St Eunan’s just about get the job done away to Naomh Conaill 

St Eunan’s picked up two hard-earned league points away to Division 1 champions and fierce rivals Naomh Conaill on Saturday evening. 

Barry Meehan’s visitors had gone in at the break 0-7 to 1-3 clear in a contest that remained tight throughout. Going into added time, the Letterkenny men led by four, at 1-11 to 1-7. 

And even though Glenties replacment Marc Burke rattled in a late, late goal for the hosts, it was Eunan’s that just about held on. 

Naomh Conaill had hit the front foot in the best possible fashion on four minutes as Leo Dunphy pawed home to the back of the net, from close range, after Hughie Gallagher had made yards down the left-hand side. 

St Eunan’s opened their account three minutes later when Oran Winston cracked over a fine point. Anthony Thompson, ghosting into superb positions inside the Eunan’s ‘45, then notched the first of three opening half marks to leave it 1-1 to 0-1. 

A brilliant fetched mark of his own by Eoin McGeehin, up the other end, then left two in it moving into the tenth minute. Thompson continued to show all his experience as he added a second and third mark to leave it 1-3 to 0-2 on the quarter hour mark. 

Conor O’Donnell Jnr then registered his first of the night and a goal once again split the sides. 

At that stage, the mercury suddenly spiked and referee Marc Brown had to intervene on a number of occasions to nip those combustible instances in the bud.  

Moving into the last five minutes of the opening stanza and a quickfire brace of points from McGeehin (free) and Winston cut the gap back to the bare minimum. 

In between, Martin Regan’s side almost raised a second green flag when Finnbarr Roarty’s ball into the area was instinctively slapped towards goal by Keelan McGill. 

Ronan McGeehin didn’t know all that much about the point blank effort as it rebounded off the Eunan’s custodian’s knees and away from danger. 

Moving into added time the visitors crept ahead for the first time as Anthony Gallagher got up from the back to split the posts.  

Keelan McGill and Dermot Molloy, from a free, nailed the first two overs of the second-half as the lead once again changed hands. McGeehin then won another close range free as he tied the game up at 1-5 to 0-8. 

On 42 minutes, Conor O’Donnell Snr again pushed the Letterkenny men in front while McGeehin, such an outlet for direct ball for the Black and Amber, also grabbed his fourth, as the advantage doubled. 

Charlie McGuinness, sprung at the midpoint, made his presence felt on the three-quarter hour mark to lamp over as 1-6 chased 0-10. 

Ten minutes out from the end and St Eunan’s struck a real blow. With Naomh Conaill committed, the Cathederal men turned possession over deep inside their own defensive third. 

O’Donnell Jnr carried the ball from one ‘21 to the other and, at the opportune moment, squared for McGeehin to punch home. 

With a four-point gap suddenly opened up, Roarty looked to go direct towards McGuinness. 

With both he and chaperone Eamonn Doherty wrestling under that high ball, it would subsequently miss both but still bounce up and over the crossbar. 

On 56 minutes Eunan’s almost netted a second three-pointer when Pauric Boyle gained sight of goal. 

However, Stephen McGrath got the deftest of touches to somehow deflect that driven effort onto the woodwork. 

Before the end, it looked like Jordan O’Dowd had brought a definitive curtain down on matters as the game drifted into injury time. 

But Burke, not long into the action, had other ideas as he riffled in a late maximum. And while there were aduquite seconds added to find a leveller, Eunan’s just about held out. . 

Naomh Conaill scorers: Anthony Thompson 0-3,3m; Leo Dunphy 1-0; Marc Burke 1-0; Keelan McGill 0-1; Dermot Molloy 0-1,1f; Charlie McGuinness 0-1; Finnbarr Roarty (0-1).

St Eunan’s scorers: Eoin McGeehin 1-5,2m,2f; Oran Wiston 0-2; Conor O’Donnell Jnr 0-1; Anthony Gallagher 0-1; Conor O’Donnell Snr 0-1; Jordan O’Dowd 0-1. 

Naomh Conaill: Stephen McGrath; Ultan Doherty, Jason Campbell, Connor Roarty; Hughie Gallagher, Finnbarr Roarty, Eoi  Waide; Neil Francis Boyle, AJ Gallagher; Anthony Thompson, Dermot Molloy, Tiernan Ward; John O’Malley, Leo Dunphy, Keelan McGill. 

Subs: Charlie McGuinness for Ward (ht), Tiernan Ward and Stephen Molloy for J Campbell and D Molloy (43), Oran Doherty for A Thompson (52), 

St Eunan’s: Ronan McGeehin; Noah Barrett, Eamonn Doherty, Anthony Gallagher; Kieran Tobin, Aaron Deeney, Dylan Doogan; Conor O’Donnell Snr, Jordan O’Dowd; Oran Winston, Kevin Kealy, James Kelly; Conor O’Donnell Jnr, Eoin McGeehin, Pauric Boyle. 

Subs: Peter Devine for Doogan (18),Oisin Scanlon and Conor Parke for Winston and J Kelly (both 59). 

Referee: Marc Brown (Four Masters).