ST EUNAN’S PULLED AWAY from Gaoth Dobhair to win the Michael Murphy Sports & Leisure Senior B Championship in a Ballybofey downpour.
St Eunan’s 1-10 Gaoth Dobhair 0-7
Daniel Gillespie’s 54th minute goal helped the black and amber to victory with late points by Brian McIntyre and Brendan Maguire key in a game that had been tit-for-tat until then.
Six minutes from the end, Gillespie netted. Oisin Toal and Michael Miller did the approach work. Miller’s lofted ball across the goal face found midfielder Gillespie and, while his shot wasn’t the truest, Gaoth Dobhair netminder Charles John Doherty got a hand but couldn’t keep it out.
[adrotate group=”53″]Donnacha Gallagher’s long-range free had just opened up a two-point lead for St Eunan’s at that stage with Gallagher and Miller having registered earlier in the second half.
Barry Meehan’s team had enough nous about them to see it to the finish for a deserved win.
Gaoth Dobhair led midway through the first half after Micheál Roarty, Eamonn Collum and James Gallagher posted for a 0-3 to 0-2 lead.
[adrotate group=”56″]However, Michael Miller, Donnacha Gallagher and Ronan Lennon, up from corner-back, scored three-in-a-row and St Eunan’s led 0-5 to 0-4 at the break.
Eunan’s were indebted to centre-back Conor Moore for a goal-line intervention in the 34th minute, as he intercepted beneath his own crossbar when Eamonn Collum looked set to tap home after James Gallagher’s shot cannoned off an upright.
Ten years ago, Gallagher played on the Gaoth Dobhair senior team that defeated St Eunan’s in the Donegal SFC final as Stephen Cassidy’s late goal secured the Dr Maguire Cup for the Magheragallon men.
[adrotate group=”81″]Sean McGarvey, Christopher McFadden and Dan McBride lined out on that Sunday in 2006 that wasn’t too dissimilar to today’s deluge.
Here, though, Colin McIntyre, the St Eunan’s captain, took receipt of the silverware, a decade after he was beaten by Gaoth Dobhair in the senior decider.
Both teams finished with 14 men, St Eunan’s seeing David O’Herlihy pick up a second yellow card and Jamie Boyle given a straight red card late in the day.
[adrotate group=”83″]St Eunan’s: Blake Forkan; Ronan Lennon (0-1), Colin McIntyre, Dylan Sweeney; Daire McMonagle, Conor Morre, Mark Forde (0-1); Andrew Doherty, Daniel Gillespie (1-0); Michael Miller (0-2), Kieran Sharkey, Brendan Maguire (0-2); Donnacha Gallagher (0-3, 3f), Oisin Clarke, David O’Herlihy. Subs: Oisin Toal for Clarke (half-time), Brian McIntyre (0-1) for Lennon (half-time), Sean McGettigan for Doherty (49), Matthew McColgan for Sharkey (52), Oisin O’Boyle for Miller (59), Gavin Maguire for Sweeney (60).
Gaoth Dobhair: Charles John Doherty; Sean McGarvey, Hugh Boyle, James Boyle; Jamie Boyle, Christopher McFadden, Ryan Kelly; Dan McBride, Odhrán Ferry-McFadden; Micheál Roarty (0-3, 1f), James Gallagher (0-1, 1f), Conor McCafferty; Conor Boyle (0-1), Sean Doherty, Eamonn Collum (0-1). Subs: Paul Mulligan (0-1) for S.Doherty (half-time), Dylan O’Donnell for Roarty (39), Seaghan Ferry for James Boyle (42), Neasán Mac Giolla Bhríde for McCafferty (45), Colin Ferry for Collum (57).
Referee: Sean Paul Doherty (Urris).
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