Niall O’Donnell is a ‘big game, big moment player’ - Kieran Donnelly

Three minutes into the red, O’Donnell sidestepped the attentions of Brendan McDyer before nonchalantly leaning back and slicing spectacularly with the outside of the right boot between the posts.

It was a rousing type of intervention and teed up a grandstand finish where Ciaran Moore raced through the Naomh Conaill defence to finally settle matters in Ballybofey and, in the process, relinquish the Glenties men of their Dr Maguire crown.

O’Donnell, who has hopped over and back across the Atlantic from Chicago in recent weeks, was sprung from the sidelines just 24 minutes in.

And he was able to make a quick impression on the scoreboard nearing the end of the half as the Letterkenny men went in 9-7 in front.

He also showed no signs of rust when he raced through on the three-quarter-hour mark only to be denied brilliantly by Stephen McGrath.

And as well as that late stunning two-point effort, O’Donnell was also the man linking defence with attack as Ciaran Moore kicked the game’s winning score.

“I thought we were exceptional - especially in the last ten minutes when the game was really in the melting pot,” Donnelly said after.

“We knew this game had the potential to come down to the last ball and that’s exactly what happened.

“The likes of Ciaran Moore with his few scores and Niall O’Donnell’s massive two-pointer; we just showed real confidence and class at that crucial juncture.

“It’s just massive for the club and I’m delighted for everyone here this afternoon. It’s been a really positive year, across the board so the pressure was on for us to finish that all off”.

In relation to O’Donnell’s impact, Donnelly says even though he picked the ball up from a deep-lying position, he knew that O’Donnell sensed that an orange flag was on.

“Niall is a big-game, big-moment kind of player. Once he sort of found that channel, I knew he was going to look to pull the trigger. And I think the entire team showed a lot of composure in those last few seconds.

“We built our play well from deep when they were putting a pretty heavy press on. We needed to be calm, especially against a side like Glenties who are renowned for finishing strong.

“But the right players were in the right place at the right time”.

St Eunan’s busted a real gut to shepherd Odhran Doherty out to the extreme left-hand side. And even though the Naomh Conaill man got his shot away, it was an effort that had to be snatched at given the heat that was being applied by the Black and Amber defence.

And with Shaun Patton collecting that dropped short effort, Donnelly’s men showed serious directness and composure to engineer the chance for Moore to win the game.

“Kieran finished the game really well. His energy was infectious down that stretch. But that last passage of play, I think that was the big one.

“We hunted Odhran Doherty down there at the end of the game. We showed massive fitness levels and hunger to keep that pressure on.

“Then we still had the battery life to go down the other side of the pitch and kick the winner. I think that entire passage was reflective of just what we’re about.

“The defensive and offensive work, knitting all that together, was a great way to win it. It’s a brilliant feeling”.

Eunan’s will enjoy the next few days but Donnelly says the plug will be pulled on celebrations by Wednesday.

He’ll then have the chance to take in the county final in his native Fermanagh to see what comes St Eunan’s way in Ulster.

“I’ll know them inside out. I’ll know their key players and the likes. But it’s going to be a very competitive final in Fermanagh.

“Derrygonnelly and Belleek are two great sides. But we’ll knuckle down again on Wednesday night and have a focus on the Ulster club”.