BUNDORAN WON for the third time in succession in the Donegal SFC, with ease at Pearse Park against an Ardara team who’ll have to fight to retain their status.
Ardara 0-3 Bundoran 1-12
So, it means the Seasiders will again face the one team who had beaten them thus far, St Eunan’s, who were 0-15 to 1-5 winners at Gaelic Park on opening night.
Bundoran can carry some confidence into that contest in two weeks’ time and won today in a more convincing manner than many might’ve expected. In doing so, their 12-point coupled with St Eunan’s 2-13 to 0-7 hammering of St Michael’s means Bundoran hopscotched the Dunfanghy team into fifth place.
They started as they meant to go on. A 0-9 to 0-1 interval lead was enough to get ahead and they saw it out comfortably in the second half, with their inside line of Cian McEniff, Jamie Brennan and Gary Clancy accumulating 1-11 between them.
Ardara were beaten for the fourth time on the bounce in the SFC and now must end that streak to preserve their place in the senior bracket next year. They’ve a play-off semi-final against Dungloe first and foremost.
Bundoran signaled their intentions early as only two minutes in, Kieran Gildea in the hosts’ goal had to save from Jamie Brennan with the concession of a point. Cian McEniff scored the first of his five points a couple of minutes later and then marked two to pop over for a 0-4 to 0-1 lead with Gareth Concarr scoring Ardara’s solitary first half point on 10 minutes.
Gary Clancy’s return has been a considerable boost since that loss to St Eunan’s and he impressed in the first half alongside McEniff.
Bundoran continued on the front foot after the break and Ciaran McCaughey and when Clancy goaled after a move that involved Alan Russell, McCaughey and Jamie Brennan, they were home and hosed at 1-13 to 0-3 in front.
Brennan and McEniff added further points and Ardara only managed their second point on 55 minutes when Lorcan O’Donnell scored. John Ros Molloy did likewise and Ashley Mulhern made a fine save from Concarr, it was Bundoran who waltzed into the last eight.
Ardara: Kieran Gildea; John Ross Molloy (0-1), Declan Gavigan, Joe Melly; Jonathan McHugh, Paddy McGrath, Shane Whyte; Brian White, Ryan Malley; Kevin Whyte, Gareth Concarr (0-1), Matthew Sweeney; Johnny Sweeney, Stefan Boyle, Callum Malley. Subs: Tomas Boyle for Concarr (14), Lorcan O’Donnell (0-1), Brendan Boyle and Danny Walsh for Boyle, Sweeney, Brian White, all (all half-time), Robbie Adair for Paddy McGrath (55).
Bundoran: Ashley Mulhern; Matthew Duffy, Johnny Boyle, Niall Carr; Oisin Walsh, Peter McGonigle, Paul Brennan (0-1); Michael McEniff (0-1), Ciaran McCaughey (0-1, 1m); Alan Russell, Timmy Govorov (0-1), Jamie Brennan (0-4, 3f); Shane McGowan, Gary Clancy (1-2), Cian McEniff (0-5, 2m). Sub: Diarmuid Spratt for M McEniff (40).
Referee: Shane Toolan (Aodh Ruadh).
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