Cloughaneely and Ardara share the spoils on Pairc Naomh Fionnan's new pitch

Cloughaneely opened Pairc Naomh Fionnan’s new pitch against Ardara where two Jason McGee goals swung the tide for a fine second half comeback - but they had to be content with a draw after Stefan Boyle’s late free.

Cloughaneely 2-6 Ardara 1-9

Five down at half-time, 1-5 to 0-3, Cloughaneely had the wind in the second half and just  a minute into it, McGee hit one from almost 40 metres on the right flank and it flew in over Paddy Gallagher in the Ardara goal.

Then, six minutes later, Cloughaneely went in front at 2-3 to 0-5 when Paul Sweeney saw an effort come back down off the upright and McGee gobbled up the rebound to score his second goal.

With the sunshine having turned to showers, Darren McGeever settled Cloughaneely nerves with a point off the bench, as Ardara failed to score until the 24 minutes into part two, before Boyle put a free over - he would score six points in all.

However, McGee squeezed one over late on to put his side 2-5 to 1-6 ahead. 

Molloy then put a free over, meaning Ardara were just one down, with a minute to play and Kevin Whyte levelled it. McGee put a 45 over and it looked as though Cloughaneely would nip it before Boyle’s free grabbed a dramatic point for Ardara.

In the first half, from a John Fitzgerald fisted centre, Jason McGee slid in and connected in an attempt at goal only for Paddy McGrath to make a telling block on nine minutes. 

Ardara, by the first water-break, were 1-3 to 0-2 in front, with Boyle scoring twice and Molloy marking well to pop over. For the hosts, it was McGee and Fitzgerland on the mark. The goal, on 15 minutes, came from Lorcan O’Donnell following a McGrath pass.

Two more Boyle points, following one from the hosts’ Martin Maguire, gave the visitors a 1-5 to 0-3 half-time lead. McGee got Cloughaneely motoring in the second half, although Michael Lynch’s team lost Kevin Mulhern to injury midway through the second half.

Cloughaneely: Shaun McClafferty; Noel Sweeney, Kevin Mulhern, Cian McFadden; Mark Harley, Ciaran Scanlon, Shaun Curran; Martin Maguire (0-1), Lee O’Brien; Aidan Doohan, Darren Ferry, Conor Coyle; John Fitzgerald (0-1), Paul Sweeney, Jason McGee (2-3, 45). Subs: Ciaran McGeady for Doohan (27), Blake McGarvey for Fitzgerald (44), Cillian Gallagher for Mulhern (45), Darren McGeever (0-1) and Sean Maguire for O’Brien and Ferry (52)

Ardara: Paddy Gallagher; Paddy McGrath, Tony Harkin, Shane Whyte; Matthew Sweeney , John Ross Molloy, Cailum Malley; Robbie Adair, Kevin Whyte (0-1); Lorcan O’Donnell (1-0), Tomas Boyle, Paul Walsh; Stefan Boyle (0-6, 3f), CJ Molloy (0-2, 1f 1m), Conor Classon. Subs: Nicolas Maguire for Sweeney (48), Danny Walsh for  O’Donnell (51), Johnny Sweeney for Boyle (59), Daryl Maguire for Malley (60+3)

Referee: Mark Dorrian: (Gaeil Fhánada)