Donegal wriggle free of Leitrim to get Rackard campaign back on track

Donegal were looking down the barrel for a while down to 14-men and trailing Leitrim by five points before a much-improved second half performance saw them get their Nickey Rackard Cup campaign back on track.

Leitrim 4-10
Donegal 1-27

Leitrim led 3-5 to 0-10 at the break and got a standing ovation in Carrick-on-Shannon thanks to two strikes from Diarmuid Kelleher and one from James McNabola but once a rattled and discomoded Donegal found their range in the second half, their class and superior power shone through.

Donegal were a different side in the second half, making the most of the interval to regroup and once they levelled the scores and levelled the numbers on the field thanks to a fourth minute penalty after Martin Feeney fouled Ritchie Ryan for an incident that was deemed a goal scoring opportunity, Donegal never looked in any danger.

Mickey McCann’s team began to find space and time against a tiring Leitrim side who never stopped battling and in fact grabbed a fourth goal near the end thanks to Ben Murray and were unlucky not to find more.

Donegal now face Tyrone in the semi-final of the competition.  Leitrim struck an early blow when, just seconds after a lovely Gavin O’Hagan effort from the left wing, a long delivery to the edge of the Donegal area was batted down, Kelleher reacting best as he gathered, rounded his man and blasted a powerful shot to the roof of the Donegal net.

Leitrim struck a second goal - captain David McGovern showed his power and he broke free and charged forward. His handpass found James McNabola in space with the ball bouncing off the young Eslin man before he drilled the sliothar to the net.

Ritchie Ryan pulled back a point before the water break but whatever message the Donegal players received during the break, it was all for naught when Ronan McDermott allowed his frustration to get the better of him, his hurl striking Martin Feeney’s helmet as Tipperary referee Michael Kennedy produced a straight red card.

Martin Feeney picked up a card for an off-the-ball clash with Coulter but Leitrim struck for a third goal in added time, Leitrim clearing a free before Liam Moreton won the ball and passed across the goal for Kelleher to bat home his second goal.

Bernard Lafferty pulled back another point but Leitrim keeper Lorcan Donnellan was alert to make sure that a long range free from his opposite number Luke White didn’t sneak in as it bounced in front of the goal, leaving Leitrim with a 3-5 to 0-10 halftime lead.

Halftime obviously had an impact for Donegal as they came out early and were much more focussed in the second half, firing over two quick points from Gerard Gilmore to cut the gap to two.

However, the game turned completely a minute later with disastrous consequences for Leitrim - Martin Feeney received a second yellow card for a foul on Ritchie Ryan that was deemed a goal scoring opportunity, although there appeared to be plenty of cover in place and Declan Coulter drilled to the net.

Now level on scores and players on the field, confidence blossomed in the Donegal ranks as Gilmore, Declan Coulter (3) and Ciaran Matthewson fired over five points in as many minutes to leave Donegal five points clear.

Gavin O’Hagan halted the Donegal onslaught temporarily with a free while Gilmore and Liam Moreton swapped points but momentum was clearly with the visitors as sub Niall Cleary, Coulter and Ryan fired over to stretch the lead to six points.

However, any hope Leitrim had of mounting an unlikely comeback were dashed as Donegal exploited the space left by tiring legs and Ryan tapped over two points, one from a free, and centre-back Jack O’Loughlin, switched into attack at the start of the second half, adding another.

Corner-back Christopher McDermott landed a point and Ryan added another free from 65 yards but any fears that Leitrim would collapse were ended when another barnstorming David McGovern run saw the Leitrim captain feed Ben Murray and showing a great touch, the wing-back batted the ball to the Donegal net with two minutes to go.

Leitrim scorers: Diarmuid Kelleher 2-0; Gavin O’Hagan 0-5, 3f; Ben Murray 1-1; James McNabola 1-0; Karl McDermott 0-2; Cathal O’Donovan and Liam Moreton 0-1 each.

Donegal scorers: Declan Coulter 1-10, 1 pen, 7f, 1 65; Ritchie Ryan 0-7, 3f; Gerry Gilmore 0-5; Bernard Lafferty 0-3; Christopher McDermott and Jack O’Loughlin 0-1 each

Leitrim: Lorcan Donnellan; Paul Earley, Stephen Goldrick, Martin Feeney; Ben Murray, Cian Mallon, Paul Lenehan; Cathal O’Donovan, Aaron McDermott; Karl McDermott, Gavin O’Hagan, David McGovern; James McNabola, Liam Moreton, Diarmuid Kelleher. Subs: Hugh Glancy and James Rooney for Earley and Mallon (42), Conor Hackett and Clerkin for A McDermott and Kelleher (63), Moreton for Lenehan (69).

Donegal: Luke White; Mark Callaghan, Stephen Gillespie, Christopher McDermott; Gavin Browne, Jack O’Loughlin, Michael Donaghue; Sean McVeigh, Conor O’Grady; Bernard Lafferty, Declan Coulter, Ronan McDermott; Gerard Gilmore, Ritchie Ryan, Ciaran Matthewson. Subs: Niall Cleary for Browne (22), Oisin Grant for Coulter (53), Stephen McBride and Dylan Duffy for Gilmore and O’Grady (69), Lee Henderson for Matthewson (70+1).

Referee: Michael Kennedy (Tipperary)