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Malin fall to St Michael's in
Buncrana
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St Michael’s...1-9 Malin...1-6 By Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent, at The Scarvey, Buncrana. A scintillating second half performance from St Michael’s captured the Division 1B Reserve title in Buncrana on Saturday afternoon. Trailing by 1-2 to 0-3 at half time, corner forward Raymond McLaughlin struck for a goal within two minutes of the restart and the Dunfanaghy men never looked back. This final was Malin’s first game in ten weeks, and their rustiness showed. St Michael’s looked good in defeating MacCumahill’s in the semi-final two days before Christmas and that game certainly stood to them. |
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It was also the third
meeting of the season between the teams, with Malin
winning both previous meetings, but finals are
considerably different from league encounters and so it
proved on Saturday. But it was Malin who had the better of things in the first half with Paul and Michael Doherty prominent in midfield. Full forward Conor Farren opened the scoring for the Inishowen men eight minutes in, before Stephen Doak forced the Malin defence into overcarrying and Raymond McLaughlin converted the first of his four pointed frees five minutes later. Malin were well on top but were struggling to turn their superior possession into scores. Indeed, they hit six first half wides to St Michael’s two. Malin’s Niall McLaughlin rose high to punch a long free over the bar midway through the half before a Ray McLaughlin free and great effort from Paul Baird under pressure on the right wing put St Michael’s 0-3 to 0-2 ahead. But the decisive score of the first half went to Malin. John Gerard McDaid broke a high ball down to Stephen McLaughlin who shot across Danny Sheridan and inside the left hand post for the game’s opening goal on 22 minutes. St Michael’s had something of a let off two minutes later when |
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McDaid punched to the net
but referee Seamus Bradley ruled the goal out for a
square ball. Malin squandered a number of other chances
but held a two point interval lead. The Dunfanghy came out with a different attitude in the second half and within three minutes of the restart led by 1-4 to 1-2. With an attack that started in the half back line, St Michael’s swept down the field and Stephen Doak fed Raymond McLaughlin for the latter to show good composure in side-stepping Malin keeper Ruairi Kelly and crashing a goal to the net. A minute later and Michael McGinley increased St Michael’s lead with a fine right footed effort from 30 metres. Malin introduced subs Paul McLaughlin and Robert Porter, with the latter scoring a good point with his first touch of the ball. |
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The accurate Raymond McLaughlin and Malin substitute
Matthew Byrne exchanged pointed frees before St
Michael’s all but sealed the win with four points in
five minutes from three different players. Raymond McLaughlin opened the scoring burst with a left footed point in the 51st minute before strong running from the impressive centre half forward Daniel McLaughlin, who held off the challenge from Michael Doherty, put St Michael’s 1-7 to 1-4 ahead. Stephen Doak followed up with a fine point from the left before Raymond McLaughlin scored his fifth point of the game, this time from a placed ball, in the 55th minute. With players unaccustomed to playing such an important match at this time of the year, many of them were succumbing to cramp throughout the second half. Three minutes from the end of normal time Brendan McLaughlin and Paul Doherty combined to feed Matthew Byrne and the sub somehow found enough space in the massed St Michael’s defence to shoot a point. |
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St Michael’s were defending
in numbers now as Malin desperately sought the goal that
would bring them back into it, but Gerard McLaughlin
dragged a low volley wide of the posts before Liam
Lafferty drove a free over the bar three minutes into
injury time in the last action of the game. St Michael’s: Danny Sheridan; Eamon McFadden, Neil Toye, Bobby Carey; Liam Paul Ferry, Ciaran Rodden, Andrew Kelly; Shane McFadden, Martin Breslin; Paul Baird, Daniel McLaughlin, Michael McGinley; Raymond McLaughlin, Stephen Doak, Ryan Langan. Sub: Brendan McGee for Bobby Carey (44 mins). Malin: Ruairi Kelly; Gerard Greene, Darren Doherty, Michael McLaughlin; Danny Greene, Brendan McLaughlin, Kevin McColgan; Paul Doherty, Michael Doherty; John Gerard McDaid, Liam Lafferty, Niall McLaughlin; Stephen McLaughlin, Conor Farren, Gerard McLaughlin. Subs: Paul McLaughlin for Stephen McLaughlin (34 mins); Robert Porter for Gerard Greene (35 mins); Stephen Grant for Kevin McColgan (51 mins). For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent. |
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