Late McNamee goal keeps Letterkenny Rovers on track and leaves Bonagee deflated

If Letterkenny Rovers do reclaim their Donegal Junior League Premier Division title in the coming weeks, Shane McNamee’s late leveller against Bonagee United will be one of the punctuation points of their season.

McNamee headed home the Rovers equaliser three minutes from the end, following a scramble to puncture a massive blow into the hopes of Bonagee, who weren't far off blowing things wide open again.

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An away win at Leckview would’ve put pressure on the defending champions, but their salvaging of a point in almost impossible conditions of a swirling gale means five points from their last three fixtures will be enough for Stephen McConnell’s team.

To add to their relief, they would learn that third-placed Kildrum Tigers surprisingly went down 4-3 at home to a bottom-of-the-table Glenea United side. It means Letterkenny now have 30 points from 13 games, Bonagee are two behind with one game more played and just two to play and Kildrum are still third, with 19 from 11 outings in the nine-team division.

It might’ve been so different, as their neighbours were within minutes of leapfrogging them at the top of the table, having led 2-1 after goals from Michéal Doherty and Matthew McLaughlin, either side of Zach Gorman belting in a first equaliser.

Bonagee had won the previous meeting this term 3-0 at Dry Arch Park, putting an end to 20 games unbeaten domestically for Rovers and got in front when Doherty headed in off the underside of the crossbar on 31 minutes after Shay Maloney had hooked the ball into the area.

Thirteen minutes later, though, it was 1-1 when Gorman took a place from Adrian Delap and smashed home from distance for a spectacular goal - and that’s how it stayed until the break.

The wing made any sort of flowing football awkward and it was the sort of match McConnell and his opposite number in the Bonagee dugout, Michael Funston, would’ve been happy enough to see their team battle out.

Maloney got a rare sight of goal six minutes into the second half when he was played in only for Mark Anthony McGinley in the Letterkenny goal to race from his line and make a vital stop.

McLaughlin was only on the field a matter of seconds when he stretched to head Bonagee back in front on 61 minutes, the decisive touch in a pinball when he was first denied himself and then Aidan Brennan also saw a shot blocked.

Despite the three goals, it was tough to create much and Bonagee were maintaining their lead well until it was snatched from them by McNamee. Again it was because of a difficulty to clear. Andrew Nicholls in goal made a brilliant save to deny Gorman and Lee McMonagle agonisingly headed off the crossbar, only for McNamee to plant a header coolly into the top corner for a share of the spoils for Letterkenny, but a draw that felt like a loss for Bonagee.

Letterkenny Rovers: Mark Anthony McGinley; Padraic Gilsenan, Dean McCarry, Keith Cowan, Kealan Dunleavy (Ryan Lonergan 64); Caolan Kelly (Luke Parke 82), Adrian Delap, David Shovlin (Joel Gorman 79); Zach Gorman, Shane McNamee, Simon McGlynn (Lee McMonagle 64).
Bonagee United: Andrew Nicholls; Ciaran Kelly, Thomas McMonagle, Gareth Breslin (Aidan McLaughlin 90), Eoghan Doherty; Gareth Harkin, Shay Maloney (Matthew McLaughlin 60), Aidan Brennan, Joshua Maxwell (Adam Rodgers 60), Dean Larkin (Dan O’Donnell 67), Micheal Doherty (Codey Brogan 83).
Referee: Gerald Devine.