Donegal League: Donegal Town continue to set fine pace with win over St Catherine's

Brian McCormick Sports Premier Division

Donegal Town 3-1 St. Catherine’s

Town took the lead after 5 minutes when a beautiful Ronan McHugh ball set Ultan O'Grady through, who finished with aplomb.

St. Catherine's should have equalised but John Doherty fantastically cleared the ball off the line. A Callum Maskery shot was spilled by the keeper on 20 minutes and slotted home by Ronan McHugh.

Catherine's hit the crossbar shortly after and missed another gilt-edged chance on 30. Ronan McHugh had a great chance to put it beyond Killybegs at the stroke of half-time but the keeper saved well.

John Doherty had a point-blank header saved by the keeper after a Ben Sweeney delivery early in the second half. St. Catherine's continued to threaten but Town’s rearguard were up to the task.

St. Catherine's piled on the pressure in the last ten but Joe Leape made it 3 on the break. Aaron Byrne made it 3-1 with a late header. Best for Town were Fintan James, John Doherty and Ronan McHugh.

Keadue Rovers 1-2 Kilmacrennan Celtic

Kilmacrennan Celtic picked up their first league win of the season with this narrow victory over Keadue Rovers at a blustery Central Park on Sunday. It was a good game, played at a quick pace, in front of a good crowd.

Keadue, playing against a strong breeze, had to absorb some early pressure from the visitors but responded well and had a few good balls played over the top where the ever-dangerous Peter McGee had the Kilmacrennan defence on their toes.

In the 14th minute, the home defence was caught by a good passing move and Chris Dillon’s through ball was played into Mark Patterson, who finished well, tucking the ball into the corner.

Keadue responded well and a few minutes later, a cross from Peter McGee was volleyed just over by Oran Fallon. McGee again had a shot after 20 minutes which Chris O’Donnell in the visitors’ goals grabbed from beneath the crossbar.

Further pressure was applied by the home team and by the half-hour it should’ve been level as both Chris Greene and Oran Fallon had shots saved or blocked by the Kilmacrennan backline, while Peter McGee had Keadue’s best chance of the game after the half hour when he took down a good cross but O’Donnell blocked his shot from close in.

Michael Greene got in behind the away defence on 42 minutes but his cross was cleared. Kilmacrennan had a good last few minutes of the first half, passing the ball well, and Chris Dillon shot over the bar from outside the box, but at the break Keadue would’ve deserved to have been level.

Kilmacrennan had the better start to the second half, despite playing into the wind. Keadue did start to create a few openings ten minutes in and Maurice McGee was wide with a header on 56 minutes.

While being on top in possession, Keadue’s chances were not as frequent as Kilmacrennan’s. Kieran Gorman and Ryan Shields led a well-marshalled defence and made it hard for the home side to fashion many chances.

A few substitutions for the home side varied things up a little and spaces were found particularly on the left wing with some good crosses which just didn’t end up falling to the home side.

From a counterattack just after the 80-minute mark, a mistake in the Keadue defence allowed winger Conor Black to grab possession inside the box and he slotted home with the left foot from close range.

Keadue, to their credit, kept going and forced several set-pieces again and in the final minute of injury time, a corner from Adam McCaffrey was met at the back post by a header from Martin Ferry to make it 2-1, but that was the final action as the referee blew the whistle immediately afterwards.

A tough, fast game, where Kilmacrennan took their chances and for Keadue, after a solid league start, it’s a tough narrow defeat once again at the hands of Kilmacrennan.

Best for the visitors were Chris Dillon, Kieran Gorman, Ryan Shields and Matthew McLaughlin, while best for Keadue were Peter McGee, Michael Greene, Maurice McGee and Martin Ferry. Referee: Gerald Devine.

Temple Domestic Appliances Division One

Cappry Rovers 4-0 Gweedore Celtic

Cappry started the game brightly and came close to opening when Sean McBride saw his effort saved. Barrie McGhee then went close but again the Gweedore keeper made another fine save.

Gweedore were dangerous on the break as the half wore on. Cappry started the second half brightly and Paddy McNulty had an effort saved.

Cappry did make the breakthrough though when a Shaun McMenamin cross found Barrie McGhee who finished well from 12 yards. Cappry then doubled their lead when Barrie McGhee played Luke McGlynn through to complete a fine move.

Cappry made it 3-0 when Shaun McMenamin’s header found Connor McDaid, who found the bottom corner. Cappry wrapped up the scoring when Jack Burke McBride crossed for Ronan Coyle, who tapped home from inside the box.

Kerrykeel ’71 F.C. 4-1 Gweedore United

Kerrykeel started brightly with Darragh O’Doherty and James Kerr causing problems down the left side. The opening goal came on 28 minutes from Shaun Kerr with a brilliant drive into the bottom corner.

It was two soon after with Kerr again finishing well after a great ball from Jamie McAteer. Young goalkeeper Brian Gallagher, who was making his debut with the ’71, was involved in the third goal as he played a great ball over the top to Jamie McAteer, who brilliantly lobbed the keeper to make it 3-0.

Gweedore kept battling but the Kerrykeel defence was well marshalled by Paddy Herrity and Sean Joe. Shaun Kerr completed his hat-trick on 70 minutes with a fantastic strike from 25 yards after brilliant work from Brandon McClafferty’s through ball.

Gweedore got one back in injury time through a good header from Michael Mulhern. Three points for the ’71. Best for Kerrykeel were Darragh O’Doherty, Shaun Kerr and Calum McAteer.

Donegal Physiotherapy and Performance Centre Division Two

Cranford United 4-1 Dunfanaghy Youths

Cranford took all three points over league newcomers Dunfanaghy Youths. Cranford started the brightest and took the lead through James Lee McBride after the keeper had pulled off a great save from Gary McClafferty.

Cranford doubled the lead soon after from Domhnaill Sweeney. Dunfanaghy came into the game more in the second half and cut the lead to one after a good goal on the break.

Cranford didn't give them much hope of a comeback as Domhnaill Sweeney restored the 2-goal lead two minutes later. Callum Cullen completed the scoring from a free kick with five minutes to go.

Curragh Athletic 0-2 Lifford Celtic

Curragh welcomed Lifford to Killygordon and right from the off Lifford showed why they are fancied this year.

Playing with the wind in the first half they scored from a corner in the 7th minute, a good finish from Justin McBride. Both teams worked hard and Curragh defended well to keep the game at 1-0 until the break.

Curragh came out in the second half with the wind and proceeded to work the Lifford keeper Ryan Galvin. Curragh were caught in possession 52 minutes and Shane McNulty tucked it away to make it 0-2.

Both teams pressed and had chances to score and it ended 0-2. Best for Curragh was Caolan Burns. Team performance from Lifford. Referee: Paddy Doherty.

Drumkeen United 1-3 Whitestrand United

Storm Amy may have moved on but it was still breezy at St Patrick's Park on Sunday afternoon as Drumkeen welcomed Whitestrand for this Donegal Physiotherapy Division 2 Game.

The visitors made the better start in this game and Drumkeen found themselves under pressure for a large part of the first half. Michael Sweeney and Caolan Ward up front for Whitestrand were causing Drumkeen a lot of problems.

Many of those problems were self-inflicted though as they gave the ball away several times. Whitestrand could probably have been a few goals ahead at half-time but several good saves from goalkeeper Luke Russell and some great defending from the Drumkeen back four kept the Drumkeen goal intact.

Drumkeen did get into the game a bit more towards the end of the half but would have been happy to be still level at the break. The home team made a bad start to the second half and gave the ball away more or less from the kick-off and before they knew it Michael Sweeney had the ball in the back of their net.

Drumkeen responded almost immediately and a good run from Sean Collum earned them a corner. Captain Niall Howley floated the corner in from the right-hand side and after a bit of a goalmouth scramble the ball fell to Cathal Browne who fired it home.

Cathal had only come on as a substitute at half-time so he had an immediate impact on the game. Drumkeen then had quite a good spell for a while and Rory Craig had a chance to put them ahead but unfortunately for him he put it wide.

The visitors then came back into the game but Drumkeen continued to defend well. The home team may have felt at that stage that they might hang on and get something from the game but then disaster struck in the 84th minute.

Whitestrand were awarded a corner and from the resultant kick Ciaran Sweeney was there in the middle to head the ball home to give the visitors the lead again.

Sean Collum went on another run at the other end but his effort went wide of the post. The visitors put the issue beyond doubt when Michael Sweeney added a third goal in injury time to confirm a miserable afternoon for the hosts.

Dunkineely Celtic 1-6 Letterbarrow Celtic

Both teams started well in challenging conditions at Darney Park, but it was the visitors who took the lead on 10 minutes from the boot of Daniel Meehan.

The home team found themselves 2-0 behind 15 minutes later when Barry Murray turned the ball into his own net from a Letterbarrow corner.

The visitors took control of the game and added 2 more before half-time from James McGrory, a fine strike from 30 yards, and Darragh Burke.

Dunkineely started the second half brightly and got one back when Barry Murray crossed for Jack Hegarty to convert. Letterbarrow, however, added 2 more goals, Darragh Burke for his brace and on 70 minutes Jack Bennett put the game beyond Dunkineely.

Raphoe Town 2-0 Deele Harps

Raphoe Town claimed a hard-fought 2-0 victory over local rivals Deele Harps in a game shaped by the strong Donegal breeze, with each half telling a different story.

The first half was a tightly contested affair, with the wind at Deele Harps’ backs. They looked to capitalise early, but despite the conditions, Raphoe stood firm. Ryan McNeil tested the Deele keeper on multiple occasions, only to be denied by some sharp saves.

Oran Kelly and Oisin Harkin were constant threats on the break, making some surging runs down the flanks, but the opening 45 minutes ended scoreless.

With the wind now in their favour, Raphoe took the initiative in the second half and got their reward on 50 minutes. Pressure from DJ Kelly on the Deele defence led to a poor clearance that fell kindly to Oisin Harkin on the edge of the box, and he made no mistake with a composed finish to give the hosts the lead.

Deele Harps responded with a spell of sustained pressure, pushing hard for an equaliser. However, the Raphoe backline held strong, with young Daniel Moore putting in an assured and mature performance at the heart of the defence to keep the visitors at bay.

The game was finally put to bed five minutes from time when Ryan McNeil slipped a well-timed ball through to Keelin Bogle, who calmly slotted home to seal the win for Raphoe.

A solid team performance and good game management in the second half saw Raphoe Town take all three points in this competitive encounter.

Glencar Inn Saturday Division One

Donegal Town Reserves 2-0 Letterkenny Rovers Reserves

Donegal Town took all three points after a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Letterkenny. Goals from Ryan Mahon and a first senior goal from Jamie McMonagle gave Town a morale-boosting victory.

A strong run from Mahon and a great finish from the edge of the area gave Town the lead on 25 minutes against the run of play.

Rovers had a number of half-chances but were caught on the break when a big Eamonn Jordan kick-out evaded the Rovers backline and Jamie McMonagle headed over the outrushing keeper to give Town three points.

Kilmacrennan Celtic Reserves 4-1 Glencar Celtic

In a game reversed to the Aura, Kilmacrennan won the three points. Kilmacrennan started the first half well and got a 2-goal lead that was well deserved.

Glencar started the second half better but an excellent free-kick made it 3. Glencar then made it 3-1 from a Pajo Rafferty goal and were pushing to make it 3-2. Kilmacrennan made it 4 towards the end. Best for Glencar was DJ McCauley. Best for Kilmacrennan were T. Shields and Eddie Doherty.

Strand Rovers 4-0 Oldtown Celtic

With Storm Amy causing havoc, it was Strand Rovers causing havoc in Maghery against Oldtown Celtic. It may have taken 3 years since we last beat Oldtown Celtic, but today was the day.

A strong gale wind swept diagonally across the pitch allowing Strand to use that to their advantage in the first half. A few early chances came close for Oisin McKelvey and Daire Gallagher, but it wasn’t until centre-half Conor Greene came up for Karl Magee’s throw-in on 15 minutes to header the ball past the keeper that made the breakthrough.

Around 10 minutes after the first goal, a corner from Karl Magee was sent into the box and found Aaron Ward, whose shot was going wide until Shane O’Donnell had striker-like instincts at the back post to slot the ball home to double the lead.

Karl Magee again was on fire with his throw-ins when another great throw-in at the half-hour mark was knocked forward by Aaron Ward to Conor Greene, and he sent it across to Jack Tracey, who carried it with him into the box, skipped past two defenders and slipped the ball through the keeper’s legs.

Strand created another few chances before half-time but nothing came off them. The second half got underway and Strand were still creating chance after chance with Oisin McKelvey, Daire Gallagher, Aaron Ward and Conor Greene all missing out on adding another goal to their name.

With just over 10 minutes to go, Oisin McKelvey was taken down in the box and Seimi Ferry pointed to the spot for Daire Gallagher to step up and fire the ball into the bottom left corner past Michael Gibson in the Oldtown net. With the game ending 4-0, this sees the first time in 6–7 years we have won our first two league matches back-to-back.

Old Orchard Saturday Division Two

Fanad United Reserves 3-2 Swilly Rovers Reserves

Swilly Rovers and Fanad United served up a thriller in their second clash this early in the season, with the visitors snatching victory at the death after a spirited second-half fightback from the home side.

Fanad took control of the first half and delivered a hammer blow just before the break. Two quickfire goals stunned Swilly, giving the away side a commanding 2-0 lead as the sides headed into the interval.

Swilly came out with renewed energy after the restart and quickly found a way back into the contest. Ian Ward struck with his left foot to halve the deficit, igniting belief among the home supporters.

The momentum swung further in Swilly’s favour when substitute Sultan Owolabi Ejiwunmi levelled the game in style, firing a superb effort into the top corner to make it 2-2.

With the game heading towards a draw, Fanad produced one final moment of quality. A well-worked move down the right ended with an excellent delivery into the box, and it was met by a brilliant strike that sealed all three points for the visitors in the dying moments.

Glenea United Reserves 3-1 Keadue Rovers Reserves

Glenea Reserves got their first home win of the league in this tightly fought northwest derby. Playing with the breeze, it was the away side that started brightly and caused a few scares in the Glenea penalty box.

As the half developed, the home side came more into it and went close through efforts from Michael Ferry and Calvin Murray. Keadue continued to press, and it took a fine save from Shaun McClafferty in the home goal to deny Evan McFadden from giving Keadue the lead.

Glenea almost took the lead on 43 minutes when, after good work from Seamus Doogan, his cross was turned goalwards by Calvin Murray but an away defender was on hand to clear off the line.

In the second half, it was the home side that started strongly and opened the scoring on 48 minutes when Chris Cannon’s through ball released Cathal McGeever and he finished from the edge of the box.

However, Keadue were back on level terms very quickly when Dylan Boyle got free down the right and his cross was turned in by Sean Boyle from close range. Both sides battled hard to get control of the game with both creating a number of half-chances that neither converted.

Glenea retook the lead on 75 minutes when a long-range shot from Cathal McGeever was saved by Caelan Bonner, but Ciaran McGeady was on hand to knock in the rebound. Keadue pushed hard for an equaliser and Dylan Boyle was denied by another fine save from Shaun McClafferty.

As Keadue pushed on, they left themselves open to the counterattack and were made to pay on 88 minutes when Glenea broke quickly and Calvin Murray had to fire the ball home from close range.

Best for Glenea were Chris Cannon and Patrick Doohan, while Noah Boyle and Dylan Boyle were best for Keadue. Referee: Danny Doherty.

Gweedore Celtic Reserves 0-4 Bonagee United Reserves

Bonagee had a comfortable victory over Gweedore in a game played in atrocious conditions. They got the perfect start when Caolan McGarrigle raced clear of the home defence to score after two minutes.

Playing with the gale-force wind, Bonagee dominated the first half but despite this, they only had the single goal to show for all their superiority at the break.

They extended their lead fifteen minutes into the second half with a good finish from Adam Rodgers. McGarrigle added to his tally shortly afterwards to put the game beyond the home team’s reach.

Gweedore had two goal efforts from Aodhan McGowan and Fionn Bonner, but it was the away team who stretched their lead when Rodgers got their fourth with five minutes remaining to seal a comfortable victory. Referee: Mick Lagan.

Ramelton Mariners 0-0 Arranmore United

The Mariners hosted Arranmore United on a miserable day in Rathmullan. The first half was very cagey with few chances for either side.

The Mariners looked the better of the two sides after half-time with the Arranmore keeper pulling off a few good saves to keep the score tied at 0-0.

The Mariners came close when Luke Friel controlled a long ball into the box and laid it off to Evan Hewitt whose shot went just wide of the post. The rest of the second half was relatively quiet and it ended 0-0.

Finn Travel Saturday Division Three

Drumoghill F.C. Reserves 2-0 Ballybofey United Reserves

On a very windy and wet Saturday afternoon, Drumoghill welcomed Ballybofey to “The Moss” and made it 2 wins out of 2 at the new O'Donaill Park.

Both teams started well but it was the home side that got an early goal through Guiliano Matos De Sousa, who made no mistake and scored the first goal of the game for the home side.

Ballybofey battled well and had a great chance on 20 minutes that forced Drumoghill keeper Gareth McMonagle to make a great save with his feet.

Drumoghill kept the pressure on and the hard work paid off. Five minutes before half-time the ball was drilled into Aaron Donnell who controlled well, turned, and hit a great shot that beat the Ballybofey keeper and left the bottom corner. The wind and heavy rain made it difficult for both sides to play fluent football.

In the second half, Ballybofey pushed and created chances but Drumoghill defended well with Shane Duffy reading the danger and the whole defence well organised. Drumoghill held on to take all three points. Referee: George Clinton.

Dunlewey Celtic 3-0 Drumkeen United Reserves

Storm Amy didn’t stop this fixture from proceeding at Glentornan Park. Windy conditions throughout the game made it difficult for both sides but it was Dunlewey that came out stronger, inflicting the first defeat of the season on visitors Drumkeen.

Cian Gallagher opened the scoring for the hosts after 13 minutes when he latched onto a through ball from Seosamh Doohan and dinked the ball over the Drumkeen keeper.

He scored again in the second half with a curling effort from the left wing. A third goal came from a penalty after a defender handled the ball, with Chris Cannon eventually converting. Final score 3-0 to Dunlewey. Referee: Patrick McCauley.

Lagan Harps Reserves 7-1 Gweedore United Reserves

In blustery conditions in Orchard Park, the home side took the lead on 15 minutes after a great through ball from Ross Hamlyn played Jack Duncan in on goal.

The second goal arrived on 33 minutes after Damien McFadden cut back for Drew Dowds to finish. Ross Hamlyn made it 3-0 on 52 minutes, Seamie Cullen added a fourth from a corner, Damien McFadden tapped home the fifth, Gweedore pulled one back via a deflected effort, Jack Duncan made it six, and Drew finished the scoring for a 7-1 win. Referee: Rory O’Gorman.