Donegal suffer opening Buncrana Cup loss to Derry at MacCumhaill Park

Donegal admirably recovered from a terrible start in Ballybofey but still came up short against Derry in this Buncrana Cup opener. 

In difficult conditions, the visitors made light work of the soggy surface as they lamped over 12 points on the bounce. Donegal did at least manage to grab the final score of that opening period. 

But to be fair to Paul O’Laughlin’s lads, they were much improved on the changeover. And two goals inside the third quarter propelled them back into contention. 

Back at the outset, it was Derry that took a complete stranglehold on matters with Oisin Mullholland nailing the first two points of the game - one from play and one from a free. 

Pascal Kelly and wingback Emmett McKeever then made it a four-point game at the end of the first quarter. 

Cathal Scullion lobbed over a super score while follow ups from the likes of James Walk, Johnny Teague, Scullion again, and McKeever moved Derry into double figures. 

Into added time, Odhran Burke and Ben Donnelly rounded off the scoring for the leaders. And, just before the midpoint, the hosts finally raised a flag as substitute Gethin Mosby landed.

Jamie Gavigan doubled Donegal’s tally at the outset of the new stanza and when Danny McCready both won and converted a 36th minute penalty, the scoreboard now read 1-2 to 0-12. 

With Derry down a man due to Cormac McNicholl’s black card, Michael Gallagher registered two successive frees as the gap narowed to five. Things got even better for Donegal when McCready smashed in another Donegal three-pointer to leave it 2-4 to 0-12. 

Derry would stem the tide however as Scullion twice and Michael Higgins pushed them out to 0-15 by the 55th minute. 

Donegal’s best player on the day, McCready, added two late frees while Derry replacement Max McLarnon popped the final over of the afternoon.

Donegal scorers: Jamie Gavigan 0-1; Michael Gallagher 0-2,2f; Gethin Mosby 0-1; Danny McCready 2-2,1f. 

Derry scorers: Oisin Mullholland 0-2; Pascal Kelly 0-3; Emmet McKeever 0-1; Cathal Scullion 0-5,2f; James Walk 0-1; Johnny Teague 0-1; Odhran Burke 0-1; Michael Higgins 0-1; Max McLarnon 0-1.  

Donegal: Brian McFadden; Odhran McBrearty, Adam Byrne, Garrath Brennan; Caal Doherty, Jack Gallagher, Peter McLaughlin; Callum McGilloway, Jamie Gavigan; Michael Gallagher, JP Gallagher, Conor Farrell; Danny McCready, Matthew Enright, Shane Sweeney. 

Subs: Gethin Mosby for S Sweeney (12), Odhran Bonner for M Gallagher (48), Daniel Byrne for JP Gallagher (54), Tadhg Ó Baoill for G Brennan (57), Conor Gallagher for C Farrell (58), Kyle Bonner for J Gallagher 60).

Derry: Matthew Brady; Cormac McNicholl, Joseph Cassidy, Tabias Beattie; Emmet Og McKeever, Ben Donnelly, Johnny Teague; Finn Cartan, James Walk; Jarleth Rafferty, Odhran Burke, Pascal Kelly; Dultach O’Kane, Cathal Scullion, Oisin Mullholland. 

Derry subs: Michael Higgins and McLarnon for Burke and O’Kane (both 50). 

Referee: Gerard McHugh Jnr (Donegal)