CULDAFF Reserves edged out Clonmany Reserves in a pulsating FIFTEEN-GOAL classic in the Inishowen Engineering Division Two B today.
Clonmany Res 7 Culdaff Res 8
Jack McLaughlin scored four goals, including a 27-minute hat-trick in a free-scoring game.
Culdaff took an early lead in the second minute when Jack McLaughlin beat Clonmany’s offside trap and raced through to slide the ball to the net past Cillian McCarron.
He made it two-nil to Culdaff in the 7th minute when he shot early from wide on the right, 25 yards from goal, beating a stranded Cillian McCarron.
Clonmany pulled a goal back a minute later when they were awarded a penalty for a trip in the box and Michael Devlin dispatched it to the bottom left hand corner despite Dermott Callaghan’s dive.
Culdaff scored their third goal in the 20th minute after Sean McGrenaghan controlled a pass on the right of the box and drilled a low shot into the bottom right hand corner of the net.
Jack McLaughlin completed his hat-trick in the 27th minute when he connected with Conor Doherty’s cross from the left at the back post to send it to the net.
Clonmany scored their second after Michael Devlin closed down a Culdaff defender as they played it out from the back and strode through to score despite Dermott Callaghan getting a hand to his shot.
Culdaff ended the half strongly and scored two goals in three minutes before the break, first Jack McLaughlin picked off a loose pass across the Clonmany backline and charged through to finish coolly past Cillian McCarron.
With Clonmany rattled after this goal they conceded possession too easily before half-time, allowing Sean McGrenaghan to race through and score their sixth.
Clonmany used half-time to regain their composure and started the second half brightly and had an appeal for a second penalty waved away in the 52nd minute whilst Culdaff played on and raced away for Jack McLaughlin to drive a shot to the net past Cillian McCarron to make it seven two with Clonmany still protesting about the offence at the other end.
Clonmany perhaps used this to score the next two goals, firstly Thomas Comiskey lobbed Dermot Callaghan from 25 yards out before then he got on the end of Michael Devlin’s cross from the left side of the box on the hour.
Michael Devlin scored his third of the game in the 69th minute from the penalty spot after a collision in the Culdaff box.
He drove this one low to Dermot Callaghan’s right despite Dermott guessing correctly it was too well placed to reduce the deficit to seven five.
Culdaff won a penalty of their own two minutes later after Sean McGrenaghan was fouled in the box but despite McGrenaghans effort being well placed Cillian McCarron spread himself well to get his hand to the ball to turn it round the foot of his left hand post.
It was a short reprieve for Clonmany as Culdaff scored their eighth goal in the 72nd minute when they held onto possession from the resulting corner kick and worked the ball to Conor Doherty who curled a shot into the bottom right corner of the net, with Cillian McCarron unable to see it until too late.
Clonmany scored their sixth in the 85th minute when Mark Kelly set up Michael Devlin for his fourth of the match with shot from eleven yards out beating Callaghan.
In the final minute Clonmany scored their seventh from a David McGonigle corner from the right was headed to the net by Keane Devlin to end this free scoring affair.
