Inishowen League: Sea Rovers eliminate Strand Rovers from Junior Shield running

Ulster Junior Shield 

Strand Rovers 0 Sea Rovers 0 (AET   Sea Rovers win 4-1 on pens)

Two evenly matched sides at the start but  the first opportunity arrived in  the 15th minute mark when Strand Rovers Cathal Fee put a cross in for Cianan Mc Daid whose well struck shot was excellently saved by Rovers Mark Mc Laughlin. 

The Inishowen side responded with  a Liam Gallagher effort saved by Caelin Bonner in the Strand Rovers goal for the rebound to fall to  from Conor Mc Closkey but Bonner saved again. 

Mark Mc Laughlin was tested further when Ethan Mc Cafferty had a good effort well dealt with as the half ended scoreless. 

Sea  Rovers started the second half the strongest with Conor Mc Closkey coming very close on a couple of occasions.

Sea Rovers were certainly heaping on the pressure now Andrew Gallaghers penalty appeals waved aside before Oisin Hasson also seen his shot go just wide .Strand Rovers Jack Tracy beat the Rovers defence and a fine effort forced Mark Mc Laughlin once again into making a great save. 

In the  dying minutes of the game  the visitors Andrew Gallagher was unlucky to see his well struck effort crash off the post before being cleared. 

Extra time failed to produce a goa with both defences on top albeit Sea Rovers had more possession. Onto the shootout and it  was the Inishowen side who advanced to the next round by virtue of a four win penalty success and another trip to Donegal Town next weekend.

HML Plant Hire Division One 

Moville Celtic 2 Aileach Res 0

This game was a toughly fought well contested  battle from start to finish. The first half was very tight with clear cut chances few and far between. 

The one moment of quality came from Michael McNaught after 35 minutes. He received the ball on the right hand side before cutting inside two defenders and firing the ball into the net at the near post from twelve yards to edge the home side in front. The second half saw a few more chances for both teams. 

Sean McHugh saw a free kick well saved by Stephen Telles before Movilles first chance of the second half saw Moville double their lead. 

A through ball by Norbert Indyka sent McNaught through and he made no mistake rolling the ball past David McGeady in the Aileach net.

At the other end  Stephen Telles needed to be sharp off his line to stop Stephen Doherty when he found space in the box. 

Moville almost added a third after Luke McFaddens cross was met by Declan Lynch but his header went just over the bar. 

Moville  were fairly comfortable towards the end of the game but Stephen Telles was alert again to save from Sean McHugh from the edge of the box.

Gleneely Colts 0 Cockhill Youths 5

Tight opening to the half with both teams matching each other all through the pitch. 

The first opening chance fell to Cockhill after 20 minutes  when Conor Allen raced down the left and his low cross found Darragh McDermott to tap home from close range. 

TA the other end minutes later  a long range free kick from Gleneely Cian McNamee went close to finding the equaliserMidway through the half the visitors  Darragh McDermott had a shot from distance which was well saved by Ciaran Gallagher in the home goal. 

Cockhill increased their elad on the half hour mark after a foul  on Paul Mullen resulted in a Cockhill penalty which was tucked home by Darragh McDermott . 

They increased their lead then when  Allen raced down the left and his low cross found  McDermott to tap home from close range . 

They added a fourth just before the break with  Mullen found Danny McDaid who beat the offside trap to advance and slot past Gallagher. After the restart  Gleneely started well with Kyran  Cantwell and Shane Diver both testing Jordan McLaughlin in the away goal. 

Gleneely broke down the right and Shane Divers cross was met by the head of Cantwell whose  effort was well saved by the keeper. 

The visitors completed the scoring  later on after a  mix up at the back for Gleneely allowed Cockhill to make it  five nil  with Paul Mullen applying  the finishing touch.Gleneely kept pressing to the end but the Cockhill defence stood firm.

Rashenny FC 2 Dunree United 3

The windy conditions prevailing made play very difficult and it wasn't until the quarter hour mark that an opening was created by either team. 

And the chance developed when Cian Moran intercepted a pass, ran clear and unleashed a wind assisted shot from distance that flew into the net off the inside of a post. 

Mid way through the half Dunree's advantage was doubled when Adam Barrett's free from the left was delivered into a crowded box and when home keeper Shaun Friel parried the ball Liam Baldrick reacted quickest to head home. 

With the continuing benefit of the wind the visitors had further chances when Aaran Harkin spurned a good opportunity and Baldrick's free from outside the box was palmed away by Friel. 

A half hour had passed before Rasheney threatened. After the ball was moved down the left channel Shane Cregan had a shot blocked with the ball coming back to Declan McLaughlin and he brought a good low down save from Harrigan who saved another attempt from McLaughlin minutes later. 

As the home side continued to press David McLaughlin had a shot go wide and when a Rasheney corner reached Shane Gordon well placed in front of goal, his shot was deflected over by Philip Doherty. 

The home side had the benefit of the wind in the second half but conceded a third goal in the opening minutes. 

Hesitancy in the home defence allowed Arran Harkin to gain possession and with Friel having moved far out from his goal not expecting any immediate threat, Harkin was able to drill a ground shot from distance into the gaping goal. 

From that point onwards, Rasheney had the greater share of possession and fashioned out a number of opportunities. 

They hauled themselves back into the match after the hour mark when Anthony Doherty got on the end of a David McLaughlin delivery to reduce the deficit and three minutes later McLaughlin got another assist when his cross was glanced home by Cregan. 

The comeback was almost complete when sub Aaron Cregan delivered in a free from the left which evaded everone and forced Harrigan into a fantastic flying save which resulted in a corner from which Anthony Doherty headed over. Despite a number of high jinx incidents in their goalmouth close to the end Dunree saw the game out and emerged with the victory.

QPS 5 Glengad United 2

The home side started the better with Conor Barrow seeing a shot saved by Michael Mclaughlin before the keeper saved well from Denim Mclaughlin s header after a corner. 

Josh Boyle then fired just over the bar beforte the same player opened he scoring after running onto a DJ Canavan through ball to slot home. 

The home side were well on top with Ben Holly unlucky to see a strike come back off the post. 

Two goals in a three minute spell before the break put the home side in control. A superb cross from Boyle was excellently finished by Cillian McElhinney on 43 minutes before another Boyle cross was slotted home by Holly from close range on the stroke of half time. 

A brilliant finish from Brian McColgan on the hour mark left the home side four nil ahead. 

But Glengad rallied and they scored two goals in a minute with Joe Doherty & Ryan McLaughlin clinical with good finished inside the area. However the Point upped the tempo and after a great run and lay off from McLaughlin to Boyle he cooly slotted home.

Carn Youths 1 Buncrana Res 2

Carn Youths got the first chance on 5 minutes when Sheagan Doherty broke on the right wing rounded the defender squared it for Mark Scott who shot wide from ten yards. 

Buncrana responded and  broke the deadlock after  Hugh Aaron McGonagle advanced on the right  and crossed  for Aaron McDaid who slot home from eight yards. 

Carn had a chance to equalize midway through the half  when Dayton Cooke made a great run on the right and laid it off for Girts Dzerins who shot high to the left and wide from fifteen yards. 

Buncrana nearly doubled their lead when a Liam Jordan pass from midfield found Eoin McNamee who who rounded the defender but failed to hit the target from fifteen yards. 

Carn had another chance after the break when Tiernan Diver crossed  for Dayton Cooke who  again fired wide. 

Carn got the equalizer on the hour  when Cian Doherty ‘s  cross rebounded off the defender and it fell to Mark Scott who shot low to the right corner of the net from nine yards. 

Buncrana replied with Jack Gill made a great run on the right wing and crossed  to   Aaron McDaid who headed it to the right and wide . 

Buncrana regained the lead  when Gill broke again on the right wing, the ball came off the defender and Liam Jordan was there to slot it home from outside the six yard box. 

The home side had a late chance to salvage a point when  sub Olly Coyle beat a defender  and laid it off to Mark Scott who headed  wide  when well placed. 

Inishowen Engineering Division Two 

Rashenny  Youth 3 Culdaff Res 1

This match was played under the lights in Trawbreaga Park on Saturday night. Conditions were bitterly cold but dry – with the all the scoring confined to the final fifteen minutes of the game. 

Culdaff threatened early on. Paul Fisher's shot from 25 yards was parried and grabbed at the second attempt by Sam Coyle. 

Then Dermot Diver delivered into the box from out wide on the left and Thomas O'Brien with a clear sight of goal just failed to connect. The home side fashioned a chance when James Doherty played in Leo Devlin but an excellent tackle from Oisin McGeoghegan averted the danger. 

Rasheney's Kyrin Kelly then drove a shot on the run just wide. Action moved back to the other end and O'Brien had an attempt that ended up in the side net. When the home side's Oran McDevitt controlled a ball just outside the area, swivelled and got a good shot away Patrick McLaughlin was equal to it and claimed. 

The closest either side came to scoring in the opening half was when, following a corner, a Diver effort was taken off the line by Kyrin Kelly. 

Right on half time McDevitt got to the byeline and pulled back to Devlin but Fisher intervened at the expense of a corner. Into the second half and there was little serious action until the 70th minute. 

A Culdaff attack along the left wing saw a cross arrive at the far side of the box from where it was touched back to substitute  Billy Hume who drove over when he should really have been hitting the target. 

For Rasheney Shea Grant picked up the ball in midfield and managed to evade a number of visiting defenders but his close range shot brought a good block from the keeper. Culdaff opened the scoring after 75 minutes. 

A defensive header fell kindly for Tiernan McGeoghegan and he was able to run goalwards clear of the defence and although under challenge from a defender he managed to drive the ball under the advancing Coyle. 

Ten minutes later the home team levelled. Substitute  Damien Friel pushed the ball through the middle to McDevitt who played a one two with Kyrin Kelly and dispatched the ball to the net from ten yards. 

Culdaff could have regained the lead but another substitute  Niall McLaughlin blasted over when slackness in the home defence presented him with a great chance. Rasheney closed out the game with two goals in the final five minutes. 

McDevitt set up Friel and he drove powerfully to the net past McLaughlin and then McDevitt scored his second of the match when, unchallenged the ball reached him right in front of goal and he made no mistake.

Dunree Res 4 Glengad Res 1

Dunree took an early lead after  Paddy Doherty drilled a first time ball across the face of goal for Paul Jackson to slot home.  

But Glengad rallied and on the half hour they equalised with Nathan McConallogue firing to the roof of the net from the edge of the area. 

McConallogue went close again but this time Oran Doherty in the home goal saved well. Before the break the home side regained the lead when good work from Doherty again saw him find Oran McGill and he drove low across the keeper to the far corner. 

Dunree began the second half well with Bryce Fullerton and John Moran both going close. 

They increased their lead when Paddy Doherty rounded off a superb performance with an excellent freekick to the top corner from thirty yards. They completed the scoring when Cormac Doherty found space on the edge of the area and drilled low into the bottom corner.

Cockhill Colts3 Carn Res 1

Carn began the game well and edged the midfield battle for the opening half

hour without creating any chances. Cockhill opened the scoring somewhat

against the run of play when Adam McLaughlin scored from close range

following a through ball from Mark Moran. 

Moran extended the lead five

minutes later when he bundled home a low cross from the right-hand side.

Carn settled again and got back into the game before half-time with a well

worked team goal. Carn broke from a Cockhill corner and Shane McGuinness

played Dermot Doherty through from just inside the half-way line. 

Doherty finished low to the net past Declan Caldwell from the edge of the 18 yard box.

Cockhill edged the second half and scored their third goal when Gavin Doherty

beat Carn keeper,Ben Miller, with a very good finish from the left side of the

area after being played through by Liam O’Donnell. Carn tried to respond and

Tiarnan Cantwell had a good shot from outside the area which was well saved

by Caldwell.

Illies Res 2 Carrowmena FC 0

This match was switched to the Warren , due to a frozen pitch in the Illies.

This game started off fairly quiet  with very little chances and  both keepers having very little to do . 

Illies were been marshalled well from the back , namely through William mc Laughlin and  Carrowmena only having one  striker up front , Eamon Doogan who struggled to make inroads. 

Illles opened the score midway through the half after a throw in was only cleared as far as  Shane Devlin  whose  low cross into the box  found  John Campbell  and he shot low past the keeper Rhys Kerr  to the bottom left hand corner . 

Carrowmena replied  with  Paul Brennan collecting the ball out on the left side cut in and unleashed an effort but Conor Doherty collected calmly . 

Illies increased their lead to on 55 minutes after the  ball was played out by William  Mc Laughlin  to Campbell who laid  it back to Conor Doherty  and when he  blasted ball into the box - home keeper came to collect in a crowded area  the ball broke for Liam O Connor to slot home from twelve yards. 

The introduction of Declan McGuinness for the home side sparked them into life  with Adam Harkin firing wide from distance. 

Despite the home side trying to push forward the Illies defence stood form and they recorded another win to maintain their unbeaten league record.

Inishowen Engineering  Division Two B

Moville Res 4 Rashenny Res 1

Both sides had chances in a scoreless opening half. Vernon Kelly in the home goal denied Gareth McKeever on two occasions before at the other end Eghor Hreshylov forced  Conor McGonagle into a fine save. 

Rashenny then had a chance with Dylan McGonagle unleashing an effort which Kelly held well. Moville had the final chance of the half with McGonagle making a fine double save from Mateus Indyka and then from Puaric Peto s follow up. 

The home side upped the tempo after the restart and took the lead when Sean Gillespie poked the ball home after a through ball from James Gillen.  But within five minutes the visitors were level with McKeever despatching the ball low into the corner from fifteen yards. Moville regained the lead midway through the half after Danny Murphy raced onto a long ball and lobbed the advancing McGonagle from the edge of the area. 

They increased their lead then when Daithi Peto advanced  along the right and cut inside to drill the ball low past McGonagle to the far corner. 

The home side added their fourth on the stroke of full time with a good finish from Harry Connaughton  past substitute Rodger McGilloway.