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Malin get second bite at the
cherry
28.08.08
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Malin...1-6 (Stephen McLaughlin 1-2, John G McLaughlin 2, William Logan 0-1, Gary Collins 0-1) Dungloe...0-9 (Sean Bonner 0-2; Stephen Flanagan; 0-2; Brendan McLaughlin 0-1; Brendan McGee 0-2; Mark Boyle 0-2) by Liam Porter, Inishowen Independent, at O’Donnell Park MALIN'S Reserves survived a late onslaught from Dungloe on Sunday to hang on to their championship hopes for this season following a dramatic and sometimes controversial quarter-final in O’Donnell Park, Letterkenny. The Inishowen side who had gone into the break with a four point lead, had Gerard Greene sent off late in the second half and from then on they had to cling on to earn a replay. Greene certainly appeared to have made contact with Dungloe’s Martin McGarvey in the 51st minute, but the Dungloe man who had been in the thick of a couple of skirmishes near the start of the half, certainly made the most of the contact. |
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The red card turned a tide
that had been turning in Dungloe’s favour into a torrent
that Malin struggled to hold back and had Stephen
Gallagher’s shot hit the net and not rattled the
underside of the crossbar as it did with a minute to go,
the outcome of the match might well have been different. It was all a far cry from the end of the first half when Malin seemed to be well in control, but the Inishowen side struggled to get the ball forward enough in the second half and only a combination of some good defending and poor finishing from Dungloe earned them the escape. Dungloe certainly started the game the brighter of the two sides and even though Stephen McLaughlin’s 2nd minute point cancelled out the opening score from Sean Bonner, it wasn’t long before Dungloe had stretched their lead. Stephen Flanagan pointed with a well-taken right foot strike and then a great cross field pass from Pauric Bonner set up Manus Brennan for a good point in the 7th minute. Bonner was causing Malin plenty of problems in the early stages, but with a number of wides and a number of |
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balls dropped into Ruairi
Kelly’s arms, the Dungloe men couldn’t make the early
possession pay. Instead as the half went on it was Malin who began to find their groove and when William Logan’s 14th minute free left just a point between the sides, Malin took the game by the scruff of the neck. Stephen McLaughlin’s fantastic run four minutes later carved open the Dungloe defence and despite being faced with a tight angle he coolly slotted under Jamie Sweeney for an excellent goal to put Malin ahead. Dungloe tried to hit back but in a half when they hit six wides and put the ball into Kelly’s arms four times, they never managed to add to their tally again before the break. In contrast Malin were growing in confidence and Stephen McLaughlin fisted over again from a tight angle in the 26th minute following a breath-taking move of eight passes that started deep inside their own half. At that stage Dungloe were being run ragged and Martin Ward’s strong run and shot eventually brought another score for Malin in the 30th minute. His shot saw the ball came off the post but luckily for Malin it fell to Gary Collins who slotted over and the Malin men went in at the break with a four-point advantage. Brendan McGee’s point from a free at the start of the start of the second half reduced that lead to three points and then a strong run from Mark Boyle finished with a fine point that saw just two between the teams inside the first five minutes of the half. Again Malin responded, John Gerard McLaughlin sticking over an excellent point when he ran on to a pass from Gerard McLaughlin but Dungloe came back again and Mark Boyle again fired over an excellent point. Excellent fielding from Conor Farren cut out a couple of Dungloe attacks and helped Malin press forward and again they raised the white flag in the 50th minute when John Gerard McLaughlin again fired over with a well taken right foot shot. A minute later Malin keeper Ruairi Kelly made a wonderful save, diving full length to palm away a goal bound shot from Sean Bonner. It was an inspirational stop and might have lifted the team to victory in the closing stages but the red card a minute later saw things swing Dungloe’s way. Brendan McGee pointed from a free in the 55th minute and when Gallagher rattled the bar with the goal at his mercy it looked as if Malin’s luck might hold out. But a fine point from Stephen Flanagan in the last minute and a point in injury time from Sean Bonner tied the game and left Malin pondering on why they didn’t start the second half the way they finished the first and no doubt Dungloe wondering what might have been the case had they not hit eleven wides and of course the crossbar in the second half. Malin: Ruairi Kelly, Darren Doherty, Neil McGilloway, Michael McLaughlin, John Gerard McLaughlin, Brendan McLaughlin, Gerard Greene, Conor Farren, Niall McLaughlin, Gary Farren, William Logan, Simon Ward, Gerard McLaughlin, Gary Collins, Stephen McLaughlin. Dungloe: Jamie Sweeney, Declan O’Donnell, Alan Boyle, Lawrence McDaid, Stephen Flanagan, Manus Brennan, Donal Rodgers, Stephen Gallagher, Mark Boyle, Mark Forker, Pauric Bonner, Sean Bonner, Martin McGarvey, Brendan McGee, Joe Sweeney. For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent. |
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