14-man Downings suffered a tough loss to Denn in the Ulster Junior Championship Final in Clones.
Na Dunaibh 0-10 Denn 3-08
A second yellow card for Danny McBride after 40 minutes meant the Donegal side would have to do it the hard way but two second half goals from Denn sealed the victory and their first Ulster Junior Championship.
Downings started well and were two points up after 5 minutes as Alan Pasoma and Lorcan Connor got the Donegal side into the lead.
The scoreline did flatter Downings however as Denn didn’t get off the mark until the 14th minute, registering fiver wides before finally getting their first score through a Cavell Keogan free.
Denn immediately took the lead as they won the kick out and raced forward. Brandon Keogan played in Sean Donohoe and he slotted the ball into the left corner, sending John McGroddy the wrong way. 1-01 to 0-02 at the water break.
Denn continued to dominate possession and continuously won the kick outs but couldn’t take advantage of their chances as they had just one score in the second quarter. Thomas Edward Donohoe picked the ball up from a 45 that dropped short by Cavell Keogan.
Johnny McGroddy got Downings back into it with two good scores in a minute as they got their first scores for over 20 minutes. One of the last kicks of the half saw McGroddy get his third point as the sides went in level at the break. 1-02 to 0-05. Denn with 9 wides in the first half.
Keelan McGroddy got Downings ahead quickly in the second half but Denn started to take their chances.
Thomas Edward Donohoe scored from a free and then pointed again from a smart quick taken free.
Danny McBride was shown a yellow card for pulling his man back. A superb save by John McGroddy from a Brandon Keogan shot kept Downings in it, Conaty slotted the rebound over the bar.
Things got worse for Downings as McBride was shown a second yellow as he caught Tomas Corr in the face. The man advantage told as Denn began to increase their lead. Cavell Keogan took his point as a goal chance was on and McCabe scored a brilliant point before the water break to give the Cavan men a four point lead 1-07 to 0-06.
Downings kept the press on and Denn brilliantly played out from the back and quickly caught their opponents out as James Brady coolly finished past McGroddy.
Connor scored his second free and Johnny McGroddy got his 4th point as Downings tried to come back but Denn continued to add to the scoreline.
Cavell Keogan again fisted over with a goal chance before he played in McSharry for an easy tap in to the net for their third goal of the game which sealed the victory.
Connor and Johnny McGroddy scored frees to make the scoreline look more respectable.
A fully deserved first Ulster Junior Championship for the Cavan side as they won 3-08 to 0-10
Denn: Conor Courtney; Leon Cobey, Tomas Corr, Michael Gaffney, Caolain McCabe, Oisin Kiernan, James Brady, Conor O’Reilly, Bernard Gaffney, Mark McSharry, Cavell Keogan, Sean Donohoe, Thomas Edward Donohoe, Ben Conaty, Brandon Keogan.
Subs: Owen Reilly for Brandon Keogan (52 mins), Andrew Cusack Smith for Cobey (55 mins), Conor Smith and Ian McCann for Cavell Keogan and Thomas Edward Donohoe (60 mins).
Na Dunaibh: John McGroddy, Johnny McGroddy, Hugo Davis, Ross Cullen, Kevin Doherty, Ben McNutt, Padraig McGinty, Oisin Boyce, Shane Boyce, James Lee McBride, Danny McBride, Keelan McGroddy, Alan Pasoma, Lorcan Connor, Tiernan McBride.
Subs: Gary McClafferty for Danny McBride (17 mins), Danny McBride for Pasoma (half-time), Ronan Gallagher for Oisin Boyce (45 mins), Kyle McFadden for Shane Boyce (47 mins).
