Maynooth beat ATU Donegal with dominant display in the Sigerson Cup

ATU Donegal suffered a chastening defeat away to Maynooth University in Round 2B of the Sigerson Cup on Wednesday night, a result which condemns them to relegation to the Trench Cup for next year. 

Kerryman Luke Crowley was the star turn for the Maynooth men, the Glenflesk corner forward registering a hat-trick of goals and 3-2 overall before setting up a further goal for substitute Mark Gibbons in the second half as ATU Donegal were overrun. 

The Donegal side were delayed in getting to the Kildare venue, with the game throwing in late and a powerful and pacey Maynooth side hit two points inside the opening minute to lay down a marker. 

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They were already 0-6 to 0-2 ahead by the time Crowley registered the first goal in the sixteenth minute from a narrow angle after sidestepping back-tracking goalkeeper Damien McGowan, who had been out of the field when an ATU attack broke down. Glenfin’s Luke McGlynn had offered some resistance with two outstanding points for the Donegal men but they were mere fleeting moments. 

Conor Gray set up Crowley for his second goal on 26 minutes and a miserable half for the ATU Donegal side was complete just before the break when Louth’s Kieran McArdle finished an Eoghan Frayne pass at the back post for the third goal to make it 3-11 to 0-2. 

There was to be no respite in the second half for the Donegal side. Within a minute of the restart McGowan did well to save Gray’s low shot but the alert Crowley was on hand to tuck home the rebound for goal number four. 

Jack Gallagher and his namesake Daire did fire over points from play in the second quarter for the visitors, but Gibbons made a scoring impact as a substitute for McArdle, getting the final touch to a Crowley effort for the fifth goal eleven minutes from time and adding two points for good measure. McGlynn found the range with a free towards the end, but it was too little too late for an ATU Donegal side who were only able to bring seventeen fit players on the long trip south.  

Scorers for Maynooth University: Luke Crowley 3-2; Kieran McArdle 1-3; Mark Gibbons 1-2; Eoghan Frayne 0-3 (1f); Tom Moran 0-2; Conor Duke 0-2; Paddy McDermott 0-2; Seán Emmanuel 0-2; Harry Plunkett 0-1; James Harris 0-1.

Scorers for ATU Donegal: Luke McGlynn 0-3 (1f); Daire Gallagher 0-1; Jack Gallagher 0-1.

Maynooth University: Eoin Sheehan; Daniel Scahill, Thomas McPhillips, Brian O’Halloran; Seán O’Hare, Tom Moran, James Harris; Conor Gray, Conor Duke; Paddy McDermott, Eoghan Frayne, Seán Emmanuel; Luke Crowley, Harry Plunkett, Kieran McArdle. Subs: Geordi O’Meara for McDermott (37), Mark Gibbons for McArdle (40), Neil Aherne for Frayne (40), Rob Fitzgerald for O’Halloran (45), Oisín Grufferty for Moran (45).

ATU Donegal: Damien McGowan; Charlie Bennett, Cormac Brady; Keith Feely, Cormac Gallagher, Seán Breen; Oisín Caulfield, Neil Francis Boyle, Tom Dockery, Luke McGlynn, James Maguire; Daire Gallagher, Jack Gallagher, Reid Kelly. Subs: Luke Fallon for Maguire (25), Liam Carty for Dockerty (h-t), Maguire for Kelly (47), Dockery for Feely (50).

REF: David Hickey (Carlow)