Donegal U-20 hurlers suffer second straight league loss as Down take the points

Donegal’s U-20 hurlers fell to a second league defeat on the bounce as Down came to Convoy at the weekend and came away with a deserving eight-point win. 

Aidy Gaffey’s side had competed well for long spells but the Mourne outfit always looked like they had a little more gas in the tank. 

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The visitors led 1-9 to 1-6 at the changeover and, even headed into the last quarter, it remained a live contest with just four points between the teams. 

However, once Down replacement Conor O’Neill rammed in a second three-pointer for the leaders, that was that. 

At the end of the opening quarter, Down led 1-5 to 1-2 with Donegal raising an early green flag through Fionn Farren. 

Down - with Cahal Coleman to the fore on the points front - made sure they held that early upper hand when Dara Rogers hammered to the net. 

Brendan Gaffey, with a brace of frees and one from play, as well as John Kealy, took the home charges to 1-6 at the changeover. 

But Liam Blaney and the excellent Coleman four times, one from a placed ball, made sure Down enjoyed a four-point cushion at the midpoint. 

Coleman picked up where he’d left off on the restart while Donegal were back on the board through Conal Herron. 

That dominant middle pairing for Down, Coleman and Sean McCarthy, then left it 1-12 to 1-7 before another Gaffey effort reeled the gap back to four. 

However, that was as close as Donegal would get as O’Neill struck for a second Down three-pointer. 

Herron and Pauric Kelly brought the curtain down for the hosts as Down eased through the gears to cross the line in comfortable fashion on the hour mark. 

In between, a flash point along the endline resulted in a dismissal each as Gaffey picked up a second yellow and Caomhan McAnarney walked to a straight red card. 

Donegal scorers: Fionn Farren 1-1; Brendan Gaffey 0-4,4f; Pauric Kelly 0-2,1f; Conal Herron 0-2; John Kealy 0-1.

Down scorers: Cahal Coleman 0-7,3f; Conor O’Neill 1-1; Dara Rogers 1-0; Liam Blaney 0-3; Sean McCarthy 0-2,1f; John Dougan and Alax Taggart 0-1 each. 

Donegal: Fionnian Gill; Daithi Sheerin, Liam Doherty, Aidan Porter; Caolan O’Raghallaigh, Shane Ellsion, Shay Bradley; Pauric Kelly, Sean Brady Devenney; Conal Herron, Brendan Gaffey, Fionn Farren; Devyn McColgan, Kyron McColgan, John Kealy. 

Subs: Shay Winters for D McColgan (48), Johnny Lin for Kealy (58). 

Down: Cian Clarke; Dominic McGrath, Cillian Ennis, Ronan Breen; Manus Gilmore, Sean McCollum, Frankie Ferguson, Cathal Coleman, Sean McCarthy; Caomhan McAnarney, Liam Blaney, Daniel Kinney; Connie Moran, John Dougan, Dara Rogers.

Subs: Leigh Morgan for Ferguson (40), Conor O’Neill for Rogers  (42), Alex Taggart for Dougan (50).

Referee: Tarlach Conway (Derry)