Naomh Conaill......0-9
Four Masters.....0-9
By Cronan Scanlon
DESPITE gale force winds and driving rain, Four Masters and Naomh Conaill played out an entertaining Division One relegation play off in MacCumhaill Park, Ballybofey yesterday afternoon.
After normal time, the two sides were locked at seven points a piece and the floodlights had to be switched on at the Ballybofey venue.
However, twenty wet and windy minutes of extra time later, the sides still could not be separated and will have to meet another day.
The Donegal Town men opened the brightest at the start of each half of normal time. However, the beaten County Finalists fought back bravely.
Despite relatively good underfoot conditions, the teams were up against it right from the start trying to cope with the strong winds and ball spillages were aplenty.
Yet, full marks must go to all players who did their best to serve up a ding dong encounter for the small band of brave supporters who huddled together at the back of the covered stand.
If it had not been so late in the season, this game would have more than likely been called off by Killybegs referee Jimmy White. Four Masters started the first half brightly and opened the scoring after just 30 seconds with a Conor McMonagle point from play. Daragh Gallagher and Brendan McDyre replied with two frees and their only score of the half from play after Dermot Molloy scored a fine point from 30 metres.
Four Masters other two scores came from the boot of Michael Doherty (free) and a wonderful point from County star Barry Monaghan. The low-scoring first half ended 0-3 each.
Again, Four Masters were the first out of the blocks and a fine move was finished off nicely by Luke Keeney to nose the Donegal Town men in front. Michael Doherty added another from a free, however, second half sub Johhny McLoone sent over a wonderful score from the outside of his left boot.
At this stage, Four Masters started to get a grip of the game helped by another Dara Gallagher free and a wonderful 45 which the same player kicked from the ground.
Oisín McGinty capitalised from a mix-up in the Glenties defence to tap over and level the scores at six points each in the 46th minute.
Brendan McDyer nosed Glenties in front with a fine effort from the outside of the left boot, however with five minutes left on the clock,
All-Star Karl Lacey levelled the match with a great score from play.
MacCumhaill Park was lit up for extra time and in the first minute County keeper Paul Durkan plucked another high ball out of the sky while under serious pressure.
Four Masters could have taken the lead in the third minute but substitute Rory O'Donnell's effort came back off the post. A minute later and Eoin Wade was in on goal at the other end, however, as the towering Durkan came off his line, Wade opted to fist the ball over the bar.
O'Donnell did get on the scoresheet to level for the Donegal Town men with a wonderful point from a seemingly impossible angle to leave the score eight points each.
Barry Monaghan nosed Four Masters in front again with a good score from play. However, with two minutes left on the clock, Anthony Thompson earned Naomh Conaill a deserved reply with another fine point from play.
Naomh Conaill: Conal McLoone, Eoin Wade (0-1), Ciaran O'Boyle, John McKenna, Thomas Donoghue, Anthony Thompson (0-1), Leo McLoone, Jim McGuinness, Martin Reagan, Seamus Corcoran, Dara Gallagher (0-3, 0-2f, 1 45'), Martin Boyle, Brendan McDyre (0-2, 1F), Dermot Molloy (0-1) and AJ Gallagher. Subs Used: Stephen McGrath for Conal McLoone (injured), Johnny McLoone (0-1) for AJ Gallagher and Leon Thompson for Corcoran.
Four Masters: Paul Durkan, Davey Crawford, Damian Cassidy, Danny McGarrigle, Conor Rooney, Shane Carr, Sean O'Kennedy, Karl Lacey (0-1), Barry Monaghan (0-2), Oisín McGinty (0-1), Michael Doherty (0-2, 1f), Don Monaghan,Conor McMonagle (0-1), Joel Carr and Luke Keeney (0-1). Subs used: Rory O'Donnell (0-1) for McGinty, Benny Cassidy for McMonagle, Ryan O'Donnell for Karl Lacey and Joyce Lacey.
