Letterkenny Rovers edge niggly encounter with champions Fanad United 

Letterkenny Rovers came from behind on Sunday to see off champions Fanad United in a tetchy encounter at Leckview Park. 

In an entertaining opening 45 minutes, Arthur Lynch’s side went in front on 15 minutes when Keelin McElwaine set up Eoin Logue to fire past Shane O’Gara in the home nets. 

However, the hosts were back on level terms just before the break as Gareth Doherty swept home from close range after Nathan Plumb’s initial effort had been blocked down. 

With the mercury rising after the restart, both sides had players dismissed with Adrian Delap red-carded for a rash challenge while Fanad’s Daibhid Lynch also walked after he got involved in the afters. 

Rovers would react best to that flashpoint and with Banda and substitute Henry Welles both netting for Stephen McConnell’s men, it was Rovers that took all three points. 

Back at the beginning, Logue’s breakthrough came about just after Rovers had squandered a golden opportunity to take the lead when Banda was denied from close range after a great slip through from Delap. 

Carlos O’Reilly then saw a back post header from an Edward O’Reilly corner find the side netting. 

Joel Bradley Walsh arrowed in a superb low delivery from the wide left and Banda was inches away from connecting with a diving header. 

On the half-hour mark, there was a real chance for Delap to slip Banda in again but his effort had too much gas on it and the chance went begging. 

But just a minute out from the break the sides were level thanks to that Doherty effort. 

Fanad’s Patrick Carr was unlucky to see his headed effort go over when matters got going once more while Lynch’s freekick from outside the area, which took a nick off the home wall, needed an acrobatic stop from O’Gara to push the deflected shot up and over the crossbar. 

With proceedings becoming increasingly messy, Delap and Lynch both walked, and a quarter of an hour out from the end, Banda snatched the lead for Rovers after excellent play down the left from Bradley Walsh. 

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And headed into added time, substitute Welles sealed matters after Banda teed him up.

Letterkenny Rovers: Shane O’Gara; Joel Bradley Walsh, Keith Cowan, Padraic Gilsenan; Nathan Plumb (Henry Welles, 72), Joel Gorman (Caolan McConnell, 90), Chris Malseed (Ryan Lonergan, 90), Dean McCarry, Adrian Delap; BJ Banda, Gareth Doherty (David O’Donnell, 90+3).

Fanad United: Mark McConigley; Patrick Moffitt (Darren McElwaine, 80), Seamie Friel, Carlos O’Reilly, Daibhid Lynch; Peter Carr, Patrick Carr (Oisin McMenamin, 82), Oisin Langan, Keelin McElwaine; Edward O’Reilly, Eoin Logue. 

Referee: Richard Storey