Karl Lacey's Donegal held away in Antrim in Minor Football League opener

Donegal had to make do with a share of the spoils in their MFL opener away to Antrim in Dunsilly on Saturday afternoon.

Karl Lacey’s side had led 0-10 to 0-6 at the changeover but the Saffrons made a real battle of it in the second-half with Daire Thornbury levelling it up three minutes into injury time.

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Early on, Shea McFerran kicked the hosts ahead before Thornbury quickly doubled that lead.

Mark Anthony McGuinness pulled Donegal level on five minutes with a two-pointer before Danny Óg Cooney fisted Donegal in front.

Things got even better for Donegal on eight minutes as Daire O’Hare made it 0-4 to 0-2 - indeed O’Hare would go on to land a personal tally of 0-8 over the hour. 

Tom Convery booted over a ‘45 and the game was all square once more on 12 minutes as Sionan McCormick got up from wing half back to register.

Tadhg McDaid, O’Hare and Lewis Cunnea all found the mark, back-to-back, to leave it 7-4 nearing the 20-minute mark.

Dara Campbell and Daire Dorrian swapped points as the difference remained three. Five minutes out from the break and an O’Hare two-pointer left it 10-5.

Convery, though, grabbed the last score of the half for the home side and four split the teams at the turnover.

A pair of frees from McDaid on the restart stretched Donegal’s advantage to six at 12-6.

But the Saffrons responded with a huge two-pointer through Joey Griffin and with centre half back Thomas Douthart also registering, the scoreboard read 12-9 nearing 40 minutes.

An O’Hare free was stroked over by McFerran and with Thornbury adding another, we were back to a two-point game.

The hosts, now with their tails up, cut that gap in half thanks to an O’Hanlon free to make it 0-13 to 0-12.

O’Hare interrupted for Donegal but another fine two-pointer from Antrim’s Campbell squared it all up going into the last ten minutes. O’Hare, from a free, again nudged his side in front but Campbell found a response.

Another O’Hare free was matched by McCormick as he nabbed his second. A free brought forward for dissent and kicked by O’Hare looked like it had won it for Donegal but Thornbury struck late as matters ended in a draw.

Antrim scorers: Tom Convery 0-4, 2f; Joey Griffin 0-3, 2tp; Daire Thornbury, Shea McFerran, Sionan McCormick and Dara Campbell 0-2 each; Thomas Douthart 0-1; Aodhan O’Hanlon 0-1, 1f.

Donegal scorers: Daire O’Hare 0-8, 5f; Tadhg McDaid 0-3, 2f; Danny Óg Cooney 0-2; Mark Anthony McGinley 0-2,1tp; Lewis Cunnea and Daire Dorrian 0-1 each. 

Antrim: Niall Quinn; Bradán O’Donnell, Shea McLernon, Conor McArt; Sionan McCormick, Thomas Douthart, Conall Wilson; Dara Campbell, Sean McMullan; Tiernan Lee, Shea McFerran, Joey Griffin; Aodhan O’Hanlon, Tom Convery, Daire Thornbury.

Subs: Nathan Burns for Wilson (55)

Donegal: Ronan O’Donnell; Niall McBrearty, Mark Wilkinson, Raynne Rowan; Thomas McHugh, Conor Griffin, Fionan Coyle; Tadhg McDaid, Shay McNulty; Aaron McGinley, Mark Anthony McGinley, Lewis Cunnea; Daire O’Hare, Danny Óg Cooney, Callum Dorrian.

Subs: Finn Gillespie and Jonah Cannon for McNulty and Dorrian (40), Rory Gill for Cunnea (47), Matthew McGinley for Coyle (50), Oisin Mullen for A McGinley (61).

Referee: Cianan Canney (Derry)