Glenfin see off Buncrana to once again secure top flight league football

Glenfin will play Division 1 football again next season following this afternoon’s seven-point playoff win over Buncrana, in O’Donnell Park.

Glenfin 3-7 Buncrana 1-6 

Mark McGinty, Daniel McGlynn and Gerard Ward scored the goals for the men from the Gaeltacht Lár who just had too much craft and know-how for their Inishowen counterparts.

Glenfin found themselves in the relegation promotion playoff after finishing up third from the bottom in the top tier of the All-County League. Buncrana, on the other hand, had finished third from the top in Division 2.

The sides were level at 1-3 each at the end of the first half with McGinty netting the Glenfin goal and John Campbell scoring the Buncrana three-pointer. 

Sean Ward twice, both from play, and Luke McGlynn from a free, posted the Glenfin points and Aedan Stokes, Caolan McGonagle, from a free, and Sean McLaughlin, hit the Buncrana points.

The Glenfin goal was a real team score begun by McGinty in the middle of the field before going through Frank McGlynn, Sean Ward and back to the number six who slid the ball past Kevin Treacy, in the Buncrana goals.

That was on 24 minutes and propelled Glenfin into a 1-2 to 0-3 lead. But the goal was wiped out shortly after when Campbell got a flick on a Conor Graham shot for a point that dropped short.

The goal restored Buncrana’s advantage and they led 1-3 to 1-2 before Sean Ward tied up the game with a late point. 

Glenfin would have been happier that they headed  for the dressing room having been dominated for the opening ten minutes. They had also played the opening period facing into a stiff breeze.

The winners got the second half off to a flying start and scored a goal and three points, in the first five minutes of the new stanza. Daniel McGlynn struck for the goal when he dispossessed a defender and then first timed to the net.  

And when Stephen Ward split the post on 39 minutes the lead was out to five points for the first time in  the game. 

Sean McLaughlin landed a long range point for Buncrana but Glenfin were not going to be denied and the game was up for Buncrana when Gerard Ward, a second half sub, struck for goal number three with five minutes remaining. 

Luke McGlynn, who proved a real player maker for the winners, picked Ward out for the goal. McGonagle and Oisin Crawford posted late points for Buncrana but there was no denying Glenfin were deserving winners. 

Glenfin scorers: Mark McGinty, Daniel McGlynn, Gerard Ward 1-0 each; Luke McGlynn 0-2,1f; Shaun Ward, Odhran O’Connor, 0-2 each, Daniel Marley 0-1. 

Buncrana scorers: John Campbell 1-0, Caolan McGonagle 0-2,1f, Sean McLaughlin 0-2, Aedan Stokes, Oisjn Crawford 0-1.  

Glenfin: Conor McBride; Gary Herron, John Harkin, Martin O’Donnell; Odhran McGlynn,Mark McGinty,Jack Long; Jason Morrow, Stephen Ward; Daniel Marley, Frank McGlynn, Shaun Ward; Odhran O’Connor, Luke McGlynn, Daniel McGlynn. 

Subs: Gerard Ward for D Marley (46); Ciaran Brady for Stephen Ward (50,inj); Daithi Carr for D McGlynn (57), Ronan Carlin for O O’Connor (58).

Buncrana: Kevin Treacy; Evan McCallion, Sean Doherty, Aidean Stokes; J P McKenna, William McLaughlin, Oisin Crawford; Peter McLaughlin,Caolan McGonagle; Conor Graham, Sean McLaughlin,  Oisin O’Flaherty, Liam Jordan, John Campbell, OIsin Hegarty.

Subs: Adrian Doherty for O Hegarty (41); Adrian McColgan for O O’Flaherty (47); Noel McLaughlin for C Graham (57).

Referee: Seamus McGonagle (Aodh Ruadh).