Michael Murphy Sports & Leisure Donegal SFC final replay: Gaoth Dobhair 0-14 Naomh Conaill 1-11
THE Glenties are the dog that won’t die. They trailed for most of the second-half of normal time but found a way to squeeze another 20 minutes out of it.
Within five minutes in extra-time, they found themselves three down again, but clawed it back and were the side that led heading into stoppage time, only for Seaghan Ferry to repeat his Ulster final heroics from last year by landing a dramatic late leveller. With five starters over 30, logic would suggests the three-day turnaround to a third big game would be sorer on Naomh Conaill, but they don’t conform to logic.
A penalty awarded after Marty Boyle made a brilliant block from Kevin Cassidy, only to then touch the ball on the ground, was fired just over the bar by Odhrán MacNiallais. He and James Ó Baoill pushed the gap to three by the 65th minute but they were kept alive by a great score from Molloy and a late free by Eoghan McGettigan, as they trailed by two at the turnaround.
Gaoth Dobhair didn’t score again until the 72nd minute, with Ciaran Thompson, Eunan Doherty and Ethan O’Donnell turning the game on its head. But when everyone in MacCumhaill Park was ready to spontaneously combust, Gavin McBride kept his head and caught everyone out with a brave and precise pass from a free that set Ferry up to kick the last equaliser.
Wednesday night will separate them one way or the other.
MATCH STATS
Gaoth Dobhair: C Sweeney; D McBride, N McGee; S Ferry (0-1); N Friel, G McFadden, D Ó Baoill (0-1); M Carroll (0-1), E McGee (0-1); J Ó Baoill (0-1), O MacNiallais (0-6, 0-2 frees, 0-1 pen), N Ó Baoill; C Mulligan (0-2), K Cassidy, G McBride; Subs: E Collum (0-1 free) for G McBride (21), P McGee for D McBride (45), E Harkin for Collum (59), G McBride for Harkin (start of ET), D McBride for P McGee (start of ET); Yellow cards: G McBride (19), K Cassidy (24), E McGee (27), D McBride (35)
Naomh Conaill: S McGrath; U Doherty, AJ Gallagher, K McGettigan; E O’Donnell (0-1), A Thompson, E Wade; C Thompson (0-3, 0-1 free), L McLoone; B McDyer, E McGettigan (0-2 frees), E Doherty (0-2); J McKelvey (0-1), C McGuinness (1-0 pen), K Gallagher; Subs: M Boyle for AJ Gallagher (39), D Molloy (0-2) for Wade (45), D Gallagher for McGuinness (53), AJ Gallagher for McDyer (start of ET), B McDyer for McKelvey (70), J O’Malley for D Gallagher (79), A Thompson for U Doherty (80); Black card: K Gallagher (46), replaced by N Byrne; Yellow cards: C Thompson (16), AJ Gallagher (19), L McLoone (26), N Byrne (59)
Referee: J White (Killybegs)
Attendance: 3,500
