Kilcar.............0-06
Dungloe.........2-06
By Aidan O'Donnell
Dungloe maintained their division one status for one more year after they defeated Kilcar in a relegation play-off in tricky conditions at Convoy on Saturday lunchtime.
Adrian Sweeney was a dynamo and primary architect for Dungloe, carving countless openings for others to go along with the four points he posted over the course of the afternoon himself.
The first five minutes of the game set a bleak tone for what the rest of the afternoon might hold with thundering rain and wind battering across the Convoy pitch which to be fair held up extremely well.
The weather did dwindle somewhat as the first half progressed and after several miscues from either side; Adrian Sweeney pointed the games first score from the left hand side.
Three minutes later, Kilcar restored parity with a converted free from Ashley Carr before a Glenn McBrearty free on eleven minutes put them into an outright lead.
The game started to lose its shape with the conditions making handling, bouncing and every other fundamental aspect, extremely complex. The first break in the game then came on the nineteenth minute when a high shot sent post-bound by Adrian Hanlon dropped short of Eamonn McGinley's goal.
Unfortunately, the Kilcar stopper could not claim the slippery ball and Doalty Boyle, opportunistically, glided in to dispatch the loose ball into the empty net.
A pointed free a minute later from Adrian Sweeney gave Dungloe further breathing room before another slice of luck ran horribly against John McNulty's side.
As the ball broke from midfield, Adrian Hanlon thundered toward goal before unleashing a rapturous bullet that crashed against the upright only to see the ball still end up in the back of the net courteous of a deflection off the back of Kilcar defender Stephen Shovlin who was helpless in preventing the ball from going over the line.
Michael Molloy pulled a point back for Kicar with yet another free this time way out on the left. Michael Hegarty then closed out the half with a beautiful curling effort that sailed gloriously over the bar, despite the best attentions of Jamie Sweeney.
There was little between the sides going in at the break other than the fact Dungloe were extremely opportunistic in the chances that fell their way – at a time when Kilcar were on top and in control of the game.
Dungloe, though, knew that the conditions would restrict the game from being any way of a high scoring affair and with two goals in the bag had the perfect game plan for the second half that ultimately the men from the Southwest could not quite get to grips with.
They did, though, have their chances again in the second half and had they shown the same kind of economy as their counterparts, the outcome may have been very different.
After Michaal Molloy had given his side the perfect start to the half with a point inside a minute of the restart, Kilcar passed up an amazing goal chance that had they scored would have levelled the game.
After a bit of a mess inside the Dungloe twenty metre line, Glenn McBrearty found an unmarked Noel Hegarty with only Ciaran Sharkey in goal to beat but his shot lacked conviction and more importantly the right sort of direction to beat the custodian who just had to stand up.
A string of points from Adrian Sweeney, Adrian Hanlon and Noel McBride extended Dungloe's lead to six as the game entered the last quarter of an hour.
Both sides then had simple chances to find the back of the net with Ashley Carr taking the wrong option in front of goal while Adrian Hanlon had an effort saved well by Eamonn McGinley.
Hanlon was again presented with a chance to score a goal when McGinley hacked down Dungloe sub, Gerard Walsh. Hanlon, though, could only blaze his penalty aimlessly wide of the post with McGinley diving the right way anyhow.
Adrian Sweeney scored Dungloe's last score of the game six minutes from time as his side began to draw the shutters down on their days work. Kilcar, though, weren't quite finished and passed up another half chance for a goal when Mark McHugh had a shot saved by Sharkey.
Ashley Carr added the last point of the game to leave the two first half goals all that separated the sides at the finale.
Kilcar must now await the winners of the replay between Naomh Conaill and Four Masters who played out a draw in MacCumhaill Park yesterday.
Kilcar: Eamonn McGinley; Aonghus McFadden, Barry McGinley, Stephen Shovlin; Patrick Gallagher, Noel Hegarty, Pauric Carr; Michael Hegarty (0-01), Mark McHugh; Glenn McBrearty (0-01, 1f), Ciaran McGinley, Conor McShane; Michael Molloy (0-02, 2f), Barry Doherty, Ashley Carr (0-02, 1f). Subs: Barry Shovlin (B. Doherty, 47 mins), Luke Carr (B. McGinley, 52 mins), Kevin Campbell (Molloy, 56 mins).
Dungloe: Ciaran Sharkey; Alan Boyle, Jamie Sweeney, Colin McCarron; Gavin Ward, Mark McPaul, Doalty Boyle (1-0); Ray Sweeney, Noel McBride (0-01); Mark Sweeney, Adrian Sweeney (0-04), James Boyle; Cory Gallagher, Adrian Hanlon (0-01), Damian Hanlon. Subs: Mark Forker (McPaul, 36 mins), Gerard Walsh (J. Boyle), Benny McGarvey (D. Hanlon). Other goal came via a Stephen Shovlin own goal.
Referee: Paddy McBride (Downings)
