Enright and Kelly fire St Eunan's College to victory over Carndonagh CS

Two second half goals from substitutes Michael Enright and Davin Kelly, and an inspired goal-keeping performance from Cormac Crossan, saw St Eunan’s College come from behind to win the Donegal U17 schoolboys league final at Burnfoot on Friday morning.

Carndonagh Community School, who took the lead through Danny Óg Cooney in the first half, will rue a fortune of missed chances and had a goal chalked off for offside, but St Eunan’s College were clinical and deservedly claimed the silverware. 

Both schools will advance to the national phase of the competition, which will be several weeks away as the small matter of mock examinations must be attended to in between times. 

Played in spring-like conditions at Lakeside, the home of Aileach FC, Carndonagh were quick to settle and were soon probing for the opening score with Danny Óg Cooney and Olly Coyle linking up well and stretching the College defence.

Crossan made a smart double save at the feet of first Coyle and then midfielder Joe Doherty on the quarter hour, and moments later had to show good agility to beat away an effort from his Finn Harps under-age teammate Cooney.

St Eunan’s were under the cosh and introduced Yuval Baden to shore up their midfield, and he went just wide at the back post off a Guilherme Tavares cross.

Carndonagh Community School, who lost out in Friday's decider

The momentum remained with the Carn boys, though, and Billy Hume saw his shot from the left parried out for a corner by Crossan before the keeper was again called upon tip a powerful Cooney header over the bar.

The goal was coming though, and Cooney made the breakthrough in the 29th minute when he found space on the edge of the area and fired low to corner to give the Community School a well-deserved lead that they took into the half time break.

St Eunan’s College got a better grip on the contest after the break, but other than a strike from Guilherme Tavers that Carndonagh keeper Odhran Douglas saved, they weren’t creating much in the way of chances.

The introduction of Davin Kelly at half time and big Matthew Enright ten minutes into the second half swung the game decisively towards the Sentry Hill side. 

Kelly drew the College level in the 56th minute when, from almost the same spot as Cooney in the first half, he cracked a shot from the edge of the 18 yard box to the roof of the net and it was game on.

Carndonagh were stunned and looked vulnerable after conceding the equaliser. The diminutive Finn Nolan took a heavy touch when put through on goal by Evan Hickey that allowed Douglas come out and smother. 

The Community School brought into reinforcements from the bench too, and thought they’d retaken the lead when Joe Doherty fired a shot through a forest of legs past Crossan, but referee Damian Fadden disallowed it as a Carn man had been offside in the build-up.

St Eunan’s took the lead five minutes from the end when, after the Carn defence looked to have dealt with a cross swung in by Nolan to Enright and cleared their lines, the College won back possession in midfield. The ball was played into the feet of big Enright who, under pressure from centre half Sonny Bonner, managed to hook kick a shot from 15 yards that looped over keeper Douglas and into the net.

Carn had one glorious chance to force the game to extra time. Donncha O’Callaghan played the ball wide for Olly Coyle who scampered by two defenders who threw fresh air kicks at the ball out by the sideline. 

Coyle sped away and sent a low ball across the six yard line where, remarkably, another defender miscued a clearance and the ball fell kindly for Sonny Bonner. Bonner fired a strong shot on target but man-of-the-match Crossan was equal to it and pulled off a point blank save to ensure the trophy went up the road to Letterkenny. 

Carndonagh Community School: Odhran Douglas; Ronan McLaughlin (Tiernan Diver), Donncha O’Callaghan, Sonny Bonner, Billy Hume; Patrick Doherty (Michael Borden), Joe Doherty, Mark McLaughlin, Gavin Friel (Shay McDaid); Danny Óg Cooney, Olly Coyle. 

Other subs: Gavin Farren, Ethan Donaghey, Conor McColgan, Tiernan Cantwell.

St Eunan’s College Letterkenny: Cormac Crossan; Adam Rodgers (Adam Dunne), Evan Daly, Aiden Diver, Ronan Lynch; Ronan O’Donnell (Yuval Dadon), Paul Speer (Davin Kelly), Evan Hickey, Shai Thompson (Donal McBride); Finn Nolan, Guilherme Tavers (Michael Enright). 

Other subs: Roger Buckley, Daniel Cannon, Filip Duraj. 

Referee: Damian McFadden