Donegal Youth League see off Inishowen in dramatic second leg encounter

A dramatic night in breezy, testing conditions at Maginn Park saw Donegal Youth League advance to the FAI Youth Inter-League Cup All-Ireland semi-finals, edging past Inishowen 5-4 on aggregate after a pulsating second-leg battle.

DUL, holding a 3-1 advantage from the first leg, couldn’t have asked for a better start. With barely a minute on the clock, Fionn Chernick’s corner was delivered perfectly into the box for Joey Coll to rise highest and power home a header, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead and tightening their grip on the tie. 

Inishowen responded with intent, testing from distance before finally breaking through in the 15th minute. A corner led to a goalmouth scramble after Luke Doherty’s initial save, and when the ball fell to Shay McDaid, his effort was flicked in by Shea Grant to level the match at 1-1 and lift the home crowd. 

As the first half progressed, Sam Coyle in the Inishowen goal pulled off several superb saves to deny Cormac Dunleavy and Ciaran Connaghan, keeping the hosts in contention. The teams went into the interval all square, with DUL still ahead on aggregate.

After the break, Inishowen pressed hard. Their persistence paid off in the 67th minute when a quick free kick from Gavin Bradley found Billy Hume in space. The winger drove forward and slotted the ball through Doherty’s legs to make it 2-1, setting up a tense final phase with the tie hanging finely in the balance. 

With time almost up, DUL found a crucial response. In the 90th minute, Tiernan French stepped up to take a free kick and curled a superb shot inside the right post to level at 2-2 - restoring DUL’s aggregate advantage. 

The late drama didn’t stop there. Inishowen pushed forward relentlessly and won a penalty deep into stoppage time. Tiernan Diver showed composure to convert confidently into the left corner, giving Inishowen a 3-2 lead on the night. 

However, the final whistle came immediately after the restart, confirming Donegal’s aggregate victory at 5-4 and sending them through to the All-Ireland semi-finals scheduled for January.