NAOMH CONAILL put in a disciplined showing at the Banks tonight to see of Gaoth Dobhair in the County Minor Football Championship semi-final replay.
Naomh Conaill 1-11 Gaoth Dobhair 2-6
The Glenties side will now meet St Eunan’s in the decider on Saturday, October 19, in Ballybofey following their two-point win over last year’s winners. Neither side won their respective regional titles, but neither will care at this stage.
Naomh Conaill managed to get the better of the conditions to post an interval advantage of three points having faced the elements and even though they had the wind in the second half, they sat on their lead and defended the scoring zone with their lives.
The contest was in the melting point till the cooker got sticky but Naomh Conaill did enough, thanks mainly to a fine individual performance from Eoghan McGettigan, who scored 1-6.
Another player whose performance cannot be ignored is Gavin Sweeney, the Gaoth Dobhair goalkeeper, who made four fine saves over the course of the hour.
On Friday night, Michael Carroll’s late free forced a 2-6 to 1-9 draw at O’Donnell Park but by the quarter-hour in the replay, it was Naomh Conaill who held the advantage, 0-5 to 0-3. McGettigan had scored three early frees in that time and Ciaran Gallagher also scored twice, the second of which whistled just over the crossbar.
By then, Carroll had scored three times, with the first of those from the half-way mark showing just how strong the wind was. Sweeney in goal made a fine stop to deny Naoise O’Baoill before McGettigan goaled for Naomh Conaill on 18 minutes, following up on a rebound after Paul McGuinness’s original shot was cleared off the line by a defender.
Gaoth Dobhair, minus Daire O’Baoill, who had a hand injury, chipped away with Conor Boyle and Seaghan Ferry on the mark, but approaching half-time, three successive points from McGettigan, a fine JD Boyle effort and one from Matias McKelvey meant Naomh Conaill were six points clear.
That lead might’ve inflated even more had Sweeney not saved from McGuinness right at the end of the half and from the resultant attack Gaoth Dobhair netted themselves through Naoise O’Baoill’s piercing shot into the bottom corner.
It was a real case of a six-point swing in 30 seconds, with the half-time score Naomh Conaill 1-8 Gaoth Dobhair 1-5.
In the second half, Naomh Conaill invited Gaoth Dobhair onto them but had up to 13 men in front of their own goal to frustrate Tom Beag Gillespie’s side. But their breaks came in numbers.
Those policies might’ve paid dividends, only for Sweeney again to save from McGuinness again having also kept Jack Flannery out.
Undeterred, and despite having much less to feed themselves on, Naomh Conaill were still a menace up top. Ethan O’Donnell took a chipped 45 from McGettigan to fire the first point of the second half.
It took until the 46th minute for Gaoth Dobhair to get on the scoresheet in the second half but when they did, following a penalty that Carroll blasted past Tony Byrne, it meant they were just 1-9 to 2-5 behind. That was as close as they would come, as McGettigan scored at the other end twice, either side of Boyle’s free for Gaoth Dobhair.
Naomh Conaill: Tony Byrne; Ultan Doherty, Charlie McDonnell, Oliver Stanislawczyk; Cian Doherty, Matias McKelvey (0-1), JD Boyle (0-1); Ethan O’Donnell (0-1), Reece McDyer; Eoghan McGettigan (1-6, 4f), Ciaran Gallagher (0-2), David Keeney; Paul McGuinness, Jack Flannery, Jono Molloy.
Gaoth Dobhair: Gavin Sweeney; Conor McFadden, Gary McFadden, Ciaran McHugh; Conor McCafferty, Ryan Kelly, Naoise Mac Giolla BhrÃde; Michael Carroll (1-3, 1-0 pen, 2f), Odhrán McFadden (0-1); Naoise Ó Baoill (1-0), Seaghan Ferry (0-1), Dylan O’Donnell; Kyle McFadden, Conor Boyle (0-1, 1f), Eamon Collum. Subs: Dan Gallagher for K McFadden (half-time), Daniel McLaughlin for Ferry (48, black card)
Referee: Kevin McGinley (Naomh Columba).
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