Dungloe march onto semi-final as Naomh Muire wonder what might have been

Dungloe were given a considerable scare by next door neighbours Naomh Muire as the Donegal IFC quarter-finals began with a bang.

Dungloe 3-10
Naomh Muire 0-11

On the face of it, an eight-point winning margin looks like a comfortable victory, although when you scrape the dust off the surface it was a matter of a team that took their chances beating the team who would’ve left Letterkenny with regrets.

There was little that Naomh Muire could do about the form of Danny Rodgers in the Dungloe goal, with the netminder making three important saves as his side saw an eight-point first half lead whittle down to a one-point advantage just three minutes from time.

However, Dungloe, who looked to have lost the momentum, turned things on their head with a 58th minute goal from Daire Gallagher, who took full advantage to steer into the top corner as Brian Gillespie was within inches of nicking Rodgers’ kick-out moments beforehand. By such inches, a match can be won or lost.

Then, to rub the salt in, Dungloe hit a third goal in injury time when an Oisin Bonner shot at the posts was headed off target, only to drop into the arms of Christy Greene, whose shot was almost saved by Declan Ward before spinning in. 

With Dungloe having come through the shadow box two weeks ago in a 2-7 to 0-7 win at Rosses Park to close out the group stages, there was a real championship edge to the meeting in the autumn sunshine.

The conditions in stark contrast to their meeting in the quarter-final clash 12 months ago in an Ardara deluge, which Dessie Gallagher’s side won 1-13 to 1-2.

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Both teams signalled their intentions early, with Dungloe getting ahead inside 20 seconds with a Barry Curran marked point and then, at the other end, Naomh Muire rattled the crossbar with a Daniel Devlin belter from Harry Harden’s diagonal ball in. Devlin would be a thorn in the side of the Dungloe full-back line all day.

By the 12th minute, Dungloe were 0-4 to 0-1 in front, with their aggressive attacking style yielding dividends with points from Bonner and Daniel Ward, as Eoin Martin’s free on eight minutes opened the Naomh Muire account.

Dungloe were awarded a penalty on 13 minutes, when Thomas O’Donnell made a goalline block before touching the ball on the ground in the small shaped rectangle, from a Daire Gallagher shot after incisive approach play from Dylan Sweeney. Bonner’s spot kick was well-placed, planted into Declan Ward’s bottom right corner.

Jack O’Donnell pulled a point back for the Mullaghderg team and it might’ve been more had Rodgers in the Dungloe goal not scampered from his line to stop a drilled shot from Devlin. Rodgers was as effective at the other end too, stroking over a 45 and when that was added to by Ward and Christy Greene points, Dungloe were 1-7 to 0-2 in front and looking good just five minutes from half-time.

Whatever Danny O’Donnell, the Naomh Muire manager, had in mind in regards to an interval team talk, might’ve had to have been rethought as his team kicked four  points in a row to end the half. Harden and Devlin put over frees and goalkeeper Ward was on the money with a 45, before a brilliant Devlin score on the turn.

It meant that the score at a break was 1-7 to 0-6 for Dungloe, who were indebted to Rodgers in goal for a second save, even better than the first, as he got down to his right to save from Devlin late in the half.

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Naomh Muire continued their forward momentum at the start of the second half and a Harden free - their fifth point in succession to reduce the margin to three points, 1-7 to 0-7. Dungloe, through a Ward free, edged out to four ahead before Rodgers had to be alert to get behind a shot from an angle and 20 metres from Tuathal Lunny. Naomh Muire looked to be holding the aces.

Joey Gillespie and Devlin’s two points brought Naomh Muire back to just the one down, 1-9 to 0-11 and it was anyone’s game. Dungloe grasped it from there.

Dungloe scorers: Oisin Bonner 1-3, 1-0 pen; Christy Greene 1-1;  Daire Gallagher 1-0; Daniel Ward 0-3, 1f; Barry Curran 0-2, 1m; Danny Rodgers 0-1, 1f.
Naomh Muire scorers: Daniel Devlin 0-4, 2f, 1m; Harry Harden 0-2, 2f; Joey Gillespie 0-2;  Eoin Martin 0-1, 1f; Jack O’Donnell 0-1; Declan Ward 0-1, 45.

Dungloe: Danny Rodgers; Jason McBride, Aaron Ward, Gerard Walsh; Christy Greene, Conor O’Donnell, Karl McGee; Darren Curran, Ryan Brennan; Dylan Sweeney, Daire Gallagher, Matthew Ward; Daniel Ward, Barry Curran, Oisin Bonner. Subs: Mark Curran for Magee (51), Shaun McGee for Brennan (56), Noel McBride for M Ward (60+3)
Naomh Muire: Declan Ward; Shane Boyle, Brian Gillespie, Thomas O’Donnell; Fintan Doherty, Ferdia Doherty, Michael Greene; Adam O’Brien, Tuathal Lunny; Harry Harden, Paddy McCafferty, Ultan Boyle; Jack O’Donnell, Daniel Devlin, Eoin Martin. Subs: Joey Gillespie for Martin (20), Conor Cannon for Greene (39); Daniel Gallagher for T O’Donnell (46), Shaun Burns for J O’Donnell (50)
Referee: Pat Barrett (Milford).