ATU Donegal put in a strong second half to win their second Trench Cup match

ATU Donegal made it two wins from two in the Trench Cup with a fourteen-point win over South West College in Convoy on Tuesday night.

An early Dara Hayes goal gave the visitors a good start, and John Edgar’s second goal drew them level again after great first-half performances from Patrick McElwee and Oisin Caulfield, who combined for six of the first nine scores for ATU.

Odhran Doherty’s goal for the hosts had them ahead again, but it was level at the break at 1-9 to 2-6.

Luke McGlynn hit 1-5 after the restart, including two from outside the arc, while McKenna Cup hero Shea Malone also got 1-2 after being introduced for the second half.

Kieran O’Kane got the other goal for ATU Donegal, who backed up their convincing win over Garda College to put them on four points ahead of their match with SETU Carlow next Tuesday, with the winners topping the group.

South West had a perfect start, winning the throw-in, and after a long ball and a bit of pinball in the square, Dara Hayes fired into the net on 20 seconds.

ATU got going through two of their best players in Patrick McElwee and Oisin Caulfield, but Oisin Gormley responded for the away team.

Kyle Murray and McElwee got scores for Maxi Curran’s men, either side of scores at the other end, from a Liam Óg Mossey free and a point from Hayes.

But the home side enjoyed a good spell after this, a great score from Caulfield was followed by a third for McElwee, while Odhran Doherty put them ahead for the first time.

Jack Gallagher fisted over, and McElwee kicked a free for a fifth point in three minutes.

But a powerful run from Gormley, who laid it off to his midfield partner John Edgar, and he found the top corner.

Mossey put the Tyrone side ahead again, but as Kieran O’Kane won the kickout, he found Dylan Mulholland, who played it to Doherty.

The Naomh Conaill man ran half the pitch with numbers forward and blasted down the middle into the roof of the net.

A Gavin Potter point and another from Hayes at close range levelled the game just before half-time at 1-9 to 2-6.

But ATU came out strong in the second half and a Luke McGlynn two pointer early on set the tone, but two from Mossey, one from a free, levelled the game again.

The 40th minute is when the Donegal side began to run away with it, Doherty playing it to Gallagher, who found Shea Malone, and he fired in for a goal.

McGlynn kicked another point before a third goal, McElwee with a quick sideline ball into Malone, who swivelled inside before passing to O’Kane, and he poked in.

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Mossey and Gormley frees for South West were cancelled out by another McGlynn two pointer, and McElwee and Darragh Hennigan added further scores.

McGlynn then got a goal with an effort from distance dropping short and Jack Gallagher did enough to put Cormac Cunningham in the net off as the ball dropped in.

Gavin Potter was red carded for an off-the-ball offence, as Caulfield and McElwee traded scores with Gormley and Conor Corcoran, but Malone had the last day with two late points as ATU took a second win.

ATU Donegal scorers: Luke McGlynn 1-5,2tp; Paddy McElwee 0-6,1f; Shea Malone 1-2; Odhran Doherty 1-1; Oisin Caulfield 0-3; Kieran O’Kane 1-0; Jack Gallagher, Kyle Murray and Darragh Hennigan 0-1 each.

South West College scorers: Dara Hayes 1-2; Liam Óg Mossey 0-5,3f; John Edgar 1-0; Oisin Gormley 0-3,1f; Gavin Potter and Conor Corcoran 0-1 each.

ATU Donegal: Damien McGowan; Jake Kelly, Aaron Neely, Jack Long; Kyle Murray, Cormac Gallagher, Odhran Doherty; Kieran O’Kane, Oisin Caulfield; David Monaghan, Dylan Mulholland, Bailey McBride; Jack Gallagher, Patrick McElwee, Luke McGlynn.

Subs: Shea Malone for McBride (ht), Darragh Hennigan and Odhran O’Connor for Murray and Mulholland (42), Kieran Sheridan for O’Kane (50).

South West College: Cormac Cunningham; Paudie Drumm, Dara Cathcart, Ultan O’Reilly; Jack Law, Odhran Crozier, Ronan Strain; Oisin Gormley, John Edgar; Gavin Potter, Liam Óg Mossey, James Corry; Tiarnan McKenna, Dara Hayes, Paudie Dillon.

Subs: Pearse McDonald for Corry (ht), Matthew Howe for McKenna (37), Aidan Duffy for Strain (47), Malachy McGurren for O’Reilly (50), Conor Corcoran for Edgar (51).

Referee: Enda McFeely.