Molloy inspires Minors to victory
18.06.09
ESB Ulster Minor Football
Championship Quarter-Final
Donegal...0-14
(Ward 0-2; McEniff 0-4; Molloy 0-6; Doherty 0-1;
McBrearty 0-1)
Antrim...0-11
(McAnulty 0-2; McGrady 0-2; McGuinness 0-1; McGlone
0-1; Lynch 0-1; McNeill 0-2; Gallagher 0-1; Laverty 0-1)
by Liam Porter, Inishowen
Independent, at Páirc Sheáin MacCumhaill
ON A day that ended in bitter disappointment, there was
at least some good news for Donegal football supporters
on Sunday when the minors saw off Antrim’s challenge to
progress to the semi-finals against Down.
But Donegal didn’t make things easy for themselves and
the concession of a string of late frees could well have
changed the picture of this game had Antrim managed to
be more lethal in front of goal.
Instead the Antrim youngsters were left to rue ten wides
on the day, although to be fair to Donegal they defended
well in very difficult conditions late in the game and
Moville’s Enda Faulkner and Newtown’s Thomas McKinley
both worked very hard to keep the Antrim lads at bay. |
The finish was in start
contrast to Donegal’s blistering start and the home side
had three points on the board without reply in the first
six minutes as Antrim struggled to cope with their
fast-moving and free-flowing style of play.
Owen Ward had the flag raised within a minute, finishing
off some great work from Peter McGonagle who had surged
forward from midfield.
Then, the impressive Ciaran Greaney fed Michael McEniff
on the left and he set off on a strong run finishing
with a fine point from straight in front of goal.
McEniff was to cause the visitors all sorts of problems
in the first fifteen minutes, but in fairness they |
 |
seemed unable to cope with
any of the Donegal attackers.
Dermot Molloy who chalked up some amazing scores, took
the first of his tally with a free from 14 yards made it
0-3 for Donegal, and it might even have been more had
that free been properly given as a penalty following a
foul on Christopher Barrett.
McEniff then chipped in with two points in the space of
a minute, the first a fine effort from all of forty
yards and the second a fist over the bar following
another surging run at the heart of the Antrim defence.
Only seven minutes had elapsed at this stage and it
looked as if Antrim could be on a hiding to nothing but
slowly they worked themselves into the game after Hugh
McAnulty finally pointed for them with a free in the
14th minute.
A minute later Cormac McGrady also scored with a free to
reduce the Donegal lead to just four points and when
Christopher McGuinness reacted quickly to Charles
Gallagher’s palm down and turned to shoot over the bar.
But if Antrim thought the comeback was on they were
mistaken and Molloy scored a magnificent long-range
point to extend Donegal’s lead. Again Cormac McGrady
pegged Donegal back to four, but again Donegal tagged on
more scores, Owen Ward and Dermot Molly pushing Donegal
to nine points with just 26 minutes gone.
However Antrim, with an inspirational point from
half-back Thomas McGlone and another from Hugh McAnulty,
left just a kick of the ball between the sides at the
break.
A torrential downpour at half-time though changed
conditions drastically for the players in the second
half and the free-flowing football of the first half
never materialised in the rain of the second.
Hugh McAnulty was first to raise a flag, pegging
Donegal’s lead back to two points within two minutes of
the re-start, but Molloy finished off a fine move
started by Owen Ward to again leave three points between
the sides.
Eamon McNeill and substitute Patrick McBrearty traded
points before McNeill scored twice to leave just a point
between the teams and a possible shock on the cards.
However Donegal got the bit between their teeth again
and McEniff and then two points from Molloy, one
following a magnificent one-handed catch, extended the
Donegal lead once again.
Antrim kept pressing and were rewarded with a late point
from James Lafferty, but it was all too little, too late
and Donegal who will be thankful that Antrim were so
wasteful from the frees they had won, will know too that
their blistering start was probably enough in the end to
help them progress to face Down.
Donegal: Peter Boyle, Enda Faulkner, Peter
Devine, Sean O’Kennedy, Thomas McKinley, Cathal Elis,
Ciaran Greaney, Fiachra McGinley, Peter McGonagle,
Michael McEniff, Dermot Molloy, Christopher Barrett,
Jamie Doherty, Cory Gallagher, Owen Ward. Subs: Patrick
McBrearty for Doherty (39 mins); Luke Keeney for
Gallagher (47 mins); Owen Grant for Barrett (60 mins)
Antrim: Aidan McKeown, Stephen Tierney, Richard
Johnson, Fergal McGrenaghan, Justin Downey, Thomas
McGlone, James Laverty, Diarmuid Quinn, Ronan Maguire,
Christopher McGuinness, Charles Gallagher, Stephen
Tully, Cormac McGrady, Hugh McAnulty, Eamon McNeill.
Subs: Declan Lynch for McGrady (half-time); John Carran
for McNeill (59 mins)
For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the
Inishowen Independent. |
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