Dungloe edge out Termon in hard-fought victory in the U-21 championship

It might be too late for Dungloe to push into the last eight of the Donegal U-21 football championship, but that didn’t stop them from putting in a fighting effort against a strong Termon side and finding a result on a dull afternoon in the Rosses. 

In the end the home side were the better of the two teams as they carved out a 1-10 to 1-8 victory on a day where Termon couldn’t find any gaps to set up an attack, with Dungloe remaining strong in the backline throughout, turning over possession at vital moments and getting scores when needed. 

Every time Termon would land a point in the second half to cut the gap, Dungloe would quickly respond and were perhaps unfortunate not to be further ahead, as they became very wasteful with their shot selection in the second half, accounting for 14 wides throughout the match. 

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Termon opened the scoring with John James Sweeney pointing in the opening minutes of the match but once Dungloe replied with two fine scores from Karl Magee and Oisin Caulfield, the home side placed themselves into a lead they would not let go of for the rest of the game, despite Termon’s best efforts. 

Patrick O’Donnell opened with the first goal of the game on the 13th minute when his teammates capitalised on a Termon kickout, drove through the heart of the defence, and finished with O’Donnell being left unmarked to slot home to make it 1-2 to 0-1. 

The men from the Burn Road had a goal chance of their own denied a minute later when Patrick Fegan found space inside to hit low, but goalkeeper Damain McGowan was on hand to superbly palm the ball out for a ‘45’ as the first quarter drew to a close  

Termon replied from this with a goal of their own when they won possession in their own half and raced with numbers down the field, ending with Ciaran Cassidy to finish into the net to bring his side to life.  

But a point apiece from Dungloe’s McGowan and Termon’s Oisin Harkin brought the half to a close with the home side deservingly leading 1-4 to 1-2 at the break. 

The second half took a more back and forth storyline with each team trading scores one after another in the final 30 minutes. 

Dungloe’s Oisin Caulfield opened the scoring on the 38th minute, but by this stage, Termon were struggling to get up to any reasonable attacking positions, and although they scored five points in the second half, they only accounted for six shots, while Dungloe were finding it far easier to break through the maroon and white defence but their final shot was not finding range. 

The home side’s attack was also assisted by McGowan in nets who played the majority of the match around the midfield area, starting many attacks as Dungloe applied a high press to Termon. 

Magee, McGowan, and Oran Gallagher would all eventually find range with the Dungloe men hitting four without reply as they entered the final quarter.  

And although Termon kept fighting with Harkin, Kevin McGettigan, Sweeney, and Eoghan Quinn slotting over, Dungloe kept their cool to see the game out for the victory as the composure of the game died out with both teams resorting to a lot of pushing and shoving in the final minutes. 

Dungloe scorers: Patrick O’Donnell 1-0; Karl Magee 0-3; Oisin Caulfield and Oran Gallagher 0-2 each; Damian McGowan 0-2, 2fs; Ethan McCaffery 0-1, 1M.  
Termon scorers: John James Sweeney 0-3, 2fs; Ciaran Cassidy 1-0; Oisin Harkin 0-2, 1f; Kevin McGettigan 0-2; Eoghan Quinn 0-1. 

Dungloe: Damian McGowan; Dan Kers, Jordan Saville, Joe McElroy; Cian McGee, Aidan McGee; Karl Magee; Aaron Ward, Oisin Caulfield; Patrick O’Donnell, Oran Fallon, Ethan McCaffrey; Cian McDaid, Oran Gallagher, Ryan Brennan. Subs: Eoghan Walsh for O’Donnell (50). 

Termon: Thomas Cannon; Cormac Cassidy, Emmett McGettigan, Jack O’Neill; Eoghan Quinn, Cormac Brady, Owen Browne; Kevin McGettigan, John James Sweeney; Patrick Fegan, Oisin Harkin, Evan Keown; Ciaran Cassidy, Gary McGettigan, Luke McGarvey. Subs: Oran Gallagher for McGarvey (45); Caolan Curran for Browne (46); Caolan Reid for O’Neill (60).