Donegal League: Gweedore Celtic move out of bottom two after Swilly Rovers win

Brian McCormick Sports Premier Division

Gweedore Celtic 3-1 Swilly Rovers

Gweedore moved out of the bottom two courtesy of this victory over Swilly. 

Swilly were first to threaten with Shane Mc Name and Laurence Toland causing the home defence problems with their runs and movement. 

Micheal Mc Kelvey denied Mc Namee from a free kick and then saved the follow up from Tyler Durning. At the other end, Jamie Doherty saw his fiercely struck effort sail over the crossbar with only the keeper to beat. 

Swilly eventually hit the front in the twenty fifth minute when Mc Namee’s sweetly struck free kick gave Mc Kelvey no chance in the Gweedore goals. 

However the lead was short lived as Martin Coyle broke the Swilly rearguard and fired low past Barry Gallagher to equalise in the thirtieth minute.

The second half saw the away team dominating possession and they had two efforts at levelling when Toland was clean through but good defending by Shaun Gallagher and Fiachra Coyle for Na Ceiltigh kept the scoreline level. 

Gweedore hit the front with twenty minutes remaining when Crónán Mc Fadden powered a Martin Coyle corner to the net. With ten minutes remaining the home team hit a third when Cian Mc Bride finished to the net after good work by Ciaran Mc Hugh. 

A hard-earned victory for Gweedore who had good performances from Martin Coyle, Ciaran Mc Hugh and Fiachra Coyle. For Swilly Matthew Mc Loughlin, Shane Mc Namee and Barry Mooney were outstanding. Referee: Seimi Ferry

Castlefin Celtic 1-2 Keadue Rovers

Keadue Rovers went away with all three points after coming from a goal down in brutal conditions.

Castlefin dominated the proceedings in the first half and took the lead through Corrie Lee Bogan.

Keadue battled back and equalised through a Chris Greene penalty and took the lead when Peter Mc Gee broke through and finished at the second attempt. 

Kilmacrennan Celtic 3-1 Rathmullan Celtic 

This game was switched to Saturday night at Letterkenny Community Centre under perfect conditions and both teams played some great entertaining football and created lots of chances. 

Kilmacrennan took the lead on 25 minutes when Sam Harvey beat the defender wide on the right and whipped in a great ball to the inrushing Conor Black who calmly tucked the ball away into the bottom of the Rathmullan net.

Conor Black scored a penalty on 37 minutes after a Rathmullan a hand ball. Rathmullan got one back on 44 minutes. 

There were plenty of chances in the 2nd half for both teams and the Kilmacrennan back-four with excellent work from Paul Bradley and Terence Shields. 

On 75 minutes Chris Flanagan scored a header at the back post from a superb ball from the excellent Caolan Curran wide on the right. 

Kilmacrennan played some great football especially Paul Johnson who ran the Rathmullan defence ragged all evening and Gerard Mc Granaghan as well.  Team effort from Rathmullan. Referee: Paddy Martin 

Temple Domestic Appliances Division One

Cappry Rovers 2-1 Donegal Town

Donegal pressed early and had one taken off the line. Cappry grew into the game and started to be dangerous on the break. Cappry had a penalty claim turned down mid-way through the first. 

Cappry did take the lead when Callum Long found the bottom corner from 25 yards. Callum Long went close again with another effort. 

Donegal came out strong in second half but Cappry defended well and they hit Donegal on the break with Conor Mc Daid finding Peter Sweeney who chipped the keeper. 

Donegal Town got a goal back when a long-range effort found the bottom corner. Cappry were reduced to ten men with fifteen minutes to go. Cappry defended deep. Donegal went close near the end but Joe Boyle made an outstanding save from close range. 

Letterkenny Rovers 6-1 Gweedore United

Zach Gorman grabbed a hat-trick as Letterkenny Rovers eased to a 6-1 win over Gweedore United at Leckview Astro. 

Played in perfect conditions, it didn’t long for Rovers to break the deadlock as Nathan Plumb fired home the opener after just six minutes. 

Gorman doubled the home side’s lead on 25 minutes with a stunning free-kick from 25 yards but Gweedore got themselves right back into the contest when Ronan O’ Donnell headed home a quickly taken free-kick. However, Rovers pulled away with two quick goals on the stroke of half-time. 

Nathan Plumb scored his second goal of the game before Henry Wells made it 4-1 at the break when he finished off a well-constructed move with a fine finish. 

Shortly after the re-start, Caolan Mc Connell was fouled inside the Gweedore box and Gorman blasted home the resultant penalty to further extend their lead. 

On 72 minutes, Gorman completed his hat-trick to make it a 6-1 victory for Rovers who also welcomed back Tim Callaghan after a year out injured.   Referee: Paddy Martin.

Temple Domestic Appliances Division One

Letterkenny Rovers 7-0 Lagan Harps

Lee McMonagle scored four first half goals as Letterkenny Rovers cruised to a 7-0 victory over Lagan Harps at Leckview Astro on Wednesday night. 

The win moves Rovers top of the Division One table above Donegal Town and Bonagee United on goal difference, but with fewer games played than their title rivals.

The home side opened the scoring on ten minutes when Mc Monagle latched onto a precise through ball from Gareth Doherty and drilled his shot past Kai Brown in the Lagan goal. Mc Monagle made it 2-0 five minutes later with another clinical finish before he completed his hat-trick just short of the half hour mark after combining with Joel Gorman. 

The in-form striker added a fourth before the break when he spun his defender on the edge of the box to fire past Brown and cap an emphatic first half display. To their credit, Lagan continued to battle hard but Rovers extended their lead on 65 minutes when Nathan Plumb ran through on goal before applying a neat finish. 

On 82 minutes, Plumb was fouled inside the box and Zach Gorman made no mistake from the penalty spot to make it 5-0 before Gorman rounded off the victory with the goal of the game smashing home an effort from long range. Referee: Stephen Laird.

Glencar Inn Saturday Division One

Oldtown Celtic 7-1 St. Catherines Reserves 

The game started slowly before Micheal Doherty opened the scoring after beating two men and firing home from the edge of the box. 

He doubled his tally five minutes later with a flicked header from a corner. Oldtown added a third inside the first 25 minutes when Anthony Browne fired home from the inside the area. 

Mick Hawe then hit arguable the goal of the season with a volley from inside the area with his back to goal. Doherty completed his hat-trick before the break firing in a rebound from a Kevin Mc Grath strike. 5-0 at the break. 

The conditions got worse in the second half but Kevin Mc Grath fired home from close range from a Tommy McLaughlin cross. 

St. Catherines then got on the scoresheet with a well worked move that ended in Josh Cunningham chipping the keeper. 

Oldtown added the final goal of the game when Tommy Mc Laughlin fired home from the edge of the area after being put through by Mc Grath. Referee: Sean Ferry

Finn Travel Saturday Division Three

Letterkenny Rovers Reserves 7-1 Lagan Harps Reserves

In a highly-anticipated clash in the Finn Travel Saturday Division Three, Letterkenny Rovers faced off against Lagan Harps with the league title on the line. 

The conditions were challenging, with the cold and wet weather adding an extra element to the game. The match kicked off with both teams showing early intent. I

n the 3rd minute, Jordan Nugent of Letterkenny Rovers had an opportunity but missed wide to the right. However, Lagan Harps quickly countered, with Jack Mc Connell finding the back of the net on the 7th minute against the run of play, giving Lagan the lead. 

Letterkenny Rovers responded swiftly, with Adam Murphy levelling the score with a superb shot from 30 yards out in the 9th minute. 

The momentum shifted in Rovers' favour, as Conor O'Donnell scored twice in quick succession on the 20th minute and shortly after, extending Rovers' lead to 3-1. 

Throughout the first half, Rovers dominated possession and created numerous scoring opportunities, putting Lagan's goalkeeper, Kai Brown, under constant pressure. 

Despite Lagan's efforts, Rovers' defence, led by captain James 'Barlow' Gallagher, remained solid, limiting Lagan's chances. As the rain intensified in the second half, Letterkenny Rovers continued to assert their dominance. 

Nugent added to Rovers' tally on the 52nd minute, followed by Gallagher's header on the 65th minute, extending the lead to 5-1. 

Despite Lagan's resilience, Rovers continued to pile on the pressure, with Oran Winston adding to the scoreline on the 82nd minute, making it 6-1 in favour of Rovers. Lagan had a chance to pull one back with a good effort from Eoin O'Connor on the 85th minute only to be denied by Margey who had a relatively quiet second half. 

However, it was Rovers' day as substitute Dultach Mc Groarty sealed the victory with a stunning goal from 35 yards out, securing a convincing 7-1 win for Letterkenny Rovers. 

With the final whistle, Letterkenny Rovers celebrated a well-deserved victory, clinching the Finn Travel Saturday Division Three Title. Congratulations to the players and management on a successful league campaign. Referee: Con McLaughlin