St EUNAN’S are back in the Under-21 ‘A’ Championship final after a 13-point semi-final win over Four Masters.
St Eunan’s 3-11 Four Masters 0-7
By Chris McNulty at O’Donnell Park
Eoin McGeehin netted twice in the first half and a late Brian McIntyre penalty gave the Cathedral Town men a routine passage into the final
McGeehin’s brace of goals in the first half steered St Eunan’s – who were without Donegal senior ace Niall O’Donnell – to a comfortable win.
St Eunan’s had a lopsided win over Glenfin in last year’s final and the holders eased back to the final as McIntyre found the bottom corner from a 54th minute penalty.
St Eunan’s had signalled their intent eight days previously when recording an 18-point win over Aodh Ruadh. Their 3-17 to 0-8 win in Ballyshannon was a sure sign of their calibre – and the wasted no time in getting off and running here.
Just six minutes in, Eoin McGeehin drilled to the top corner. McGeehin’s goal opened up a 1-2 to no score lead.
Any hopes of a Four Masters comeback were extinguished when St Eunan’s bagged a second goal on 16 minutes.
Niall O’Donnell was absent as he is on holiday, but his absence didn’t derail his side.
This time, Kevin Kealy did the spadework and Conor O’Donnell provided a clipped pass for McGeehin. The on-song McGeehin spun and fired in to make it a nine-point game.
Four Masters, for their part, saw off Kilcar in their quarter-final as a Cian Hegarty goal secured a 1-8 to 0-7 win.
A successful Matthew McKenna free was the sole score for the Donegal Town representatives in the first half. That score, after eight minutes, was only doubled nine minutes into the second half when Shay Travers tucked over a free.
A tidy brace by Brian McIntyre, either end of Conor O’Donnell’s point, had St Eunan’s 2-7 to 0-1 ahead at the break.
Four Masters hit four-in-a-row at one stage in the second half, but St Eunan’s were already home and hosed. McIntyre stroked home a penalty just for confirmation.
St Eunan’s: Éoin O’Boyle; Séan Halvey, Darragh Toal, Anthony Gallagher; Peter McEniff (0-1), Aaron Deeney, Séan Ryan; James Kelly, Oisin Toal (0-1); Brian McIntyre (1-3, 1-0pen), Sean McGettigan, Kevin Kealy (0-1); Éoin McGeehin (2-2), Padraig McGettigan (0-2), Conor O’Donnell (0-1). Subs: Ronan McGeehin for P.McGettigan (40), Ciaran Moore, Sean Breen and Michael McGroary for Kelly, O’Donnell and Ryan (42), Oisin Purdy for McIntyre (55), Cormac Finn for O.Toal (57).
Four Masters: Éamonn Jordan; Aodhán McHugh, Cathal Canavan, James McHugh; Eoghan Corley, Brian Fegan, Richard O’Rourke; Oisin Reid, Neil Ward; Cathal Feeney, Jamie Crawford (0-1), Matthew McKenna (0-2f); Killian Faulkner, Cian Hegarty (0-1), Shay Travers (0-3, 2f). Subs: BP Gallagher for McHugh (half-time), Darragh Geary for Canavan (41), Odhrán Quinn for Feeney (48), Eoin Gorrell for Ward (55), Matthew Wilson for Faulkner (57)
Referee: Andrew Mullin (Killybegs)
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