Donegal hold off Fermanagh to open Ulster championship in winning fashion

Donegal got the Ulster minor championship campaign up and running with a hard fought five point win over Fermanagh, in Ballybofey last night. 

Donegal 0-15 Fermanagh 1-7

Luke Barrett’s boys started brightly and, courtesy of points from Shane Callaghan, Conor McCahill, Luke Clerkin and Gavin Doherty, led by 0-4 to 0-1 by the ten minute mark.

Mattie McDermott scored the Fermanagh point from a 20m free, while all of Donegal’s points were sourced from play.

Donegal then fluffed a couple of chances. Callaghan was short from a 35m free and a sweeping move that had goal all over it failed when Dylan Mullholland got on the end of the move.

Luke McEnespy, with a fine long range point, pulled a point back for Fermanagh on the quarter hour mark, but Donegal remained  in front at 0-4 to 0-2. 

But Donegal went up another gear and landed four points in five minutes with Doherty bringing his tally to three, Clekin scored his second and Callaghan found the scoring touch again to make 0-8 to 0- 2 with 20 minutes on the clock. At that stage, Doherty, Callaghan and Clerkin were playing well and pulling the strings. 

Conor McCahill then blazed from the edge of the rectangle when the ball broke in the Fermanagh goalmouth.

But three minutes later the Ernesiders, who Donegal defeated 3-24 to 0-6 when the sides met in the league, were back in the game.

Midfielder Dara Cathcart ghosted in behind the Donegal rearguard to take a long delivery to give Padraig McBride no chance from close range. 

The Donegal lead was now back to three points with less than ten minutes remaining in the half and it was a two point game when Mattie McDermott stroked over Fermanagh’s third point on 25 minutes.

Donegal were clearly rattled and it remained a two point game at the half-time break, Donegal 0-8, Fermanagh 1-3.

But Clerkin and Callaghan (2) edged Donegal clear in the opening 12 minutes of the second period but they simply could not shake Fermanagh off. McDermott  landed two frees to bring the gap back to four once again.

And Michael Byrne and Conor Mulligan kept Donegal honest when they posted late points to reduce the margin to two with five minutes remaining. But Donegal moved clear again with two late white flags. 

Donegal scorers: Shane Callaghan 0-6,4f,Luke Clerkin  0-3,Gavin Doherty 0-3, Dylan Mulholland  0-2, Conor McCahill 0-1,  

Fermanagh scorers :Mattie McDermott 0-4,1f,  Dara Cathcart 1-0, Luke McAnespy, Conor Mulligan,  Michael Byrne 0-1 each.  

Donegal: Padraig McBride; Donal Gallagher, Jordan Cribben, Callum McCrea; Finbar Roarty, Darragh Hennigan, Luke Clerkin; Oisin Scanlon, Lorcan McGee; Jack Hegarty, Shane Callaghan, John James Sweeney; Dylan Mulholland, Conor McCahill, Gavin Doherty.

Subs; Eoin Gallagher for G Doherty (49); Jack Gallagher for Luke Clerkin (51); Shane Ellison for D Hennigan; Philip Doherty for D Mulholland (60).

Fermanagh: Calvin Brown; Matthew Maguire, Conor Mulligan, Caelan Jones; Luke McAnespy, Oisin Swift, Lochlann King; Dara Cathcart, Ben Warnock; Barry Goodwin, Darragh Flanagan, Oisin Donohue; Michael Burns, Daire Chapman, Mattie McDermott.

Subs: Dan O’Connor for Goodwin (38), Kian Prior for Chapman (38), Michael Keenan for Maguire (60).

Referee: Ritchie Donoghue (Derry).