Donegal minors up and running as dramatic late goal seals first win of the season

Donegal produced the ultimate smash and grab on Saturday afternoon in O’Donnell Park with a last-minute goal from Joe Doherty landing the county minor team their first win of the 2025 season. 

With the home side trailing for the majority of the match, it looked like their total of 16 wides and an underwhelming first half would come back to bite them in the end, but Barry Ward’s men never gave in, and were well worth their victory judging on their super second-half performance.  

Played under the realm of the new rules, the game failed to see much of the new adjustments brought into play, but it didn’t matter a whole lot to Donegal in the end who now march on with two points in the bag. 

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After a long haul of both teams playing the ball lateral and holding possession just outside the ‘D’ as they searched for an opening score, Donegal eventually found the break when corner-forward Thomas Lenehan shot from distance to put the first score of the afternoon on the board. 

Cavan fired back with two frees from Cathal Smith and Nathan Quigley before landing the goal on the 14th minute when midfielder Sam Maguire fired a long ball into space for Quigley to go searching for. The corner-forward then found space to cut inside before playing the ball lateral to Senan Smith, who played it once more to Cathal Smith who kicked it into an open net. 

The away side looked the better team in the opening half, playing the ball faster and quicker through the hands, but just couldn’t that final bit of space to break down the Donegal defence to put the ball over the bar. 

Peter McLoughlin and Jake Brady traded scores before Quigley found the posts yet again to extend his side’s lead. 

Following a second Lenehan point, Donegal nearly found the net on the 23rd minute when Tomas Carr nailed in a ball on top of the Cavan box, which was brilliantly won inside by midfielder Kalvin McLoughlin, but the Donegal captain’s shot was just blocked down and sprayed out for a ‘45’. 

Quigley nailed his third to put five between the teams before Matthew Enright put over his first of the half. But it was Cavan who had the last say of the half when Quigley landed his final point to leave it 1-6 to 0-4 at the break. 

Cavan started the second half like they finished the first half with Quigley and Smith both knocking over scores to extend their lead to seven points. But Donegal didn’t lie down and hit the next three points in-a-row, first Shane Sweeney knocked over a free before Lenehan and Carr added another score each to their names. 

The home side brought it back to a two-score game when McLoughlin darted through three Cavan players, he had the option to take the goal chance but instead, smartly shot over as Donegal began to hit a purple patch and ask serious questions of Cavan, but their wide count was starting to add up, with Donegal tallying nine wides by the 40th minute. 

Smith kept his side in front from a free before Shane Sweeney hit his second point to leave it 1-9 to 0-9 coming into the final 10 minutes of the match. 

Donegal narrowed the gap to one point after Brady’s darting run through the heart of the Donegal defence to point over. Lenehan, Cathal McGee, and Conor Farrell all added to the scoreboard to leave it for an exciting final few minutes. 

It looked like Cavan may have just sealed the victory until Donegal were gifted with one final chance. After winning possession, the attack started with Cathal Doherty who played it outside to Jamie Gavigan, the full-back opted for a point but his shot just dropped short into the hands of Urris man Joe Doherty who placed the ball into the net, to put Donegal two in front. 

But it didn’t end there, with Farrell putting the final score on the board to put Donegal three ahead in what was a super comeback for the home team who ran out of O’Donnell Park with a 1-13 to 1-10 win. 

Donegal scorers: Thomas Lenehan 0-4; Joe Doherty 1-0; Shane Sweeney, 2f, Tomás Carr, and Conor Farrell 0-2 each; Kalvin McLoughlin, and Cathal McGee and Peter McLoughlin 0-1 each. 
Cavan scorers: Cathal Smith 1-3, 1f; Nathan Quigley 0-5, 3fs; Jake Brady 0-2. 

Donegal: Ronan O’Donnell; Christopher O’Donnell, Jamie Gavigan, Daithi Molloy; Jack Gallagher, Evan Daly, Peter McLoughlin; Kalvin McLoughlin, Cathal McGee; Conor Farrell, Tomás Carr, Callum McGilloway; Shane Sweeney, Matthew Enright, Thomas Lenehan. Subs: Mark Wilkinson for Molloy (5); Cathal Doherty for McLoughlin and Joe Doherty for Gallagher (both HT); Danny McCready for McGilloway (40); Odhran Ryan for Enright (55); 

Cavan: Cian McConnell; Finlan Smith, Lee Glennon, Andrew Smart; Michael Smith, Simon Kolimor, Harry McMullen; Sam Maguire, Feelon Graham; Donagh Lynch, Jake Brady, Dylan Brouder; Nathan Quigley, Senan Smith, Cathal Smith. Subs: Gary McCabe for Brouder (40); Fintan Devlin for Lynch (50); Ciaran Clerkin for Smith (55); Rory Dolan for Smith (60) 

Referee: Christopher Brady