St Michael's and Glenswilly grapple out a draw as Storm Kathleen sweeps Dunfanaghy

If ever there was a game of two halves, then Saturday’s All-County Football League Division 1 clash between St Michael’s and Glenswilly was it. 

Michael Murphy, the day after he celebrated his wedding reception at home having been married in Florence in October, came off the bench to score a mark to level the match on 62 minutes and gain a point for Glenswilly, who had trailed by six. 

With Storm Kathleen partially named after Feymore, Creeslough native Kathleen (Kay) McNulty - recognised as the mother of modern computer programming - Dunfanaghy was always going to provide the option of a staycation. 

The home side played with an absolute belter of a first-half wind and went in at the break 1-4 to 0-1 in front, with few knowing whether it would be enough. The gale was almost impossible to play against and not easy to play with. 

Michael McGinley scored a point at the start of that first half and then at the end of it, with a free from Eoghan Kelly and Edward O’Reilly’s stylish effort from play the other St Michael’s scores. 

The home side also totted 11 first-half wides, three from overhit passes and the rest from pops at goal. Paddy McGinley thought he had scored too, only for it to be waved wide when it looked to have gone over.

The St Michael’s goal came on just seven minutes, with Calvin Murray poking home from close range as the visitors struggled to deal with a dropping Kelly free, all at a stage in the contest where many were still finding their bearings.

Until that point, Glenswilly had bother in getting the ball into the St Michael’s half. On 13 minutes they did, with great perseverance from Jamie McCauley on the byline, wrigging his way to centre for Jack Gallagher to punch. The Glenswilly captain got a good connection, aiming low, only for Mark Anthony McGinley to clutch the ball away at full-stretch down to his right. A top-class save. 

Glenswilly managed three efforts against the wind - one saved one wide and then a fine Shane McDevitt point on the run, which got them on the scoreboard 22 minutes in. They also kept themselves in it despite losing Christopher McMonagle to a black card. 

Having switched ends, St Michael’s probably knew what was in front of them, although they almost caught everyone unaware inside of 40 seconds, when Chris McElhinney burst forward and rattled the Glenswilly crossbar with a fantastic effort. 

McDevitt pulled one back for Glenswilly, although 10 minutes into part two that was all they had clawed back so Gary McDaid made a quadruple substitution, with Murphy one of the quartet.

Gallagher, on 46 minutes, hit a long-ranger from to bring Glenswilly back to 1-4 to 0-3 down and in retrospect, this was perhaps the moment that flipped things. 

St Michael’s, with the local knowledge, played very well on the break, although they couldn’t turn that into scores. Max Roarty tried to place a shot into the bottom corner only to see it go wide. Then, with 12 to play, the excellent Colin McFadden went on a run that concluded with a rasper of the shot, with the crossbar again saving Glenswilly.

Gary McFadden, with two, and Murphy both hit frees in the last 10 and by the 67th minute, Glenswilly were just one down, 1-4 to 0-6. Despite their eight second-half wides, they were right in the mix. Murphy tied it up and a total of six minutes came and went with no further scores. 

St Michael’s had performed the better of the two against the wind, although had nothing to show for it at all. They might wonder if even one of those second-half efforts had’ve gone over. At the same time, when referee Pat Barrett eventually blew for time, it was Glenswilly who were the ones pressing the most even though Mikey Toner had been given a late black card. 

In the end, everyone went home reasonably content with a share of the spoils and few could criticise anyone in the most troublesome of conditions. Neither team deserved to be beaten. 

St Michael’s scorers: Calvin Murray 1-0; Michael McGinley 0-2; Eoghan Kelly 0-1, 1f; Edward O’Reilly 0-1.
Glenswilly scorers: Shane McDevitt 0-2, 1f; Gary McFadden 0-2, 2f; Michael Murphy 0-2, 1f, 1m; Jack Gallagher 0-1.

St Michael’s: Mark Anthony McGinley; Jamie Hunter, Liam Paul Ferry, Chris McElhinney; Eoghan Kelly, Ciaran Kelly, Ethan Ferry; Paddy McGinley, Colin McFadden; Kyle McGarvey, Martin McElhinney, Calvin Murray; Edward O’Reilly, Michael McGinley, Max Roarty. Subs: Anton McFadden for Ferry (25), Martin Breslin for Murray (half-time), Packie O’Neill for O’Reilly (60) Murray for C McElhinney (60+4).
Glenswilly: Oisin McGrenra; Jake Kelly, Jamie McCauley, Oisin McDaid; Shea McDaid, Jack Gallagher, Sean Collum; Kealan Dunleavy, Shaun Wogan; Gary Kelly, Christopher McMonagle, Eoghan Scott; Caolan Kelly, Gary McFadden, Shane McDevitt. Subs: Michael Murphy, Aidan Friel, Ruairí Crawford, Mikey Toner for S McDaid, O McDaid, Wogan and McMonagle (39), Dylan McAteer for J Kelly (52).
Referee: Pat Barrett (Milford)