Second-half surges helps Carndonagh to sweep Naomh Pádraig Uisce Chaoin aside
Hosts turn five-point half-time lead into landslide with clinical second half that topples the league leaders
Carndonagh ran out comfortable winners on home turf on Sunday afternoon, overpowering Division 2 league leaders Naomh Pádraig Uisce Chaoin on their way to a 16-point victory.
Michael O’Donnell’s Carn had six points to spare in their win over Ardara eight days previously, but had it easier against their Inishowen neighbours on Sunday.
Naomh Pádraig were fortunate to be only five down at the break, but their luck ran out in the second half as Carn crushed their kickout and half a dozen different men shared 2-11 between them, the goals coming from Olan McLaughlin and Senan Grant late on.
The win moves Carn up to fifth in the table, level with Buncrana albeit with a game more played.
Anthony Doherty got Carn off the mark with a two-point free as early as the second minute, with Cian Doherty clipping over a free soon after.
Naomh Pádraig lost Cormac McColgan to a ten-minute spell in the sin bin when he hauled Sean O’Carroll down. Carn didn’t make much of it though, leaving at bucketful of scoring opportunities behind them, with Naomh Pádraig goalkeeper Diarmuid McKane – wearing a protective face-mask – making good saves off Cian Burke and Senan Grant.
Cormac Kelly and Caolan Harkin led a tremendous defensive shift that put the Carn forwards under big pressure and Dermot Keaveney got Naomh Pádraig’s opening point in the 18th minute while his side was still down to 14 men.
Cillian Doyle tapped over a close range free after a Carn three-up breach, but late points from Michael Noone, and a two pointer and one pointer from Cian Doherty, had Carn 0-7 to 0-3 ahead at the break.
The hard-working Oisin McIntyre got Muff’s first point of the second half, but that was cancelled out by one from county U20 midfielder Kalvin McLaughlin before Senan Grant collected a crossfield pass from Anthony Doherty and broke forward to put Carn 0-10 to 0-3 clear.
Carn had dominated Naomh Pádraig’s kickout for long periods in the first half without converting it to scores, but in the second half they did manage to make more of the primary possession that Kalvin, James McMonagle and particularly Sean O’Carroll gobbled up off McKane’s restarts.
Cian Doherty (2), Anthony Doherty and Olan McLaughlin all pointed to extend Carn’s lead to ten points, 0-13 to 0-3, before Cillian Doyle with a 45th minute two pointer and a Cormac McColgan free gave Muff a flicker of hope.
Cian Doherty hit his fifth point of the day, a tally Olan McLaughlin matched in the next three attacks when the wing forward struck 1-2 in the blink of eye.
With O’Carroll lording centre field, McLaughlin was sent through to fist the first point of his salvo over the bar. Substitute Christy McDaid then intercepted the next two Muff kickouts, setting up Olan for another goal and a point to send Carn 1-15 to 0-6 ahead.
Substitute Lee Barr hit back with a two pointer from Muff, but they couldn’t stem the green and red Carn tide that was running against them.
Senan Grant and sub Keith Norris hit a point apiece before teenager Grant applied the coup de grace, breaking forward before sweeping a fine finish across McKane and into the net.
Muff had beaten Burt, Buncrana and Malin in their Inishowen mini league over the past four weeks, but Carn put a halt to their gallop. Injuries have plagued Naomh Pádraig all season, with forwards Jamie McCauley and Kevin Doherty they latest to fall victim and leaving manager Peter Murphy reaching deep into the reserves on Sunday.
But Carn, after a derby defeat to Malin in round one, are now back on track in Division 2. They’ve looked energetic and strong in their back-to-back wins against Ardara and Muff, and face into a trip to Glencolmcille to play Naomh Columba next Sunday.
Carn scorers: Olan McLaughlin 1-3; Senan Grant 1-2; Cian Doherty 0-5 (1f); Anthony Doherty 0-3 (one 2pt free); Cian Burke 0-2 (one 2pt); Kalvin McLaughlin 0-1; Keith Norris 0-1; Michael Noone 0-1
Carndonagh: Daniel McDaid; Conor McLaughlin, Danny Monagle, Darragh Browne; Senan Grant, James Monagle, Cian Burke; Sean O’Carroll, Kalvin McLaughlin; Olan McLaughlin, Anthony Doherty, Michael Noone; Cian Doherty, Pádraig Doherty, Odhran O’Donnell. Subs: Fergal Doherty for O O’Donnell; Christy McDaid for P Doherty; Keith Norris for A Doherty.
Naomh Pádraig Uisce Chaoin: Diarmuid O’Kane; Daniel McMenamin, Cormac Kelly, Caolan Harkin; Evan McColgan, Michael McCarron, Darragh McIntyre; Cormac McColgan, Dermot Keaveney; Oisin Burke, Conor Maguire, Oisin McIntyre; Andrew McCarron, Cormac Doherty, Cillian Doyle. Subs: Jamie McColgan for E McColgan; Eamon Doherty for A McCarron; Lee Barr for C Doherty; Shay Lynch for C Maguire.
Referee: Sean McDaid (Urris)