Wizard of Oz Greene gives 13-man Dungloe last-gasp victory in Milford

Conor Greene, in his first appearance in four years, punched over the most dramatic of winners nine minutes into injury time to give 13-man Dungloe a winning start in their Donegal SFC against Milford.

Milford 1-10 Dungloe 0-14

Greene is back from Sydney ahead of his brother Stephen’s wedding and was thrown on seven minutes into injury time by manager Dessie Gallagher. Dungloe had gone four points up in the final quarter, with Oisin Bonner’s introduction certainly helping with two of those.

Dungloe looked home and dry but Milford rallied superbly, with Kane Barrett smashing a goal on 62 minutes and then Cathal McGettigan equalising deep into injury time, 1-10 to 0-13. However, both sides had chances to win it and it looked to be headed for a draw, only for a 69th-minute free from Bonner that dropped shot, and Greene back-fisted over. 

Dungloe at that stage had 13 players on the field with Aaron Ward given a straight red in the first half and Matthew Ward picking up a late second yellow in the second, as did Rory O’Donnell of Milford. 

Dungloe made a great start against the wind, posting the first four points yet would go in at half-time down a point and down a man. However, there was still nothing in it by the three-quarter mark and chat about whether both teams would be content with a point apiece could be heard under the dusking skies. 

A first minute Ryan Greene free opened the scoring for the visitors, with Ryan Connors doubling that and then Shaun McGee putting over one from play and a mark, so eight minutes were played and Dungloe were 0-4 to 0-0 in front.

Ten minutes in, from their first meaningful attack, Barrett, carrying a hamstring injury, opened the Milford account with a fantastic free from the right. Milford kept up the forward trajectory and kicked six on the bounce in that spell, with Cathal McGettigan’s free from the edge of the square the second, although it was very close to being a penalty as Ryan Curran tugged Rory O'Donnell, who was in on goal.

 McGettigan, though, kicked another point and then Barrett, who was back on his feet, did the same. Suddenly, 15 minutes in, the match was level at 0-4 to 0-4. Milford were aided by a slight breeze and kept the foot on the gas, with O’Donnell - whose influence was growing - and then McGettigan putting over to make it 0-6 to 0-4 on 19 minutes.

Greene and Connors brought Dessie Gallagher’s team level at 0-6 to 0-6, although a monster McGettigan free and Darragh Black’s smart point - either side of Connors’ free - put Milford into the interval lead of 0-8 to 0-7. Tellingly perhaps, Ward, the Dungloe full-back, was sent off for a strike on Black just before the break.

It was Dungloe’s first appearance in the SFC since being relegated in 2020 by Milford, and their last visit to Moyle View, in Division 2 in April, had ended in a 2-15 apiece draw in a contest they felt they might’ve won. 

Connors’ fourth point made it 0-8 to 0-8 on 37 minutes, only for McGettigan to edge Milford up by one from a free just shy of the 40th minute. Ryan Greene’s free and then Daire Gallagher’s point meant Dungloe squeezed into a 0-10 to 0-9 advantage by the 45th minute.

Substitute Oisin Bonner slipped over a lovely score and his presence gave the visitors a target inside as the rain began to fall with the gloves thrown on from the sideline, before adding a second on 54 minutes. Dungloe had worked their way into a 0-12 to 0-9 lead. Darren Curran pushed it out to four.

Milford didn’t throw in the towel and there was need for a towel in the downpour and manufactured a brilliant goal from a following move with Darragh and Shane Black involved three minutes into injury time, with Barrett finishing with a blistering shot. McGettigan, with his sixth point, made it 0-13 to 1-10 and it looked like heading for another draw, only for Greene to have the final say.

Milford scorers: Kane Barrett 1-2, 1f;  Cathal McGettigan 0-6, 3f; Rory O’Donnell 0-1; Darragh Black 0-1.  
Dungloe scorers: Ryan Connors 0-4, 3f; Ryan Greene 0-3, 2f; Shaun McGee 0-2,  1m; Oisin Bonner 0-2; Daire Gallagher and Darren Curran, Conor Greene 0-1. 

Milford: Shea McBride, Shay Durning, James Doyle, Brandon Toye; Ronan Docherty, Finn Coll, Shaun Coffey; Rory O'Donnell, Connor Gormley; Caolan Bolton, Kyle Black, Lorcan Friel; Darragh Black, Kane Barrett, Cathal McGettigan. Subs: Martin Doyle for K Black (half-time), Patrick Ferry for Toye (49), Shane Black for Coffey (53), Kyle Black for Bolton (59)
Dungloe: Ciaran Sharkey; Jason McBride, Aaron Ward, Karl Magee; Ryan Curran, Conor O'Donnell, Ryan Brennan; Darren Curran, Ryan Connors; Danny McGlynn, Daire Gallagher, Matthew Ward; Dylan Sweeney, Ryan Greene, Shaun McGee. Subs: Oisin Bonner for S McGee (39), Conor Greene for McGlynn (60+7) 
Referee: Stephen Doherty (Red Hughs)