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Carn continues impressive run
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Aileach...2 (Declan O’Donnell 31, Gillespie 76) Carndonagh...3 (Hirrell 52 &55, Burke 80) By Simon McGeady, Inishowen Independent, at St Patrick’s Park CARNDONAGH kept up their impressive pre-Christmas run in the Premier Division with a come-from-behind win over Aileach at St Patrick’s Park on a chilly but calm afternoon on Sunday. This fixture was reversed to Carn after the referee took under advisement earlier in the day information about the condition of Aileach’s elements-vulnerable pitch. The home side took a little while to blow off the cobwebs after the festive break and it was Aileach who looked freshest in the opening exchanges. Nevertheless, Carndonagh came on strong at the start of the second half and threatened to run away with the game for a time before Aileach came back to finish strongly, requiring Carndonagh to score late on to secure their win. |
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Aileach attacker Enda
McDermott, dropping deep, showed some bright touches and
he combined with fullback Dermot Doherty inside two
minutes and the ball into the box from Graham Browne
just eluded Declan O’Donnell at the far post. Aileach broke clear again a couple of minutes later after another neat McDermott wide ball but this time Paddy Doherty slid in to bring the move to a swift conclusion. Carndonagh hinted at their quick-strike potential when, out of the blue, Cathal O’Kane clipped a through ball that Kevin Hirrell just failed to connect with. Cunningham looked vulnerable under the high ball in the first half, and on 22 minutes his weak punch fell to Damien Barr who could do no more than hack the |
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ball high and wide. That was the second time Cunningham had been let off the hook for a poor clearance and it was a case of third time unlucky for the Carn stopper on 31 minutes when a sweetly struck corner from the left by Dermot Doherty was punched back into the danger zone by the Carndonagh keeper to Declan O’Donnell who blasted a shot that struck the right hand post and rolled over the line before Aileach defender Cathal McEleney slid in to make sure. Carndonagh struggled to cope with Aileach’s aerial threat in the first half and Stephen O’Donnell continued to test the Carn rearguard at every dead ball opportunity. James Gillespie then played the ball over the top to Graham Browne but Cunningham was smartly off his line to make the save. Carndonagh came out with a renewed purpose in the second half and by the 55th minute they were in front. First, Kevin Hirrell acrobatically volleyed home from Darren Burke’s cross on 52 minutes, although Kevin McDermott almost pulled off an amazing save. Three minutes later Cathal Doherty played a good cross into the six-yard box that took out McDermott and Hirrell was left with a simple chance that he headed home. Carndonagh had their tails up at this stage and they should have had a third a couple of minutes later when Robert McCartney tricked his way past the Carn right-back and advanced along the byline before cutting the ball back to Hirrell but he was denied by McDermott from just three yards out. Aileach composed themselves and could have leveled on 64 minutes when Graham Browne played through Declan O’Donnell in the inside-left channel only for the Aileach goal-scorer to see his net-bound shot blocked by Cunningham’s trailing leg. At the other end, a fluid break ended when McDermott pounced to cut out Christy McLaughlin’s cross. In the 71st minute Aileach came agonizingly close to getting back on terms when Graham Browne superbly pulled down a dropping ball only to see his shot thwarted by Cunningham’s quick reactions. The loose ball rolled towards the Carn line and James Gillespie seemed certain to score but Paddy Doherty somehow cleared the danger first. Aileach’s second equalizer came with a quarter of an hour to go. Substitute Ciaran Craig had just missed a golden opportunity at the back post but this time the Aileach ball into the box was met with an assured finish, Gillespie skimming a header home from O’Donnell’s fine ball into the box. The game seemed to be winding down to a draw when Carndonagh sprung the Aileach offside trap in the 80th minute. With the black and yellow shirted defenders stepping up to the half way line, Hirrell seized on the chance to guide a low ball up the middle. Darren Burke ran onto the release pass and advanced on goal before dinking the ball over McDermott at the edge of the Aileach area. Aileach might have snatched a well deserved point a couple of minutes later when, following a throw down the Carn right, Thomas McMonagle picked out Gillespie at the back post and his volley would have crept in at the near post but Cunningham was on hand to make the stop and instead the ball slammed into the side netting. The home side will look to build on this win as they go into the final third of the season. This win was far from convincing and they will need to be much better if they hope to take anything from any of the top sides in the coming weeks. For Aileach, construction of their new facility cannot be complete soon enough. |
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Aileach Kevin McDermott, Dermot Doherty, Thomas McMonagle, Cathal McEleney, Seamus O’Donnell, Stephen O’Donnell, Damien Barr, James Gillespie, Graham Browne, Declan O’Donnell, Enda McDermott. Subs: Ciaran Craig for Declan O’Donnell (70). Carndonagh Richard Cunningham, Paddy Doherty, Sean McLaughlin, Cathal O’Kane, Christy Nelson, Robert McCartney, Niall McLaughlin, Cathal Doherty, Darren Burke, Kevin Hirrell, Christy McLaughlin. Subs: Niall McGuinness for Christy Nelson (HT), John Doherty for Kevin Hirrell (87). For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent. |
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