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Buncrana edge out Cloughaneely
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Clerkin’s men worthy
winners at rain-soaked Scarvey Buncrana...0-9 (Odhran Doherty 0-4 (3f), Bradley 0-2, McGonigle 0-2 (f), Friel 0-1) Cloughaneely...0-6 (Boyle 0-5 (3f), Coyle 0-1) by Simon McGeady, Inishowen Independent, at the Scarvey ON A terrible afternoon for football Buncrana edged past Cloughaneely thanks to a storming start to the second half. Sean Clerkin’s side had initially made heavy weather of dismissing the Falcarragh men and led by only three points to two going into the half, but spurred on by Paul McGonigle’s fielding and distribution, they raced into a seven points to two lead by the 35th minute to land a telling blow that Joe Kelly’s men couldn’t come back from. Denis Boyle was the main scoring threat for the visitors and it was he who opened the scoring with a free. The alert Ryan Bradley then robbed a blue-shirted defender 40 metres out from Michael McGinley’s goal and played in Odhran Doherty, but the latter’s shot was too close to McGinley who kicked it away for a 45. |
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Doherty did get Buncrana’s
first score in the 11th minute with a free taken out of
his hands and another Doherty free gave the Scarvey side
the lead in the 18th minute, although by and large they
were having a tough time creating chances against the
well-drilled Cloughaneely backs. It was a similar story at the other end with the incessant rain making handling difficult for the full forward lines especially. Boyle levelled the scores with a gutsy score after his first effort was charged down after one of Cloughaneely’s high tempo attacks. Bradley was proving to be a real handful, coming short to receive the ball, and in the 25th minute he drew a couple of challenges and released Garbhan Friel who missed the target from close range. Bradley himself then looked to run in on goal but he |
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was tripped by Paddy
McClafferty, who saw yellow for the foul, and Odhran
Doherty popped over the free. Buncrana started the second half much brighter than they did the first. Friel scored Buncrana’s first point from play in the opening seconds and when Bradley used his height to get to a high ball in front of his marker and score, suddenly there was a goal between the sides. Buncrana weren’t finished there and Paul McGonigle burst up the pitch to stroke over with consummate ease in the 34th minute to make it 0-6 to 0-2. One minute later, Bradley found his favourite target, Odhran Doherty, who split the uprights. The game was getting away from Cloughaneely, but credit to the visitors, they didn’t throw in the towel and a point from play and a couple of frees from Boyle brought them back within striking distance of their hosts with ten minutes to go. It might have been even better for the Falcarragh boys after Buncrana keeper Noel O’Donnell was caught in possession carrying the ball out from his goalmouth. O’Donnell presented Liam Coyle with a goal-scoring chance but hauled down the Cloughaneely forward for a free and got a yellow card for his trouble. With five minutes left on the clock Boyle drilled a free low into Coyle who turned in a flash and fired over a great score to put just two points between the sides and leave the home supporters behind their windscreens along the sideline wondering if their side were going to lose it at the death as they had done against Fanad Gaels here two weeks ago in the championship. However Cloughaneely didn’t have the stamina of that Fanad side and it was Buncrana that finished the stronger with substitute Adrian McColgan surging up the right and Bradley making a nuisance of himself. The latter struck the insurance point with two minutes to go and although O’Donnell gave away a cheap 45 in injury time, McGonigle was on hand underneath his crossbar to snatch away the visitors’ final tilt at salvaging a draw that they scarcely would have deserved. Buncrana: Noel O’Donnell; Simon McGrory, John Doherty, Matthew O’Donnell; Brendan McGeee, Ciaran McCallum, Oisin Doherty; Paul McGonigle, Christy Bell; Christy McDermott, Odhran Doherty, Garbhan Friel; Adrian Doherty, Ryan Bradley David Bell. Subs: Adrian McColgan for Oisin Doherty (45). Cloughaneely: Michael McGinley; Paddy McClafferty, Paddy Joe Doohan, Michael Lynch; Kevin Mulhearn, Owen McGuire, Kevin Scanlon; Pat Carton, Ciaran McFadden; Ciaran Scanlon, Liam Coyle, Denis Ferry; Denis Boyle, Sean McGuire, Declan McGuire. Subs: Sean McFadden for C Scanlon (40) C Scanlon for Declan McGuire (52) For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent. |
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