SEVEN POINTS FROM play from Niall Friel helped Gaoth Dobhair to a useful All-County Football League Division 1 win over Glenswilly this afternoon at Pairc Naomh Columba.
Glenswilly 2-13 Gaoth Dobhair 0-22
The home side were in the driving seat, it seemed, in the first half only to lose Michael Murphy to a knee injury as everyone in attendance at Paric Naomh Columba held their collective breath just three weeks before Donegal’s Ulster SFC semi-final against Tyrone.
Murphy was giving a domineering performance at centre-field and had just scored an excellent point on the run to put his team 1-4 to 0-2 up before having to go off on 17 minutes. The goal had come from a long ball into the square by Caolan Kelly on eight minutes, which was caught and scored on the turn by his brother Leon.
Donegal captain Murphy put in a strong shoulder challenge on Gaoth Dobhair’s Jamie Reynolds, who handled it well in the circumstances, but both players knees collided. Blame could not to apportioned in any way but it was Murphy who came off the worst and after being grounded, was helped from the field by his father Mick and Eddie Crawford.
The loss of their talisman certainly stunned the home team for a while. They were in a similar position in their last top flight outing – an away loss against Milford – when Neil Gallagher went off injured with a shoulder injury.
From Murphy’s withdrawal to the deep into injury time, Gaoth Dobhair outscored their hosts 0-9 to 0-1 to move into a 0-11 to 1-5 lead. Michael Carroll, Eamon Colum, Odhrán MacNiallais, Cian Mulligan, Friel and Jamie Reynolds were all on the scoresheet.
Glenswilly needed something and forged a lifeline for themselves in the fifth minute of first half injury time. A good move was constructed by Ciaran Bonner, Caolan Kelly and Caoimhin Marley, who set up Gary McFadden to tuck home at the near post.
Beforehand, Caolan Kelly had been denied a goal by a fine save from Charles John Doherty, the Gaoth Dobhair goalkeeper, with Kelly slapping the rebound off the post. Gary McFadden, prior to his goal, had almost flicked off the post from a Cathal Gallagher pass.
Adrian Glackin, the Glenswilly manager, might’ve thought the gods were conspiring against his team.
At half-time then, with plenty going on, the sides were level: Glenswilly 2-5 Gaoth Dobhair 0-11.
Mervyn O’Donnell, the Gaoth Dobhair manager, was dealt a blow at the interval when MacNiallais failed to reappear for the second half and sat in the dugout with an ice pack on his hamstring. He was soon joined by Neil McGee, the Donegal full-back, who walked off with a grimace on his face with a back spasm on 33 minutes.
McGee was treated on the sideline by Michelle Nugent, the Glenswilly physio who was double-jobbing.
Two Friel points and one from Carroll put Gaoth Dobhair three points in front at the early stages of the second half. However, Glenswilly kept plugging away and Ciaran Gibbons, Gary and Keelan McFadden and Ciaran Bonner pointed to level it up by the 45th minute, 2-10 to 0-16.
Glenswilly, for the most part, were chasing at this stage and their case wasn’t helped when Ciaran Gibbons was given a straight red card on 49 minutes for an off-the-ball incident.
Michael McKelvey, Friel and Prionnsais Ó Gallachoir pushed the lead out to three again for Gaoth Dobhair. And although Glenswilly would continue the chase until the bitter end, late scores from Mulligan, Colum and, of course, Friel, ensured the points were going west.
Glenswilly: Philip O’Donnell; Ruairi Crawford, Eamon Ward, Ryan Diver; Ciaran Gibbons (0-1), Joe Gibbons (0-1), Ryan Hunter; Caolan Kelly, Leon Kelly (1-0), Ciaran Bonner (0-2), Gary McFadden (1-4, 4fs), Cathal Gallagher (0-1); Oisin Crawford, Michael Murphy (0-1), Keelan McFadden (0-2). Sub: Caoimhin Marley for Murphy (17).
Gaoth Dobhair: Charles John Doherty; Gary McFadden, Neil McGee, Jamie Reynolds (0-1); Ryan Kelly, Niall Friel (0-7), Odhrán McFadden-Ferry; Michael Carroll (0-4, 1f), Odhrán MacNiallais (0-2,1f); Dáire Ó Baoill, Cian Mulligan (0-3), Naoise Ó Baoill; Eamon Collum (0-2), Eamon McGee (0-1), Michael McKelvey (0-1). Subs: Prionnsais Ó Gallachoir (0-1) for MacNiallais (half-time), James Boyle for N.McGee (33), Daniel McLaughlin for Collum (62).
Referee: Mark Dorrian (Gaeil Fhánada).
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