Donegal push Derry all the way in Christy Ring Cup

Donegal lost their opening game of the Christy Ring Cup to tournament favourites Derry at Celtic Park but turned in a vastly improved performance from the league meeting three weeks ago.

Derry relegated Donegal from Division 2 of the National Hurling League with a 2-23 to 0-9 hammering in Letterkenny at the end of March, but this was an altogether more competitive encounter where the Oakleafers were pushed all the way.

Despite conceding a goal within seconds of the throw-in, Donegal bounced back and led by a point at the break, 1-9 to 1-8.

Donegal left several scores behind them in that breeze-assisted first period, and while Josh Cronolly McGee got the opening point of the second half for Mickey McCann’s men, Derry, for whom Antrim import Christy McNaughton again led the attack superbly, struck ten of the next twelve points to move six points clear by the 57th minute.

But Donegal didn’t falter, and they finished the game strongly with Derry keeper Sean Kelly thankful to his defence for assisting him in keeping goal out attempts from Cronolly McGee and Gilmore.

There were four points between the sides at the end and that, rather than the no-show in Letterkenny, is a fairer reflection of the relative standings of the two teams. 

Derry set about Donegal right from the throw-in, landing a long delivery into the paw of Christy McNaughton, who held off two defenders and finished to the net inside 14 seconds.

But unlike in Letterkenny three weeks earlier, Donegal didn’t crack. Instead, they hit back from a penalty right away and went toe-to-toe with Derry for the remainder of the game.

Liam Óg McKinney drew the penalty, and goalkeeper Luke White placed the sliotar 25 metres out to get a better run at it and slammed it past his opposite number and into the bottom right corner.

READ NEXT: Oisin Marley on form as Setanta produce routine SHL victory in Carndonagh

Play swung from end to end in the first half with plenty of hard, robust tackling and with space a premium easy scoring opportunities were few and far between. Donegal would twice establish a two-point lead, but Derry pegged them back and the sides were level four times in that opening period.

In addition to his goal, McNaughton was unerring from placed balls in the first half, converting three frees and a 65 with John Mullan and Gerald Bradley hitting two points apiece from play.

Donegal had a wider spread of scorers, with Gilmore (two frees), Sean McVeigh, Liam Óg McKinney, Cronolly McGee and Declan Coulter all on the mark.

They were left to rue some scoreable chances, particularly from a three-on-one late in the half when Ronan McDermott butchered an audacious flick intended to send a teammate clean through.

Derry too had their goal chances, but Luke White pulled off point blank saves from marauding midfielder Micheál McGrath on either side of the break, and the Slaughtneil man also struck the post. 

Cronolly McGee and Gilmore hit a point apiece in the eight minutes after half time. But McNaughton drew Derry level ten minutes in and they reeled off eight of the next nine points to establish a 1-18 to 1-12 lead as they finally started finding passes to a man who had time and space in which to get his shot off.

McNaughton hit two points in that period, with centre forward John Mullan hitting three from play with sub Tomas Brady and an otherwise subdued Cahal Murray also chipping in. 

Derry were driving their puckouts into the Donegal D on the short Celtic Park pitch, but Stephen McBride, Oisin Kelly and Conor O’Grady defended well, with the deep-lying Coulter mixing defensive cover with long-range striking.

Liam Óg McKinney got a 58th-minute point to stop the run of unanswered Derry points, and Coulter followed up a minute later, with Mullan and Bradley hitting back for Derry.

The hard-working Sean McVeigh reduced the deficit to five points before Gilmore sprinted away from his man on the left wing and drew a save from Sean Kelly with the Derry defence scrambling to clear their lines.

There were four between the teams going into four frantic minutes of injury time.  Kelly spilled a shot that dropped short, but the goal chance went abegging as his defence again bailed him out, and McNaughton slowed the pace down with another converted free.

Further into injury-time, Cormac O’Doherty had a point waved wide by the umpire but called good by the linesman who brought it to referee McCloskey’s attention. The man in the white coat was adamant it had gone wide and the referee chose not to overrule him.

Donegal rounded out the scoring with a Sean McVeigh point to reduce the arrears to four.

Manager McCann was pleased with the character and battling qualities his team showed and will hope they can carry that into O’Donnell Park this Saturday when Wicklow come calling.

Derry scorers: Christy McNaughton 1-9, 5f, 2 65; John Mullan 0-6; G Bradley 0-3; Thomas Brady, Cahal Murray and Michael McGrath 0-1.
Donegal scorers: Gerry Gilmore 0-5, 4f; Declan Coulter and Sean McVeigh 0-3; Luke White 1-1, 1-0 pen, 0-1f; Liam Óg McKinney 0-2 and Josh Cronolly McGee 0-2; Conor Gartland 0-1.

Derry: Sean Kelly; Paddy Kelly, Mark Craig, Patrick Turner; Ruairi Ó Mianáin, Richie Mullan, Séan Cassidy; Mícheál McGrath, Eamon Conway; Cormac O’Doherty, John Mullan, Gerald Bradley; Cahal Murray, Christy McNaughton, Shea Cassidy. Subs: Thomas Brady for Shea Cassidy (49); Callum O’Kane for C Murray (62); James Friel for Sean Cassidy (64); Ryan McGill for E Conway (65); Aimon Duffin for R Mullan (69). 

Donegal: Luke White; Oisin Kelly, Declan Coulter, Jack O’Loughlin; Conor O’Grady, Stephen McBride, Danny Cullen; Sean McVeigh, Brian McIntyre; Gerry Gilmore, Conor Gartland, Josh Cronolly McGee; Liam Óg McKinney, Ronan McDermott, Ruairí Campbell. Subs: Sean Ward for D Cullen (47); Kevin Kealy for R McDermott (47); Micheál Donoghue for J O’Loughlin (55); Fergal Delaney for C Gartland (65). Referee: Ciaran McCloskey (Antrim)