A ROUSING PERFORMANCE that ranks among the most memorable in the club’s history fired Naomh Colmcille into their first-ever Donegal Intermediate Championship final.
Naomh Colmcille 3-11 Gaeil Fhánada 1-06
A Johnny Friel goal with ten minutes to go gave Gaeil Fhánada hope that their performance scarcely deserved, but Naomh Colmcille were here a team on a mission.
Eddie Gillespie’s goal in the first half had Francie Martin’s team in the driving seat at the short whistle, when they were 1-6 to 0-4 ahead.
They came with all the passion, heart and hunger shown in last week’s drawn encounter and there was an edge to them here that has rarely been demonstrated by a team that’s left Taughboyne’s borders.
They finished with 2-1 in the final, frenetic few moments.
Goals by Mark Dowds and substitute Conor Grant came either side of a point from Don Hegarty to fire them into the decider.
There was a school of thought that they’d left it behind them a week ago, but they were determined to hold onto their chips this time.
In the 58th minute, patience proved a virtue. The ball changed hands neatly between Paul Friel and Willie Gillespie, who fed the powerful Ciaran Devine.
The chances opened up in front of him and he offloaded for Mark Dowds, who slammed to the net.
Last night, Dowds made a brief cameo on television, in the audience cheering on his sister, Laura, who was a contestant on Winning Streak.
At O’Donnell Park, Dowd’s goal gave Francie Martin’s men a chance to spin their own wheel in two weeks’ time when they meet Bundoran in the final.
They were in dreamland in added time when the coup de grâce arrived as Grant tucked home to seal an 11-point win that was no more than their performance deserved.
From the off they, literally, blew Gaeil Fhánada away.
They bagged their opening goal in the 25th minute.
Ryan McKinley – outstanding throughout – robbed Michael Sweeney of possession and, after scooping up the loose ball, fed the galloping Gillespie.
With the space opening up in front of him, Gillespie put the foot down and hammered past Paul O’Connor for a goal that lit the touchpaper.
Naomh Colmcille were intent on showing that there was plenty of music left in them after last weekend’s stirring performance saw them denied right at the death by two points by Michael Sweeney and Seamie Friel.
They certainly struck the right chords early on as Lynch, first with a ’45 and then with a 50-metre free, put them two up after six minutes.
Naomh Colmcille thought they’d netted the game’s opening goal in the 12th minute – and they would’ve, but for the timely intervention of Cathal Martin, who hooked off the goal line from Willie Gillespie.
The in-rushing Gillespie flicked past ‘keeper O’Connor after a sweeping Naomh Colmcille move, involving Daniel Clarke, Joe Donaghy and Dowds, tore Gaeil Fhánada open.
Donaghy drilled over a free after being fouled by Kevin McElwaine and Lynch did likewise after he was hacked down by McElwaine.
It took Gaeil Fhánada 22 minutes to raise their first flag, Shaun McElwaine finding the range from way out on the right, but they found themselves trailing by five as they wandered down the tunnel at the interval.
With Donaghy and Dowds on the mark, the margin widened and, when Gillespie hit the net in the 25th minute, Michael O’Connor’s team had the proverbial mountain to ascend.
Gaeil Fhánada finished the half well, though, with Seamie Friel (free), Mark Friel and Michael Sweeney on target to leave them five in arrears at the short whistle, where Naomh Colmcille led 1-6 to 0-4.
Donaghy posted two in the opening seven minutes of part two while Seamie Friel was off target with two frees and there was the growing sense that the Portsalon men had run their race.
Gaeil Fhánada needed a piece of magic and they almost found it, but Gary McDaid, the Naomh Colmcille goalkeeper, saved superbly with his feet to deny Sweeney on a rare occasion when he wormed away from McKinley.
Johnny Friel pointed from the rebound, but Donaghy magnificently arched over with a point that belied the position from which he let fly after Clarke and Gerard Curran did the spadework.
When Johnny Friel smashed past McDaid for a goal in the 50th minute, the minds wandered back seven evenings to the Fanad men’s late smash-and-grab in the first instalment, but this time there was no collapse.
Dowds and Grant secured a victory that sent the huge numbers from Newtowncunningham, Carrigans, Killea and St Johnston spiralling into delirium.
Naomh Colmcille: Gary McDaid; Ricky Hegarty, Ryan McKinley, Michael Friel; Oran Hilley, Alex Devenney, Gerard Curran; Ciaran Devine, Michael Lynch (0-3, 1 ’45, 2f); John Fullerton, Daniel Clarke, Eddie Gillespie (1-0); Willie Gillespie (0-1), Joe Donaghy (0-5, 3f), Mark Dowds (1-1). Subs: Paul Friel for Curran (43), Don Hegarty (0-1) for E Gillespie (48), Conor Grant (1-0) for M Friel (53), Eddie Gillespie for Lynch (60), Stephen Gallagher for Clarke (60).
Gaeil Fhánada: Paul O’Connor, Fergal Friel, Paddy Heraghty, Frank Sweeney; Ryan McGonigle, Cathal Martin, Mark Friel (0-1); Kevin McElwaine, Shaun McElwaine (0-1); Brian McVeigh, Seamie Friel (0-2, 2f), Johnny Friel (1-1), Joe Blaney, Michael Sweeney (0-1), Marty McAteer. Subs: Davitt Walsh for McVeigh (25), Eoghan Carr for McAteer (43), Conor McGonigle for R.McGonigle (48), Ronan McAteer for F Friel (54), Odhrán Shiels for Martin (57), Niall Carr for J.Friel (59).
Referee: Seamus McGonagle (Aodh Ruadh).
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