Kilmacrennan Celtic edge past Culdaff in FAI Junior Cup 

Kilmacrennan Celtic progressed to the next round of the FAI Junior Cup after a narrow victory over Culdaff FC at the Letterkenny Community Centre on Friday night.

Kilmacrennan Celtic 2 Culdaff FC 1

All three goals in this game were scored inside a 20-minute window in the first-half with Jack McLaughlin's strike for Culdaff canceling out the opener from Cathal McDaid, who would turn provider for the winner scored by Gerard McGranaghan five minutes before the break. 

Oisin Farrell made a great save late in the game to ensure there would be no extra-time. Conor McLaughlin was the first to make an impact on the match with a goal-saving block to deny Sam Harvey inside ten minutes. Much like a basketball game, chances began to become frequent at both ends in a back-and-forth nature. 

After a quarter of an hour, Paul Bradley would fire an effort narrowly wide and Culdaff would respond with an opportunity created by McLaughlin with his low ball across the six-yard box just needing any touch to take it home.

Kilmac's next opening would result in the first goal of the afternoon as John Sandilands curled a ball in from the left for McDaid to nod home off the base of the post.

Culdaff, who were defeated by Kilmacrennan Celtic on Friday night

McLaughlin would force a smart low save out of Farrell shortly after the goal while Kilmac could have doubled their lead not long after via a cross from Sandilands which was not dissimilar to McLaughlin's ten minutes back. That missed chance proved costly as Culdaff hit an equaliser just a minute later. 

Jack O'Brien weaved for space on the left side and his cross in was headed downwards into the goal from close range by Jack McLaughlin. 

Five minutes prior to the interval, Kilmac made their move and retook the lead. McDaid whipped the ball in from the right and McGranaghan nodded a glancing header towards goal and it squeezed through the grasp of Martin McLaughlin. 

The start of the second-half was quiet by the standards set in the first-half and only efforts from Sandilands and Ryan Greene were able to call either keeper into action before the hour mark.

Martin McLaughlin was heavily involved in the second-half for Culdaff and not in a defensive sense. 

His long-range kick outs were a great option for the away side to get up the field and while it left a majority of the Kilmac squad out of the action, the rearguard were always well placed to deal with the threat. 

Culdaff threw a lot at the hosts in the final ten minutes in a bid to force extra time and they came within a whisker of achieving that with five minutes to go. 

Aidan Cunningham made a darting run down the right side and he narrowed the gap to the target before his low drive was tipped onto the post by Farrell.

Cunningham had one final chance as the game entered stoppage time but this effort was bread and butter for the Kilmac shot-stopper. 

Kilmacrennan Celtic: Oisin Farrell; Glenn McNulty (Conor Gibson, 64), John Sandilands, Chris Flanagan, James Doherty; Cathal McDaid (Cormac Brady, 57), Michael McLaughlin (Caolan Curran, 64), Gerard McGranaghan (Evan Keown, 82), Paul Bradley; Chris Dillon, Sam Harvey (Ciaran McCormack, 76).

Culdaff FC: Martin McLaughlin; Conor McLaughlin (Peter Doherty, 53), Jamie McLaughlin, Michael Doran, Ben Curley; Keelan Doherty, Thomas O'Brien (Aidan Cunningham, 67), Ryan Greene, Jack McLaughlin (Darragh McCormack, 76); Jack O'Brien, Keith Norris (Euan McFeely, 76).

Referee: Packie Coll.