IT’S BEEN SAID before and it’ll be said again but last night at Coláiste Ailigh in Letterkenny was another case in point: Goals win games.
St Eunan’s 6-6 Milford 0-11
St Eunan’s clinched the Northern Regional Board under-13 Division 1 title at Milford’s expense and it was the abilities of the Letterkenny side to find the net that proved the difference.
It took just 20 seconds for the first of those goals to arrive, when Josh McCullagh scored from a rebound for the first of his hat-trick.
And those in black and amber continued on the front foot, adding a second goal on just eight minutes when Sean McGinley was on hand to tuck home.
[adrotate group=”56″]McCullagh then posted his second goal of the evening when he went on the run following a pass from Ryan Creevy 12 minutes in. At that stage Milford’s only score came courtesy of Eoghan Hiemstra.
St Eunan’s were comfortably ahead 3-4 to 0-1 at the break, with David Boyle scoring twice, as well as captain Sean McVeigh and Peadar McGeehin also scoring.
[adrotate group=”85″]Milford were much improved in the second half, with Shane Black putting in an excellent personal performance, kicking eight points – five of which came from play.
However, St Eunan’s McCullagh scored a quality third goal – his side’s fourth – when he pierced a shot into the top corner on 30 minutes and then substitute Jack Dywer added a fifth when he produced the finishing touch after McGeehin’s shot was saved by Eoin McGettigan in the Milford goal.
That made the score 5-5 to 0-5 but Milford managed to score the next five points, four from Black with Eoin O’Donnell also getting in on the act.
Four minute from time, St Eunan’s Cian McGonigle shot a six goal for the Cathedral town team when he shot into the bottom corner.
[adrotate group=”86″]St Eunan’s: Ronan Coady; Nathan Plumb (0-1), Cian McGonigle (1-0); Nathan Bonner, Liam Hannigan, James Gallagher; Josh McCullagh (3-0), Sean McVeigh (0-1, 1 ’25’); Ryan Creevy, Peadar McGeehin (0-1), Sean McGinley (1-0); David Boyle (0-2, 1f), Killian Gribbin. Subs: James Gallagher and Jack Dwyer (1-1) for Bonner and McGinley (half-time), Thomas Crossan for Creevy (32), James O’Donnell for Boyle (35), Thomas Reynolds for Gallagher (37), for McVeigh (46), Jay Maguire and Tiernan for Hannigan and Plumb (47), Oisin Teape and David Kilcullen for McGeehin and McCullagh (49), Daithi Kavanagh and Cathal McGarvey for Gribbin and McGonigle (51).
Milford: Eoin McGettigan; Paul Ryan, Eoin O’Donnell (0-1); Eoin McElhinney, Darragh McFadden, Jay Curran; Eoghan Hiemstra (0-2), Rory Pyper; Callum Orsi, Shane Black (0-8, 3fs), Gavin Sweeney; Liam Donnelly, Shea McBride-Friel. Subs: Finn Coll for McFadden (17), Mikey McBride for S McBride (21), Odhran Doherty for Sweeney (half-time), Jordan Ryan for Orsi (38), Aodhan Ferry for Coll (44), Johnny McCallum for McGettigan (46), Alec McConigley for McElhinney (47).
Referee: Eddie Crawford (Glenswilly)
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