St. Malachy’s and O’Donnell’s couldn’t be separated after 60 plus minutes of high intensity championship football at Cherryvale on Sunday. In a game where fortunes swung one way then another a draw was probably the right result in the end.
It was St. Malachy’s who struck first at Cherryvale with Anton McGreevey and Pearse Quinn firing them into an early two-point lead. O’Donnell’s took a time to settle but a Fionnbar McKernan free and a point from play by Ciaran McKissock had it all square with 14 minutes gone.
John Paul Lagan pointed at the other end immediately to restore the St. Malachy’s lead but O’Donnell’s were starting to get on top and Barra Corr finished to the Mal’s net in the 16th minute to give them the lead for the first time.
This game was now being played with a lot of intensity as Ciaran Vernon and Fionnbar McKernan exchanged further points and that’s the way it continued to the break.
Daniel Quinn for St. Malachys and McKernan with another O’Donnell’s converted free kept the scoreboard ticking with the final score of the half falling the way of O’D’s Daniel Walsh whose point moved his side 1-5 to 0-5 ahead at the break.
The MacRory Park side looked to be taking control in the early stages of the second half as Nathan O’Neill pointed after 30 seconds and another sweetly struck free by Fionnbar McKernan moved them five ahead with five minutes of the new half gone.
Stephen Seawright added another as the O’Donnell’s early domination continued and when Fionnbar McKernan was on hand to return the ball to the net following a great save from Thomas Rice they looked to be in total control.
The men from the Markets are made of stern stuff however and they replied with their first score of the half in the 15th minute, a Pearse Quinn point and when Michael Hegney followed almost immediately with a goal it was game-on again.
O’Donnell’s then lost a man to a straight Red card but St. Malachy’s had still a lot of work to do as they trailed by five but a John Paul Lagan goal in the 22nd minute and a point from James McGivern put them right back into contention with 7 minutes remaining.
Fionnbar McKernan looked to have secured the win for the MacRory park side when he pointed a 26th minute free but the momentum was now with St. Malachy’s and their outstanding player Pearse D Quinn hit two late points to earn them a share of the spoils.
Both sides have difficult away assignments in their next game in Group 1 on Sunday 17th August with St. Malachy’s travelling to league winners, St. Agnes while O’Donnell face Ardoyne at Fennell Park.
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They say points win prizes but goals win games and that was very much in evidence at Colaiste Feirste in the opening game of the Junior Football Championship, Group 2 on Friday night.
The Irish language team went into this one as favourites, having finished second in the league but had no answer to a slick moving and well marshalled Eire Og.
Eire Og were strong in defence with Laochra Loch Lao unable to break through for the goal that might well have turned this game in their favour while Eire Og gave a demonstration of fine finishing over the hour.
It was Laochra Loch Lao who opened brightly and they shot into an early 2 point lead thanks to Daire McMenamin and Rian McShane before their opponents replied with their opening goal of the evening through Patrick McNelis with only 4 minutes gone.
Ronan Donnelly added a second major for the Og’s in the 10th minute and again their fast transition from defence to attack opened up the Laochra defence.
Rolbeard MacSlacals replied with a point for the hosts but this was quickly cancelled by a fine effort from Ronan Donnelly at the other end with 17 minutes on the clock.
MacSlacals was doing all in his power to get his side going as he pointed a free for his second of the evening but the visitors continued to look dangerous on the quick counter attack and Patrick McNelis struck for his second and his sides third with ten minutes remaining to the break.
Two well struck 2 pointer from the excellent MacSlacals and another single from the same player had it back to one as half time approached with Conall Smyth hitting a late score for Eire Og to leave them 2 ahead at the break.
Kevin Devine reduced the gap to one with a point on the restart and it seemed to be turning the way of Laochra Loch Lao when Sean O’Heachan got down well to save Conor McKenna’s penalty in the 3d minute.
They refused to heed the danger signs however as Mark Graham was left unmarked to gather a rebound of a Laochra upright and bury it in the net and move the visitors four ahead again.
Diarmaid MacPilib responded directly from a ‘45’ to close the gap to three again but Eire Og were playing some excellent football and Patrick McNelis fired over a fine point.
Eire Og continued to edge the exchanges as their opponents tried in vain to negate their goal threat and Conall Smyth got in for their fifth major with 9 minutes remaining and it looked as good as over.
Rian McShane from play and Diarmaid MacPilib with a 2 pointer free reduced the gap to four again but a Lorcan McIlroy converted free and another from play from the impressive Smyth ensured that there would be no way back for the Colaiste Feirste side.
They did hit the final point of the evening through Kevin Devine but it was too little-too late and it is Eire Og who are off to a flying start in this year’s championship.
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A strong second half comeback from St. Comgall’s Antrim fell just short as they lost by four points to a good Naomh Padraig Uisce Chaoin in the quarter-final of the Ulster Junior Football championship in Letterkenny on Saturday.
The Innishown side defeated neighbours Carndonagh by ten points in the Donegal final and at one stage in the opening half they looked like running away with this one when they led 0-8 to 0-2 in the period leading up to half time.
Naomh Comhghall had missed a great goal opportunity to draw level after 20 minutes and in the end it would be that missed opportunity that would prove the difference in the final analysis.
Jonathan Toye gave Naomh Padraig the lead when he pointed a 40 meter free within 40 seconds but Naomh Comhghall replied with an excellent score from Ryan Clarke to draw level with two minutes gone.
Naomh Comhghall full-back, Cathal Donnelly makes a superb block to deny Naomh Padraid dangerman, Jonathan Toye
Toye would prove a major influence for the Innishowen side over the hour and their team captain kicked their first from play to restore their lead but again the Antrim Town side found a response as Dylan Murdock got through for an equaliser with 12 minutes on the clock.
Slowly though Naomh Padraig began to get on top with Toye directing matters from centre-half and Cormac McColgan and Kevin Doherty prominent.
The Donegal champions hit three points on the bounce through Jonathan Toye 0-2 and Doherty as they began to exert control as they moved three clear by the 18th minute.
Naomh Comhghall responded and should have been back on level terms when Dylan Murdock put James McCabe in the clear with an astute hand pass but his well struck shot was superbly parried by Oran McCauley in the Naomh Padraig goals.
It would prove costly as the Donegal men came back again with the fifth of the evening from captain Toye and when Cormac McColgan added two more there was six between the sides.
Significantly the Dunsilly side kicked the final point of the half through Ryan Clarke and when Tom Patchett added another on the restart it was looking better for the Antrim champions.
Dylan Murdock breaks clear for a naomh Comhghall point
Kevin Doherty for Naomh Padraig and Dylan Murdock for Naomh Comhghall exchanged further points before Jonathan Toye eased the Innishowen side five in front again from a free in the 7th minute as Eoin Lynott replaced Dannan O’Hara in the Naomh Comhghall side.
Slowly Barry Burns’ side began to get on top as they played some excellent football and Patchett struck a couple of superb frees to close the gap to three with 12 minutes remaining but there was a sense that they might need a goal if they were to overturn the Naomh Padraig lead.
Once again it was that man Toye who punished a misplaced kick-out to return between the posts and ease the increasing pressure that the Antrim town side were beginning to exert.
The Naomh Padraig defence was proving a difficult unit to break down however as they filed back in numbers to foil the increasing pressure and a Tom Patchett point from a mark was all that the Antrim champions could add.
Patchett’s point had it back to three again with two minutes remaining but despite a concerted effort it would be as close as they got with substitute Drew McKinney adding the insurance point for the Donegal men with virtually the last kick of the game.
A great fight-back from the Antrim champions who held a 100% record in league and championship going into this game but despite a massive second half effort it is the Donegal champions who go forward to contest the Ulster semi-final
Naomh Comhghall: Anthony Watson, Shane Og Gribbon, Cathal Donnelly, Caolan McKeown, Michael McCabe, James McCabe, Dannan O’Hara, Louis Higgins, Josh Henry, Joseph Webb, Patrick O’Connor, Dylan Murdock, Ryan Clarke, Miles Devine, Tom Patchett.
Subs: Eoin Lynott, Liam Phinn,
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Division 2 side Naomh Padraig, Uisce Chaoin have been promoted to the Donegal Intermediate championship for the first time in their history after securing the Junior title with a solid win over fellow Inishowen side Carndonagh in O’Donnell Park.
It was a superb team effort from Daniel McCauley’s side with two first-half goals from Kevin Lynch and Caolan McColgan leading the way for the men in blue and gold in what was their first Donegal JFC final since 2016.
It was a dream start for the Naomh Padraig men with Kevin Lynch rattling the net in the opening two minutes of the match when Cormac McColgan floated in a super ball on top of the towering Lynch, who fetched with ease in the air resulting in a green flag being raised.
The long ball game was so clearly the target for the Naomh Padraig men, with Caolan McColgan benefitting from a score off a long kick-in from Johnny Toye, after the centre-back fired over a point of his own moments earlier.
By the 12th minute, Carndonagh had yet to come into the game as Naomh Padraig rattled off another three points, two from Lynch, who slotted over from two frees, while Oisin McIntyre hit the other leaving the score at 1-5 to no score, despite the Naomh Padraig side suffering a major blow when they lost their midfielder Eunan Mullan through injury.
The game was only swinging one way by the end of the first quarter, and it was for the men in blue and gold, with Caolan McColgan increasing his side’s lead with perhaps the score of the game which he hit over off his right, 45-metres out and under serious pressure from corner-back Eoghan Kelly.
The Carn men eventually hit their first point on the 19th minute when Conor O’Donnell led by example and split the posts to raise his side’s first white flag, but Cormac McColgan would follow suit for Naomh Padraig and hit another long-range point on an afternoon that was an example of long-range shooting at its finest.
Despite Carn’s best efforts, Naomh Padraig manager Daniel McCauley can take great satisfaction in how well disciplined and organised his side was in defence forcing Carndonagh down blind alleys and forcing shots wide.
Cian Doherty would find his side’s second point of the half, but half-forward Kevin Doherty replied for the Naomh Padraig men to keep his side well in front.
And it only got harder for Carn when in injury time, Toye won a turnover, charged down the pitch and perfectly placed it to Caolan McColgan who gave the goalkeeper no chance as he blasted to the net for his side’s second goal, which was followed by a second long-range score from Cormac McColgan who brought the half to a close on a 2-9 to 0-3 point scoreline.
The opening 10 minutes of the second-half would take a lull, with the only score coming from Carndonagh’s corner-back Daniel McDaid when hitting a fine score over from distance, but four wides inside the opening 10 minutes of the half, and seven in total, showed how far off they were from Naomh Padraig.
It would take until the 43rd minute for Naomh Padraig to hit their first point of the match when Rory Hirrell joined the scoresheet with a fine point of his own and they wouldn’t get another until 13 minutes later when Dermot Keaveney and Hirrell fired over back-to-back points.
But within that time Carndonagh didn’t do enough, with the men in green and red only hitting four more points with Anthony Doherty, Padraig Doherty with two, and James Monagle raising white flags, as Naomh Padraig celebrated a deserved win on an overcast day in O’Donnell Park.
Naomh Padraig, Uisce Chaoin scorers: Caolan McColgan 1-2; Kevin Lynch 1-2, 2fs; Cormac McColgan and Rory Hirrell 0-2; Kevin Doherty, Oisin McIntyre, Dermot Keaveney, and Johnny Toye 0-1 each.
O’Callaghan (both 39); Richie Cunningham for Feargal Doherty (45); Cathal Doherty for Cian Doherty (52);
Naomh Padraig, Uisce Chaoin: Oran McCauley; Cormac Kelly, Caolan Harkin, Darragh McIntyre; Michael McCarron, Jonathan Toye, Jason McCallion; Eunan Mullan, Cormac McColgan; Oisin McIntyre, Kevin Doherty, Rory Hirrell; Joe McCauley, Kevin Lynch, Caolan McColgan. Subs: Drew McKinney for Mullan (13); Ronan Hoy for McCauley (41); Dermot Keaveney for Kevin Doherty (55); Andrew McCarron for Caolan McColgan (60).
Naomh Padraig Uisce Chaoin v Naomh Comhghall Antrim
O’Donnell Park Letterkenny- Saturday 2-30pm
Antrim champions, Naomh Comhghall face a difficult opener when they travel to O’Donnell Park, Letterkeny on Saturday to face Donegal champions Naomh Padraig, Uisce Chaoin in the quarter-final of the Ulster Junior Football club championship.
The Inishowen men were mighty impressive in their win over Inishowen neighbours, Carndonagh in the Donegal final at Saturday’s venue, running out 2-12 to 0-8 winners to claim their first Junior title since 2016.
The Antrim town side will travel to Letterkenny with confidence however having enjoyed their best season for some time where they recorded a division 3 league and Junior Championship double.
Naomh Comhghall appointed Barry Burns as manager at the start of the 2024 campaign and under the guidance of the St. Paul’s man they have went through their league campaign with maximum points and carried that 100% record through their championship winning campaign.
Naomh Comhghall finished 8 points clear of Laochra Loch Lao in division 3 of the ACFL and carried that fine form into the championship where they recorded resounding wins over Eire Og, St. Malachy’s and Wolfe Tones before going on to defeat Pearses by 8 points in the semi-final.
St. Agnes had been setting the pace in Group 2 of the qualifiers and had 8 points to spare in their semi-final win over St. Malachy’s and were expected to provide St. Comgall’s with a stiff challenge in the final.
Antrim champions, Naomh Comhghall will be hoping to extend their unbeaten run when they travel to Letterkenny to face Donegal Champions, Naomh Padraig
A prolonged hail shower created pools of water on the surface prior to throw-in at St. Enda’s and both sides were forced to try their upmost to adapt.
St Comgall’s dealt with the elements better and survived a late scare to lift the Antrim Junior Football Championship, defeating St Agnes 0-09-1-03 on a wintry Saturday afternoon in Hightown.
Pre-game favourites St Comgall’s hit the front after Tom Patchett’s free dropped short, Miles Devine gathered and laid the ball to Patrick O’Connor to drop his shot over the bar.
St Agnes had one sole attempt on target in the opening half, though Ronan Carroll kicked his free wide.
It took Comgall’s until the 18th minute to double their advantage in the form of a Miles Devine point and he would double his individual tally moments later after exchanging passes with Ryan Clarke and bending his shot inside the posts.
Devine added a converted free before the break as his side were 0-04-0-00 ahead at the interval.
St Comgall’s extended their lead with three converted frees inside of the first six minutes of the second half.
Tom Patchett’s trusty left foot guided the first two over with Ryan Clarke kicking the other from close-range.
It took St. Agnes 47 minutes to register their first score but the Antrim Town men seemed to lose their way at this stage and had a man dismissed following a second yellow card
St Agnes’ took advantage of their numerical advantage from the resulting free that Colin Clarke floated into the rectangle and substitute Patrick Mulgrew’s fisted attempt saw the ball tail through a crowded goalmouth and into the net.
Naomh Comhghall held on to claim their first title in three years and will hope for a better surface on Saturday as they aim to get back to the form that has made them a formidable opponent this season.
Naomh Comhghall manager, Barry Burns
Barry Burns Interview
In the lead up to Saturday’s Ulster Junior Club championship meeting between St. Patrick’s of Donegal and Naomh Comhghall, Paddy McIlwaine of the Saffron Gael speaks to Naomh Comhghall manager, Barry Burns.
The St. Paul’s club man has transformed the Antrim town club since his appointment at the start of this year and Naomh Comhghall are unbeaten in League and championship as they recorded a famous League-Championship double this term.
Saffron Gael: Barry you have brought about a remarkable improvement in Naomh Comhghall this season culminating in a Division 3-JFC double. What do you put that improvement down to.
Barry Burns: The buy in from everyone, the players and people around the club too, the effort and commitment to train and develop was incredible from the start.
Saffron Gael: The last time Naomh Comhghall won the Junior Championship, they defeated Rasharkin in the final. I travelled to Clones on a Saturday night for the game against the Cavan Champions and was disappointed with the performance with Naomh Comhghall suffering a bad defeat. How confident are you that they can win Saturday’s game?
Barry: Hopefully they have learned a lot from that game but this is a different team from then with a different mind-set. We will give it everything and we hope that we can go and give a good performance, and if we play to our best you never know what can happen.
Saffron Gael: Who are the players within the Naomh Comhghall ranks who have been responsible for you success this season and can be leaders in Letterkenny on Saturday?
Barry: All of them, they have been pushing each other in every session. Some lads have come back after a few years away, and have performed like they have never been away.
Saffron Gael: What do you know about Saturday’s opponents and who are the players that you will have to keep an eye on if you are to overcome the challenge of the Donegal champions?
Barry: We have watched the county final and they are a serious team with a lot of talented players. We have good players too and we know what we need to do come Saturday, The boys just need to enjoy the game and play with no pressure and have fun doing it and see where that takes us.
Saffron Gael: Barry, tell me how the preparations have gone since the county final. Have you a clean bill of health.
Barry: Training is going well, the club have been very supportive in getting us the facilities to be ready. There is a good buzz about the club and town, and hopefully we’ll get a good support up with us in Letterkenny. Everyone is looking forward to the game and hopefully it goes our way.
