Adam Byrne’s late goal fired champions Glengad to a narrow win over Clonmany yesterday that takes the Crua men out on their own at the top of the Jackie Crossan Premier Division – but Aileach still have a game in hand.
Glengad United 1 Clonmany Shamrocks 0
Glengad dominated possession for most of the game but just when it looked as if they would not get the win they needed they scored in the 88th minute.
The first chance came on 15 minutes when James McKinney broke on the right and crossed to Stephen Mclaughlin whose effort was well saved by Patrick Harkin.
Clonmany replied with a Mark McLaughlin corner finding Gavin McDaid whose shot from eight yards cleared the crossbar.
On the half hour McLaughlin for the home side cut in from the right and his effort just shaved the outside of the post.
The best chance came on 36 minutes when Christopher McLaughlin broke and crossed for brother Stephen but his first time volley smashed off the bar.
They had another great chance when Patrick McDermott fed Shane Canning but his effort from the edge of the area was brilliantly tipped over by Harkin.
After the break a Stephen McLaughlin corner found John G McLaughlin who headed just wide. Clonmany spurned a great chance on 55 minutes when a Ferghal Harkin corner found Steve Harkin whose downward header was cleared off the line.
On 80 minutes Christopher McLaughlin found McDermott but he blazed over from eight yards. Glengad finally made the breakthrough after successive corners Adam Byrne rose highest to powerfully head home from eight yards.
QPS 1 Carn FC 1
Connor Barrow’s late equaliser snatched a point for Quigley’s Point Swifts in a tight game against Carn in Muff.
Played in good conditions, the first half was a largely scrappy affair with both sides sharing periods of possession but with few chances. Aaron McCarron and Brandon Browne had early speculative efforts easily dealt with by Point goalkeeper Oisin Burke. In the 23rd minute, the hosts had the first chance of the game when Connor Barrow played in Shaun Downey, but Downey was denied by a brilliant last-ditch tackle from Carn’s Michael O’Donnell when poised to shoot from eight yards.
Two minutes before half-time, Ronan Doherty almost gave the away side the lead but his well-struck right-footed effort from twenty yards sailed inches over the bar.
The Muff side started the second half brighter, and almost went ahead in the 57th minute.
Deaglan Bown’s excellent long cross into the Carn box was met by defender Jimmy Muir, but his goal-bound header was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Kyle Dougal.
The visitors took the lead against the run of play five minutes later.
A cleared free-kick dropped to Brandon Browne just inside the Point penalty area, and the midfielder’s quick pass fed Shane Doherty who beat the offside trap and tucked the ball neatly into the bottom-right corner of the net.
The hosts looked to hit back, and on 66 minutes Mickey Nicholas’s turn-and-shot from the edge of the area flew just over the bar. But Carn started to take control of the game, and should have added to their lead on 75 minutes when substitute Girts Dzerins scuffed the ball wide from eight yards after excellent play from O’Donnell on the left.
With two minutes of normal time left, Quigley’s Point found an equaliser. Nicholas’s shot from the edge of the box was blocked but the ball fell to Connor Barrow eight yards out, who lashed the ball home from eight yards.
Carn pressed for a late winner, and should have claimed all three points but substitute Cade Cooke missed two glorious chances to snatch victory.
First, Cooke was played through from a Shane Doherty pass but blasted the ball wide from ten yards.
Two minutes into injury time, Doherty once again played a great low ball from the right to Cooke, but he failed to connect with the ball from six yards with the goal gaping.
The hosts, who are already relegated, held on to claim their third draw of the season, while Carndonagh remain third from bottom.
