin jumped back to the front, 1-4 to 0-6. 

Glenfin again got joy off another route one delivery when that ping came back off the woodwork and with Tommy McNulty reacting quickest, Glenfin’s lead doubled. 

McNelis split the gap but Daire Quigley matched that down the other side. Another outstanding two-point effort from Ardara, with Gavin Sweeney the man taking on the responsibility on this occasion, squared the contest once more. 

Quigley and Shaun Ward then kicked back-to-back overs for Glenfin but with McNelis nailing his second two-pointer and Shane Sweeney registering just before the whistle, Ardara departed with the slender 0-12 to 1-8 upper hand. 

Things got even better for Ardara on the resumption when McNelis’ undercooked clip somehow ended up in the net. 

Jamie O’Donnell cracked an effort off the underside of Cian McConnell’s crossbar as Ardara somehow cleared their lines. 

Odhran O’Connor got Glenfin going once again on 39 minutes but with Ardara direct in their kicking inside, Gavin Sweeney, twice, and Shane Sweeney lobbed over to leave it 1-15 to 1-9. 

Credit to Glenfin though, they pushed up on the Ardara kickout and that bravery yielded five successive points from play as Shaun Ward, Daniel Marley, Luke McGlynn (twice) and Oisin McGlynn all cleared the crossbar. 

Ardara needed to stem the tide and the one to do it was Michael Mulreany as he finally broke that Glenfin stranglehold around the middle. 

He’d move possession onto the brilliant Eoghan Ban who again lobbed a quality two-pointer, against the breeze, to alleviate some pressure. 

McNelis was on hand again on 55 minutes to set up Kyle McHugh who rammed home the decisive second Ardara goal. 

But Glenfin kept digging as the impressive Shaun Ward landed a pair of two-pointers, one from play and one from a free, as 1-18 chased down 2-17. 

Luke McGlynn and Ward again trimmed things back to the bare minimum once more nearly six minutes into the red. 

However, Player of the Match McNelis would fittingly bring the curtain down on an exciting afternoon right on the final whistle. 

Ardara scorers: Eoghan Ban MacNelis 1-8, 2tp, 1f; Shane Sweeney 0-6,1tp; Gavin Sweeney 0-5, 1tp, 1f; Kyle McHugh 1-0. 

Glenfin scorers: Shaun Ward 0-8, 2tpf; 1’45; Jamie O’Donnell 1-0; Luke McGlynn 0-3,2f; Daire Quigley and Odhran O’Connor 0-2 each; Oisin McGlynn, Jack Long, Callum Long, Daniel Marley and Tommy McNulty 0-1 each. 

Ardara: Cian Mc Connell; Charlie Bennett, Johnnie McGonagle, Niall Mc Hugh; Michael Mulreany, Darragh Hennigan, Adam McGill; Eoghan Gallagher, Josh Malley; Shane Sweeney, Kyle McHugh, Anthony Bennett; Eoghan McNelis, Kian Sweeney, Gavin Sweeney

Subs: Niall Boyle for A Bennett (47), Jamie Elliott for Mulreany (58).

Glenfin: Jake Griffith; Ross Bradley, Darragh Carroll, Conor McMenamin; Oisín McGlynn, Jack Long, Callum Long; Daniel Marley, Shaun Ward; Tommy McNulty, Luca McGlynn, Seaghan McCormick; Odrhán O’Connor, Jamie O’Donnell, Daire Quigley. 

Subs: Harry McGlynn for McMemamin (42), Gavin McCormick for McNulty (47). 

Referee: Daniel Carlin (Naomh Padraig, Lifford).