Brilliant Donegal hold off late Waterford charge to land All-Ireland C title 

Donegal held off a late throwing of the kitchen sink by Waterford to deservingly take the ZuCar All-Ireland LGFA Minor C Football title. 

Donegal 1-14 Waterford 1-9

Having taken a three-point lead in with them at the break in Kinnegad, Donegal’s hard running style seemed to finally have the measure of their opposition as they led 0-14 to 0-8 with six minutes remaining. 

However, a 57th minute penalty and a subsequent point almost instantly stripped Donegal’s six-point lead down to two. 

But with Waterford committing players forward, Donegal would counter and with substitute Abbie McGranaghan raming in a three-pointer of her own, Declan McDermott’s side could finally breathe a huge sigh of relief.  

Throw-in in Kinnegad had been delayed for a half an hour as Waterford, an hour down the road, were late arriving. When the action did eventually get under way it was Donegal – playing with the aid of a stiff breeze in the first period – that took the early initiative.

However, Donegal would post two wides and land three into the Waterford 'keeper's hands inside the first five minutes.

Waterford on the other hand, from their very first foray into the Donegal half would, against the run of play, take the lead through Leah Browne. Donegal got off the mark on seven minutes when direct ruining from Ava Walsh earned the opportunity for Tara Geoghegan to arrow over from the free.

A bad dispatch from Katelyn Gardner was then gobbled up by the alert Rhianna McCready. She rightly offloaded to the advanced Aisling O'Neill but Gardner redeemed herself with a fine point blank save to deny Donegal a goal.

On 11 minutes, Walsh kicked Donegal in front for the first time but the game was level once more, soon after, when Hannah McGrath wriggled through to post.

Donegal senior star Katie Dowds, deployed in a deep sitting sweeper role, then strode forward to post as her side went 0-3 to 0-2 clear moving into the second quarter.

Waterford though were punching worrying holes in the Donegal defence and successive overs from Aoibhe Shankey and Ava Connolly managed to push their side level and then in front as 0-4 now led 0-3.

A superb Eva Gallagher effort again tied the contest and with McCready quickly following that up, Donegal again had the upper hand on the scoreboard. Three minutes out from the break and Dowds ghosted in behind from a wide attacking position.

But the MacCumhaills girl perhaps took on the responsibility a little early and her effort for a goal crashed into the side-netting.

Before half-time, Donegal rattled off a quickfire brace through Gallagher and O’Neill to leave it 0-7 to 0-4 at the changeover, and in Donegal’s favour. 

A quite amazing stop from Gardner right at the start of the new half somehow denied Tara Geoghegan - who’d pulled on a loose ball after Dowds’ original effort had been blocked down. 

Dowds herself then had the ball in the back of the net but it was called back when Ulitah Boyle was adjudged to have overcarried after having initially done so well to stride into the danger zone. 

Player of the Match Walsh did eventually get Donegal motoring once again in the second stanza while a stinging Boyle drive was also tipped over the bar by Gardner. 

On 46 minutes Geoghegan made it 0-10 to 0-4 while another Walsh strike, her third of the contest - left a gaping seven points in it.   

Waterford didn’t reopen their account until the 50th minute as Aoibhe Shankey rattled over a fine effort from distance. 

Still another Dowds point, one where it took the hesitant umpire an age to signal, felt like it had just pushed Donegal into an unassailable position. 

And when Geoghegan increased the deficit to eight going into the final ten minutes, Donegal must have believed they were home and hosed. 

What you’d call a smart concession of a free by Donegal substitute Amy Porter did allow Browne to trim one back for Waterford from close range.

Shankey added another for her side to leave it 0-13 to 0-7. Geoghegan responded for Donegal while Browne was again on target down the other side as 0-14 edged 0-8. 

With three minutes left on the clock Porter was again penalised for something off the ball and inside the area. It felt like a harsh call but the Carndonagh girl was sin binned for her troubles and a spot kick awarded. 

Even though Aoibhin Randles guessed right, the power of Kaci Brazil’s strike meant it nestled right in the bottom corner of the net. And in one fell swoop, the difference was closed into three. 

Waterford would turn over the resulting kickout and Eimear O’Neill would put her side within one goal of taking the lead. And while there were one or two moments of real concern, brave Donegal just wouldn’t fold. 

And in a breakaway moment, McGranaghan made sure of things in the most spectacular fashion when she laced the ball to the top corner to seal a mighty Donegal win. 

Donegal scorers: Tara Geoghegan 0-4,2f; Ava Walsh 0-3; Abbie McGranaghan 1-0;Katie Dowds 0-2; Eva Gallagher 0-2; Rhianna McCready 0-1,1f; Ulitah Boyle 0-1; Aisling O’Neill 0-1. 

Waterford scorers: Leah Browne 0-3,1f; Kaci Brazil 1-0; Aoibhe Shankey 0-3; Eimear O’Neill 0-1; Ava Connolloy 0-1; Hannah McGrath 0-1. 

Donegal: Aoibhin Randles; Ellie Ward, Abigail Temple Asokuh, Rhianna McCready; Tara Rose Mahon, Sarah McGinley, Niamh Harkin; Ulitah Boyle, Rhíana McColgan; Eva Gallagher, Ava Walsh, Cora Doherty; Tara Geoghegan, Aisling O'Neill, Katie Dowds.

Subs: Emma Neeson for E Ward (24), Abbie McGranaghan for  McCready (38), Amy Porter for Harkin (46), Mia Bennett for E Gallagher (50), Niamh Boyle for Mahon (60+3).

Waterford: Katelyn Gardner; Ciara Power, Róisín Mackle, Ellen Bolger; Orlaith Power, Ciara Whelan Barrett, Neesha Whelan; Aoibhe Waring, Lia Ní Arta; Kaci Brazil, Hannah McGrath, Leah Browne; Ava Connolly, Aoibhe Shankey, Molly Comerford.

Subs:Emma Fitzgerald for Comerford (37), Ava Connolly for Porter (39), Eimear O’Neill for Whelan (54). 

Referee: David Hurson (Dublin).