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Carn pick up second win of the season
All County League Division 10.04.08

NAOMH COLMCILLE...0-3

CARNDONAGH...3-9


by Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent

CARNDONAGH travelled to Newtown on Saturday night and added another two league points to those they won against Letterkenny Gaels two weeks earlier. The 15 point margin of victory suggests a very one-sided match, but that would be harsh on the home team who showed some good passages of play but struggled to find their scoring touch.
The strong and bitingly cold north wind and the spongy underfoot sod made conditions difficult for both teams, but it was the visitors that got the ideal start.
With just two minutes gone, a poorly struck Carn free looked to be tailing harmlessly wide. Robert McCartney somehow prevented it from going out of play and the ball bobbled into the Naomh Colmcille square where centre half forward Cathal Doherty (K) gratefully tapped it to the net.
Newtown were playing with the wind, but failing to make the most of it by letting it into their tricky full forward line. Time and again, their attacks broke down in the middle third of the field where players hand passed themselves into trouble or were otherwise dispossessed.
The midfield battle between Gerard Doherty (K) and Richie Clarke was one of the highlights of the match, with both showing fine high fielding ability. Doherty ran strongly through the centre of Naomh Colmcille’s defence to point in the tenth minute before brother Cathal converted a free two minutes later to put Carn 1-2 to 0-0 ahead.
Naomh Colmcille did have plenty of possession though, with PJ McGrath, Gerard Curran and Alex Devenney breaking up Carn attacks and setting up attacks of their own.
Carn keeper Dermot Doherty had to be alert on two occasions mid way through the half. A rare long ball from Newtown deceived the Carn full back line but with Paul Friel bearing down on him, Doherty came off his line quickly to blooter the ball over the sideline and clear the danger.
In the 20th minute the tricky Oisin McMenamin won a ball outside the 21 and dinked through a clever ball for corner forward Andrew Doherty. Doherty volleyed the ball first time but keeper Dermot Doherty dived low to his right to push it out for a 45.
Newtown’s sole score of the first half came from a long ball. Eddie Gillespie hoisted a ball from outside the 45m line towards goal. It bounced inside the parallelogram and Oisin McMenamin punched it goal ward, but it went over the bar when it might have easily have gone into the net.
Carn had the last say in the first half when Cathal Doherty cut in from right and shot low to the right hand post. Newtown keeper Gerard Devenney got a hand to it, but not enough to keep it out of the net and Carn took a 2-2 to 0-1 lead into the half-time dressing room.
Naomh Colmcille introduced Thomas McKinley at the start of the second half – the county minor had featured on the Donegal team that lost to Antrim earlier in the day – and they played some of their best football in the 15 minutes after the break.
McKinley took a fine point in the 32nd minute, but that was cancelled out by a massive 50m effort from Darren Burke two minutes later.
Burke and Robert McCartney added further points before Richie Clarke and Thomas McKinley combined to set up Oisin McMenamin for a point for the home team. It was their last score of the game as Carn racked up the scores.
Robert McCartney evaded Anthony Grant in the right corner and soloed along the end line before firing an unstoppable shot to the net past Devenney.
Further points from McCartney (two frees), substitute Garvan McGrenra and Dara McLaughlin wrapped up the scoring for the Carn men.

For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent.
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