St Eunan's see off Erne Gaels to seal Ulster Club SFC semi-final place

Erne Gaels 0-10 St Eunan’s 1-14

St Eunan’s have an Ulster Club SFC semi-final to look forward to after a workmanlike performance at Brewster Park saw them past the challenge of Fermanagh champions, Erne Gaels.

It means a meeting in two weeks' time, against either Derry winners Magherafelt or current Monaghan and Ulster champions, Scotstown.

With Conor O’Donnell Jnr having proven his fitness following an ankle injury, his personal haul of 1-5 laid the foundations for St Eunan’s win, despite the best efforts from Ultan Kelm in particular. The 14 wides didn’t help Erne Gaels’ cause.

The two goalkeepers' fortunes from the restarts also played a vital part, with Shaun Patton providing a launchpad, while his opposite number Brian Ryder found the going tough from time to time.

The Belleek side were initially content to sit in and mind the arc, so St Eunan’s opening score after four minutes from O’Donnell Jnr came after a prolonged period of patient possession.

The same player doubled the advantage and when he nipped onto a kick-out from Erne Gaels goalkeeper Brian Ryder, Dylan Doogan was in and punched over for a 0-3 to 0-0 lead.

Ultan Kelm’s free, which was brought forward by referee Kevin Faloon, was Erne Gaels’ first score on 11 minutes. And just like the buses, within three minutes another one came, with Kelm again the scorer, with Erne Gaels showing plenty of energy.

St Eunan’s manager Kieran Donnelly, a native of Brookeborough in Fermanagh, managed his native county team from 2021 to 2005, and was more than familiar with the surroundings.

But Erne Gaels knew the run of it too and following some tigerish tackling to dispossess St Eunan’s, Odhran Johnston played in Kelm, and although his shot was hard and true, Patton stood firm to get his body behind it on 15 minutes.

It maintained St Eunan’s slender 0-3 to 0-2 lead briefly, as Ryan Lyons, the Erne Gaels captain, split to posts on 19 minutes to level things up.

A 1-16 to 1-15 win over Naomh Conaill last month, with Ciaran Moore scoring a last-gasp winning point, gave St Eunan’s a 17th Donegal SFC win.

Niall O’Donnell’s two-pointer got St Eunan’s on terms late on in the domestic decider but the former Donegal forward wasn’t back from Chicago to play in Enniskillen, due to work commitments.

Moore rounded off a move on 24 minutes to swivel and score a point, which began on Patton’s tee. And just two minutes afterwards, a typically fleeting run got him in to score another and establish a 0-5 to 0-3 lead for St Eunan’s.

Eoin McGeehin then benefited from pickpocketing possession and it was a double-score game, 0-6 to 0-3, with two minutes of the first half to play.

Conor O’Donnell Snr rounded off the first half scoring when he calmly tucked over, having made the break himself and exchanged passes with Doogan.

The O’Donnell Park-based team were looking to improve on an indifferent record in the province. St Eunan’s first-ever appearance in the province came with a win over Teemore Shamrocks from Fermanagh, 0-11 to 0-4, before a 2-8 to 1-6 loss to eventual champions Bryansford from Down, in 1969.

Their second win took another 39 years, when a 2-10 to 1-8 scoreline saw off Clonoe O'Rahillys from Tyrone in 2008. Six years later, Shaun Patton made his first appearance in the 1-9 to 0-6 victory over Roslea Shamrocks, also from Fermanagh, on home pastures in Letterkenny.

Four up at the break, St Eunan’s were looking in a decent position for their third Ulster Club SFC win over Fermanagh opposition and their cushion was pushed out to five with Kieran Tobin pointing on the turn on 32 minutes.

The St Eunan’s goal came from the next play, with 33 minutes played, when Conor O’Donnell Jnr got his hands on Ryder’s kick-off and, with McGeehin playing the final pass, Conor O’Donnell drilled into the bottom corner.

Having not won the Fermanagh SFC title since 1979, Erne Gaels sealed their third on the bounce last month, under former Armagh player and Newtowncunningham resident Barry O’Hagan.

O’Donnell Jnr’s two frees before the 40th minutes pushed the advantage out to 1-10 to 0-3, the first of which was a peach from out by the terrace, with the second a more conventional one from in front of the posts.

St Eunan’s last two putings in Ulster in 2021 and 2024 had seen agonising defeats where late leads were lost against Watty Grahams Glen and Errigal Ciaran respectively.

They were eager not to get caught again and Kelm scored a brilliant two-pointer on 42 minutes to bring Erne Gaels back to 1-10 to 0-5 down. Another two almost followed, only for his brother Oisin to see his effort drift just wide.

Ultan Kelm scored his fifth point of the evening right at the midpoint of the second half, to give the Fermanagh version of the black and amber something to shout about.

However, the Letterkenny variant, more amber and black because of the kit clash, were still in control, but would see James Kelly black-carded on 47 for blocking off.

O’Donnell Jnr’s free on 52 minutes made it 1-5 for the day, with Oisin Kelm replying instantly at the other end. That made the score St Eunan’s 1-11 to Erne Gaels’ 0-7.

Shane O’Donnell clipped over a classy point and when McGeehin compounded Ryder’s difficulties with the kick-outs to point, it put the Dr Maguire holders 1-13 to 0-7 ahead.

Erne Gaels’ sub Barry McCann marked well late on, but his miss from the subsequent kick, which was certainly one that could be termed scoreable, drew a notable groan from the crowd.

And even though Seamus Ryder did manage a late free for Erne Gaels and Oisin Kelm hit another two, Eoin Dowling stylishly finished off the St Eunan’s scoring

There was a late scare when Noah Barrett had to clear off the line with Patton coming out to punch, and the ball went in behind and McCann almost got in and with the last play, Seamus Ryder rasped a shot off the St Eunan’s post. Patton’s sheet was kept clean, just about, and the Letterkenny club are now as far into the championship as they have ever managed before.

Erne Gaels scorers: Ultan Kelm 0-5, 2f, 1 tp; Oisin Kelm 0-3, tp; Ryan Lyons and Seamus Ryder 0-1, 1f.

St Eunan’s scorers: Conor O’Donnell Jnr 1-5, 3f; Ciaran Moore and Eoin McGeehin 0-2; Dylan Doogan, Conor O’Donnell Snr, Kieran Tobin, Shane O’Donnell and Eoin Dowling 0-1

Erne Gaels: Brian Ryder; Shane Mimna, Paul Ward, Ultan O’Reilly; Oisin Kelm, Jack McCann, Eamonn Óg Magee; Ryan Lyons, Brian Mullin; Tommy McCaffrey, Ultan Kelm, Odhran Johnston; Dan McCann, Aogan Kelm, Michael Óg McGarrigle. Subs: Barry McCann for Johnston (43); Seamue Ryder for Mullin (52), Paul McCaffrey, Shane Rooney and Martin Gilfedder for Mimna, D McCann and A Kelm (60+1)

St Eunan’s: Shaun Patton; Noah Barrett, Caolan Ward, Josh Hay; Kieran Tobin, Conor O’Donnell Snr, Oran Winston; James Kelly, Eoin Dowling; Ciaran Moore, Shane O’Donnell, Luke McGuinness; Eoin McGeehin, Dylan Doogan, Conor O’Donnell Jnr. Subs: Pauric Boyle for Doogan (47), Pauric McGettigan for Kelly (58).

Referee: Kevin Faloon (Armagh)