Naomh Conaill's goal rush puts Downings to the sword

When things are going tough on a wet day at Davy Brennan Memorial Park, the last thing any opposition team wants to see in the second half, is the likes of Dermot Molloy, Anthony Thompson and other players in blue, picking up speed and driving at your defence. 

But that’s how the second half unfolded on Sunday in Glenties as Downings began to flag late on and gaps began to appear in their defence allowing Naomh Conaill to exploit this space and see out the victory on a 3-9 to 1-8 scoreline in this second-round encounter. 

With Downings needing a solid response following their defeat to Malin last week and with Naomh Conaill just about edging past Real na Mara, it was important for both sides to find their feet early on in this match. 

And while Naomh Conaill had up to seven of their starting county final winning team missing during Sunday’s encounter, it never seemed to faze them, with their fast-breaking defenders charging through the heart of the Downing’s defence from start to finish, resulting in three superb team goals.  

Tiarnan Ward opened the encounter for Naomh Conaill, but the men from Downing’s quickly replied with full-forward Kealan McGroddy landing 1-1 in quick succession to put his side in the driver’s seat, with the goal coming on just the fourth minute after he was left isolated inside to see him win the ball with ease and slot it past Stephen McGrath. 

And while the game ebbed and flowed for large periods in the first half, it was just a matter of time before we would see the home side turn the screw as they kept the clock ticking with four fine long-range points from Ward, Anthony Thompson and Dermot Molloy slotting over two. 

With five minutes left in the half, that dominant running from the Naomh Conaill defenders came to the fore as they worked a superb passage of play up the field ending with Logan Quinn palming the ball into the back of the net. 

But Downings failed to give in and hit a flurry of scores before the half-time break to hit the lead with Johnny McGroddy landing three points before Conor Boyce ended the half with a point of his own to leave it 1-6 to 1-5 at half time. 

But Downings didn’t hold their lead for long with Leo Dunphy edging the Glenties side back in front with an early goal, almost an exact replica of his side’s first when Ward bypassed the away side’s defence to pass it off to Dunphy who finished it in the net. 

Johnny McGroddy and Boyce would land the next two points on the 41st minute, but this would be the last score of the match for Downings as Naomh Conaill took control, and by the time Ward hit a long-range point to give his side the lead once again, the mood around the ground began to change as Naomh Conaill dominated proceedings. 

The home side saw the game out with points from Molloy and John O’Malley, and by the time the former landed his side’s third goal after a scramble on the edge of the box which saw him hit home, the stamp of victory was firmly sealed for Naomh Conaill for another weekend. 

Scorers – Naomh Conaill: Dermot Molloy 1-3, 1f; Tiarnan Ward 0-3; Logan Quinn and Leo Dunphy 1-0 each; Anthony Thompson 0-2; John O’Malley 0-1, 1f. Downings: Johnny McGroddy 0-5, 3fs; Kealan McGroddy 1-1; Conor Boyce 0-2. 

Naomh Conaill: Stephen McGrath; Jason Campbell, AJ Gallagher, Cian Doherty; Hughie Gallagher, Ultan Doherty, Logan Quinn; Anthony Thompson, NF Boyle; Kealan McGill, Tiarnan Ward, Dermot Molloy; John O Malley, Leo Dunphy, Brendan McDyer. Subs Used: Eoin Wade, Shane McDevitt and Joe Shankey  

Downings: Aodh McBride; Fallon McBride-Buckley, Ben McNutt, Padraig McGinley; Shane Coll, Oisin Boyce, Paidin Shields; Ronan Pasoma, Shane Boyce; Conor Boyce, Johnny McGroddy, Fiachra McClafferty; Ethan Cullen, Kealan McGroddy, Kyle McFadden. Subs Used: Dylan Mc Glone, Eric Roberts. Tiarnan McBride