Naomh Pádraig’s strong finish sees off 14-man Buncrana in fiery local derby

Not even a dust-up at full-time could take the shine off Naomh Pádraig Uisce Chaoin’s four-point win over 14-man Buncrana on Sunday afternoon.

A hard-hitting and at times fractious Inishowen derby saw the Muff men finish strongly in a wind-assisted second half, hitting five of the last six points, including three from county U20 panellist Cillian Doyle, to seal the win.

Buncrana lost veteran William McLaughlin to a straight red card, called by one of referee Cathal Gallagher’s neutral umpires, inside the opening five minutes, but their numerical disadvantage wasn’t all that apparent as they brought real intensity to the contest.

Naomh Pádraig had got off the mark right from the throw-in, Jamie McCauley clipping over from close range into the teeth of the wind.

Buncrana’s Sean McLaughlin hit two wind-assisted two-point frees, and when Oisin O’Flaherty fired over from the right, the visitors were 0-5 to 0-1 ahead with 11 minutes on the clock.

O’Flaherty saw a goal attempt smothered by Muff goalkeeper McKane shortly after, and the home side did their best to take the sting out of their opponents by using their one-man advantage to retain possession and build patient attacks.

Three points in a five-minute spell, from McCauley, Cillian Doyle and a Jonny Toye free, narrowed the margin to a single point five minutes out from the break.

Oisin O’Flaherty got his second of an energetic first half, and Kevin Jordan swung over a free from just inside the arc to put Buncrana 0-7 to 0-4 ahead.

Muff, however, had the final score of the half – Cillian O’Doyle tapping over a 13m free after his fellow county U20 panellist Dylan Mulholland was caught for a three-up breach.

Read more: How Muff beat Burt last week

Dylan Mulholland atoned for that breach after the resumption, winning and converting a close-range free before Jonny Toye held off a a few tacklers to nail an excellent two-pointer from the top of the arc on 39 minutes.

Jamie McCauley, who impressed over the hour, drew Muff level shortly afterwards, firing over after a quick Jonny Toye free, before half-time sub Kevin Doherty pointed a free to put the home side ahead at 0-9 to 0-8.

Buncrana continued to battle, with Dylan Mulholland hitting an excellent equalising point midway through the half.

Toye’s influence grew as the game wore on, directing play and really putting it up to his opponents who tried their best but couldn’t knock him off his game. He slipped Dermot Keaveney through for a goal chance that Buncrana keeper Adam Harrigan did well to smother, albeit Doyle pointed on the follow-up to restore Muff’s slender lead.

Another Kevin Doherty free put Muff 0-11 to 0-9 clear, but Billy Duffy brought Buncrana back to within one in the 54th minute when he scored from out on the right, backing himself to score after missing from a similar position a little earlier.

But Buncrana wouldn’t score thereafter, and as they pushed for the equaliser they left acres of space in their own half. Time and again, Muff turned them over and exploited those spaces, with Doyle using his pace to get in the clear and fire a pair of points around the hour mark.

Three points up, Muff made it four when Andrew McCarron scored in the third minute of injury time.

Buncrana were hunting for a goal, but Muff turned them over and that man Toye was back to relieve the pressure with a powerful run and fist-pass to himself up along the sideline that lifted the siege.

A flare-up ensued just as referee Cathal Gallagher sounded the full-time whistle, with players and subs from both sides piling in. But even that sour ending couldn’t disguise Muff’s deserved win.

Muff will be looking to go three from three in Inishowen derbies when they travel to Malin on Saturday evening, while Buncrana will host Bundoran on Sunday afternoon.

Naomh Pádraig scorers: Cillian Doyle 0-5 (1f); Jamie McCauley 0-3; Jonny Toye 0-3 (one 2pt, 1f); Kevin Doherty 0-2 (1f); Andrew McCarron 0-1.

Buncrana scorers: Sean McLaughlin 0-4 (two 2pt frees); Dylan Mulholland 0-2; Oisin O’Flaherty 0-2 (1f); Kevin Jordan 0-1 (1f); Billy Duffy 0-1

Naomh Pádraig: Diarmaid McKane; Daniel McMenamin, Cormac Kelly, Caolan Harkin; Peter McLaughlin, Michael McCarron, Darragh McIntyre; Ciaran McLaughlin,  Dermot Keaveney; Jonny Toye, Cathal McColgan, Oisin McIntyre; Andrew McCarron, Cillian Doyle, Jamie McCauley. Subs: Kevin Doherty for C McColgan (half time).

Buncrana: Adam Harrigan; Andrew Davison, Cathal McNutt, Billy Duffy; Oisin O’Flaherty, Michael Gallagher, William McLaughlin; Daragh Corry, Kevin Jordan; Dáire McColgan, David Shaw, Dylan Mulholland; Sean McLaughlin, Sean Masterson, Danny Doherty. Subs: Sean Daly for D Shaw (26 mins); David Shaw for S Masterson (46 mins).

Referee: Cathal Gallagher (Glenswilly)