Carndonagh hold off late Buncrana fightback to open with win
James Monagle leads the way as Carn survive a frantic finish to edge out their neighbours by a point
Carndonagh 0-14
Buncrana 0-13
Carndonagh made a winning return to the Intermediate championship on home turf on Saturday night.
Last year’s Junior A champions, for whom county man Conor O’Donnell was absent through injury, led by five going into the last ten minutes but were hanging on at the end as they just about held Buncrana off.
Buncrana were convinced that a 60th-minute point from substitute John Campbell had been struck from outside the arc, but despite loud protests from the players and the visitors’ dugout, referee Anthony McCallig stuck by his decision and recorded it as a one-pointer.
An attempt from Caolan McGonagle in the fifth minute of injury time was half-blocked by a defender, and the full-time whistle followed.
Carn were relieved, and while there was controversy over whether Campbell’s score was a one or a two, the home team deserved their win.
They had dominated the first half, with eight different scorers helping them to a 0-9 to 0-5 lead at the break. Carn impressed at centre field in the second half too, and with man-of-the-match James Monagle getting forward from centre-back to chalk up two points, they controlled the match and built up a comfortable lead before sitting back and inviting Buncrana onto them in the closing stages.
Monagle, Cian Doherty from a free after a Buncrana breach, Senan Grant and Olan McLaughlin fired Carn into an early four-point lead as they took advantage of the breeze in the opening exchanges.
County star Caolan McGonagle hit back with an excellent point when he brushed past U20 county man Kalvin McLaughlin to fist over the bar, and followed it up with an excellent outside-of-the-boot two-pointer into the breeze.
But McLaughlin, who, with his midfield partner Sean O’Carroll, more than broke even in the battle at centre field, fired over a two-pointer off his left foot on 15 minutes as Carn hit a purple patch. Points from Pádraig Doherty, Will Quinn and Cian Burke - the last blasted just inches over the bar - put them 0-9 to 0-3 ahead by the 20th minute.
Buncrana dug in, with Sean Doherty getting forward to fist a 25th-minute point and Dylan Mulholland rounding off the first-half scoring with a left-footed effort to leave four between the teams at the break. Carn 0-9, Buncrana 0-5.
Pádraig Doherty tapped over after good work by James Monagle to bring Carn to double scores, 0-10 to 0-5, within a minute of the restart, but Buncrana’s attacking substitutes Liam Jordan and John Campbell, and later Darach O’Connor, gave the home defence plenty to think about.
Liam Jordan pointed from out on the right and then Mulholland threaded a great pass into the path of Kevin Jordan, who chipped over to reduce the deficit to three points.
James Monagle hit back for Carn, but John Campbell was on the mark from a close-range free drawn by Daire McColgan.
Olan McLaughlin fired over a superb two-pointer to move Carn five clear at 0-13 to 0-8, with Campbell converting another free in the 46th minute to keep the visitors in touch.
The introduction of O’Connor gave Buncrana a real lift, and the Jigger lived up to his moniker and caused big problems for the home defence when he got on the ball and made those weaving runs.
Monagle hit his third point of the night in the 52nd minute to put Carn five clear, 0-14 to 0-9, and they sat back a bit after it.
It gave Buncrana a sniff of a chance, and while McGonagle kicked a 45 wide, O’Connor more than made up for it in the 57th minute by floating over a two-pointer with the aid of the upright, kickstarting a frantic closing spell.
Daragh Corry won the resulting kickout and fed the ball to McGonagle, who powered through the Carn defence, but his piledriver skewed inches over rather than under the bar.
Campbell’s controversial score followed in the 60th minute, but try as they might, Buncrana just couldn’t find an equaliser.
O’Connor struck a shot wide in the third minute of injury time and then, in the last play of the game, the ball was worked to Caolan McGonagle, who lined up a shot. But a half-block from a Carn hand took the sting out of it and it dropped into the arms of a defender, and the game was up.
Buncrana, then, returned over the Mountain Road to lick their wounds and prepare for the visit of Bundoran next weekend.
Carn will be delighted with the win, and no doubt their management will be in Connolly Park on Sunday to run the rule over Cloughaneely, who they play next.
Carndonagh scorers: James Monagle 0-3; Olan McLaughlin 0-3 (one 2pt); Pádraig Doherty 0-2; Kalvin McLaughlin 0-2 (2pt); Cian Doherty 0-1 (1f); Senan Grant 0-1; Will Quinn 0-1; Cian Burke 0-1.
Buncrana scorers: Caolan McGonagle 0-4; John Campbell 0-3 (2f); Darach O’Connor 0-2 (2pt); Sean Doherty 0-1; Dylan Mulholland 0-1; Liam Jordan 0-1; Kevin Jordan 0-1.
Carndonagh: Danny McDaid; Conor McLaughlin, Danny Monagle, Darragh Browne; Senan Grant, James Monagle, Will Quinn; Sean O’Carroll, Kalvin McLaughlin; Fergal Doherty, Cian Burke, Olan McLaughlin; Cian Doherty, Odhran O’Donnell, Pádraig Doherty. Subs: Michael Noone for P. Doherty (38 mins); Eoin Kelly for D. Browne (52 mins).
Buncrana: Adam Harrigan; Cathal McNutt, Sean Doherty, Pádraig McGonigle; Andrew Davison, Mickey Gallagher, Oisin Crawford; Caolan McGonagle, Darragh Corry; Dylan Mulholland, Kevin Jordan, Oisin Flaherty; Billy Duffy, Sean McLaughlin, Daire McColgan. Subs: Liam Jordan for B. Duffy (29 mins); Elliot Friel for S. McLaughlin (33 mins); John Campbell for O. Flaherty (36 mins); Darach O’Connor for O. Crawford (45 mins).
Referee: Anthony McCallig (Naomh Ultan)