Match Reports Sunday 10th December
Oscar Traynor Inter League Trophy
Inishowen League 2
Donegal League 0
Inishowen have taken a healthy advantage into their second leg play off after a scintillating first half display at a cold but calm Caratra Park on Saturday evening.
Inishowen started at a blistering pace and in the opening 3 minutes had three attacks which yielded half chances but not goals. Terence Doherty released Brendan McLaughlin on the left and his low cross was well cut out by keeper Michael Mullin before McLaughlin got on the end of a Matthew Byrne cross but headed over from a good position. Finally after another quick attack a Matthew Henry cross was headed out by the Donegal defence to Adam Byrne who fired over on the half volley. It was no surprise Inishowen took the lead on 5 minutes when Matthew Byrne won a great tackle on the left and fed Kieran McDaid and the Buncrana Hearts dynamo ran from half way into the area before checking back and firing past Mullin from twelve yards for a superb opener. On 15 minutes Henry fed Doherty who laid the ball back for McLaughlin and his well hit effort whistled just past Mullin’s left hand post. In a rare foray forward JP Malley got clear on the right and his cross found Gareth Colhoun who volleyed into the ground and well wide. Inishowen resumed their attacks and when McDaid broke on the right his cross found Doherty who held off the initial challenged and fired into the side netting from close range. On 25 minutes brilliant footwork by McDaid took him past two defenders and along the byeline before his pull back was hammered over his own bar by a defender. Inishowen then increased their lead on 29 minutes when after a period of pressure great footwork inside the area by Brendan McLaughlin ended with a sublime chip over Mullin and into the roof of the net from fifteen yards. Inishowen kept pressing to the break but failed to create much. The second period was a much tougher closer encounter with the introduction of Caolan McDaid giving Donegal some forward momentum without creating any clear chances. Inishowen started well and in a swift move Doherty laid the ball back to Dillon Ruddy whose crisp twenty five yards effort flew just past the top corner. On the hour mark Donegals best moment came when Daniel McHugh cut in from the right and unleashed a curling left footed effort which Dillon Doherty fingertipped to safety. Inishowen lost some of their fluidity in the final half hour and although they had plenty of forward momentum their final ball let them down too often. Both Henry and substitute Conor Barrow delievered superb deep crosses late in the game but they went a begging on each occasion. Donegal for their part kept pressing but the Inishowen defence of the Byrne brothers, Thomas McMonagle and captain John G McLaughlin stood really firm. The result gives Inishowen every chance of progressing in the second leg where an away goal could really be crucial.
Inishowen Oscar Traynor Team (Photo’s Courtesy of Herbie Barr)
Donegal Oscar Traynor Team
SUNDAY 10th DEC
Strand Hotel Division One
Buncrana Res 2
Cockhill Youths 2
Cockhill can feel justifiably very disappointed not to have taken all three points from this match, but despite their dominance they had to wait until the dying minutes to get a draw.Cockhill started brightly and within the first ten minutes created two good half chances for Kevin Mc Daid but he was unable to convert under pressure Buncrana’s defence. Slowly but surely Buncrana started to gain a foothold in the match and on twenty nine minutes Adam Doherty latched on to a long ball out of defense, and from the halfway line ran at the heart of the Cockhill defence holding off several defenders before losing the ball inside the penalty area. Cockill could only partially clear the ball and it fell to Gerard Boyle on the edge of the penalty area and he scored despite keeper Caldwell’s great effort to turn the ball round the post. Cockhill responded immediately and within a minute Michael Noone was denied an equalizer by the post as a static Buncrana defence looked on. From here on until halftime Cockhill, driven on by Christy Duffy in midfield, dominated possession ant territory and on thirty nine minutes it was Noone again who came close to equalizing.
The second half stared as first finished with Cockhill on top and on forty eight minutes, from a Cockhill corner, Sean Donaghey seen his shot saved by Hearts keeper O’ Sullivan. Again Hearts got a toe hold in the game and on fifty seven minutes Pat Loughrey and Paul Mc Daid combined down the left which set Loughrey free but his inviting cross somehow managed to evade Doherty and Boyle with only Caldwell to beat. Cockhill got their deserved equalizer five minutes later when from a well worked corner Michael Noone’s cross was headed home by Sean Donaghey. Cockhill continued to press but somehow a shakey Buncrana defence held out and with five minutes to go Oisin O’ Flaherty broke through the Cockhill defense and his goal bound shot could only be diverted into the path of Mark Mc Fadden to give Hearts a seemingly winning lead. But Cockhill never gave up and when Conor Allen was sent free down the right wing his cross to the back post was met by an unmarked Sean Donaghey to head home his and Cockhill’s second of the match. With only a minute left on the clock Hearts managed to hold on for a very fortunate draw.
Inishowen Engineering Division Two 
Culdaff Res 3
Illies Res 1
Culdaff opened the scoring on 13 minutes after Matthew Mullarkey released Aiden Cunningham who rounded keeper Kevin Gallagher and with defenders on the line fired in off the post. Minutes later they went close after a Jack McLaughlin cross was flicked on by Mullarkey to Cunningham but Gallagher made a superb save low to his left. Illies replied with Liam Grant running at the home defence before he fired over the bar from the edge of the area. Midway through the half the home side increased their lead when Mullarkey headed a deep Jack O Brien corner to the roof of the net. Before the break McLaughlin had a shot bloked before Cunningham was denied by Gallagher and Mullarkeys third attempt was cleared off the line. Two minutes after the restart Shane Devlin dispossessed a defender and ran in to fire past Daniel Mullarkey. On 67 minutes a Jack McLaughlin free played to Jack O Brien and his effort took a deflection on its way past Gallagher to make it three one. Minutes later a long ball came off a home defender to Adrian Donaghey Doherty but Mullarkey smothered well at his feet. At the other end Mullarkey fed Paddy McCarron whose effort was parried by Gallagher but Mullarkey following up fired wide. The final effort came from the home side when a Ben Curley effort rebounded to McCarron who with his back to goal hooked it goalwards but Gallagher tipped onto the bar and was cleared.
Cockhill Res 4
Dunree Res 1
Cockhill started this reversed fixture well forcing the first opportunity
of the match when a Ryan Mallett shot was blocked by Frank Kelly.
There were few clear but chances early in the first half and Dunree were next to threaten when Brian Murray found space outside the box and was unlucky to see his shot go narrowly wide. Midway through the first half Cockhill made some sustained pressure finally
count and took the lead when a quick break saw Tristan Donaghy link up well to set up Gary Breslin who finished well from just inside the box with a fine left foot strike past Philip Doherty. Cockhill saw out the rest of the half to lead one nil at the interval with little real chances for either side. Dunree started the stronger of the two sides in the second half. Brian Murray almost broke through the Cockhill defence but was tripped on the edge of the box. Marty McDermott took the free kick and was unlucky to see his fine effort crash off the bar. That effort seemed to waken Cockhill up who began to pile on the pressure as the second half went on and made it two nil on 60 minutes when another good quick break saw the same combination with Tristan Donaghy setting up Gary Breslin to slot home with his right foot past Philip Doherty for the second time from six yards out.
Cockhill all but put the game to bed shortly after when Gary Breslin got his hat-trick with 20 minutes to go. An excellent forward pass from Mark Gillespie gave Gary Breslin something to attack and he made no mistake with a well placed header from ten yards to make it three nil to Cockhill.Dunree fought back well after that and were again unlucky when a Marty McDermott free kick hit the bar from all of thirty yards. Cockhill finally made the points safe with 10 minutes to go. Darragh McDermott closed down a defender, catching him in possession to win the ball and made it four with a cool lobbed finish from 35 yards out over Philip Doherty.Dunree had the last chance of the match and found a way past the Cockhill defence who switched off allowing Jason Spence to finish well past Gary Robinson for a late consolation.