Bonner salvages a dramatic draw with a last gasp equaliser against Galway in Glenfin

Bonner salvages a dramatic draw for Donegal Ladies

Yvonne Bonner not for the first time in her career was the Donegal saviour in their Lidl Ladies Football League meeting with Galway, in Pairc Taobhoige, Glenfin, this afternoon.

Donegal 1-13

Galway 0-16

In the battle of the provincial champions, Donegal in Ulster and Galway in Connacht, the 2010 All-Star displayed bottle and nerves of steel to convert from 40 metres to tie up the game in the sixth minute of injury time.

The point was her seventh of the game and capped another tremendous performance for the Glenfin woman, who played a lead role for the locals throughout the high octane encounter.

Donegal led by three points at half-time, 1-8 to 0-8, after getting off to a slow start for the second week in-a-row.  

The Ulster champions trailed by three points, 0-1 to 0-4 after  a blistering opening six minutes from Galway women.

But thanks a good second quarter and three points from the roving Bonner and a goal and a point from play-anywhere Treasa Doherty meant that Donegal had their noses in front at the change of ends.

Doherty’s cheeky goal five minutes from the interval was the big score of the half.

Doherty placed the ball just inside the right hand Galway upright and safely away from the clasping arms of the Galway ‘keeper Dearbhla Gower.

That was on 26 minutes and propelled Donegal in a 1-5 to 0-5 lead.

Ace markswoman Tracey Leonard kicked seven of Galway’s first half scores and corner forward Emma Reaney hit the ther from play.

Leonard, Louise Ward at full and centre half-forward and Deirdre Brennan, at wing forward, along with  Aine McDonagh and Siobhan Divilly caused endless problem for a packed Donegal rearguard.

Niamh Hegarty with a point after ten seconds, Treasa Doherty, Aoife McDonnell team captain Karen Guthrie and Katy Herron - both of whom had big games in the middle of the park -  were the other Donegal scorers.

The second half was far more cagey than the first with Donegal maintaining their three point advantage right up to  three minutes from normal time.

Bonner and second half substitute Sarah Conneally and Deirdre Brennan and Karen Guthrie traded points as Donegal maintained their three point advantage for most of the second period.

And the locals were still ahead by three with a little under three minutes of normal time remaining.

But another Galway second half replacement, Mairead Seoighe, left a big imprint on the tie as she hit three points, two of them from play and one from a close in free.

Yvonne Bonner seemed to have snatched a dramatic win for Donegal with a brilliant strike to restore a 1-12 to 0-14 lead, in the first minute of injury time.

But Seoighe had other ideas and reeled off two quick points deep into time added one, to put the pressure back on Donegal.

Cometh the hours and cometh the woman and it was Bonner who stepped up and kicked a massive 40 metre free from dead straight in front of the posts.

And you could have heard a pin drop as the ball sailed high and over the bar with about three metres to spare.

Once again Donegal, just like they were last week against Dublin, it took them some time to get into the game.

And it took big performances from Yvonne McMonagle, Katy Herron, Emer Gallagher, Ciara and Niamh Hegarty, and Karen Guthrie to find a way back against a Galway side that played at 90 mph especially in the defence.

Donegal did well as they played most all of the last ten minutes,d n to 14. Ciara Hegarty picked up a yellow card. Team mentor Maxi Curran also received a fourth quarter yellow and was put outside fence by referee Gus Chapman from Sligo, who awarded 29 frees to Galway to 13 for Donegal.

DONEGAL: Aoife McColgan; Treasa Doherty (1-1), Nicole McLaughlin, Olive McCafferty, Ann Marie McGlynn, Ciara Hegarty, Aoife McDonnell (0-1); Katy Herron (0-1), Emer Gallagher; Karen Guthrie (0-3,f), Niamh Hegarty (0-1), Blathnaid McLaughlin; Alanah McDonnell, Yvonne Bonner (0-6,3f), Sarah Jane McDonald. Subs: Grainne Houston for E Gallagher 36; Niamh Carr for A M McGlynn 48, Eilish Ward for S J McDonald 50; Roisin Friel for A McDonnell 52.

GALWAY: Dearbhla Gower; Bronagh Quinn, Noelle Connolly, Eimile Gavin; Charlotte Cooney, Nicola Ward, Sinead Burke; Aine McDonagh, Siobhan Divilly; Leanne Walsh, Louise Ward, Deirdre Brennan; Emma Reaney(0-3,1f), Tracey Leonard (0-7, 7f), Olivia Divilly.

Subs;Lisa Gannon for  T Leonard,  Aibhe Davoren for O Divilly; Sarah Connolly (0-2) for B Quinn, Leanne Coen for L Walsh, Mairead Seoighe (0-4,2f) for E McReaney.

REFEREE: Gus Chapman (Sligo)