Ros Comáin 2-9
Dún na nGall 8-9
(Dr Hyde Park)
The Donegal under 20s bounced back from their defeat to Mayo in Ballina last Sunday to blast past Roscommon with a clinical display of finishing to the net. It was evenly balanced for the first ten minutes as the sides matched each other quick-fire point for quick-fire point to leave it 0-4 apiece after nine minutes. Conor O’Donnell hit Donegal’s fifth from a free in the tenth minute but this time Roscommon’s response drifted wide, the first of the match, and from the kick-out a sweet and seamless passing movement involving nine players ended with Colin McFadden firing to the net. Two minutes later Paddy Dolan had netted again for the O’Donnell County and the Roscommon resistance melted. At the break the visitors were eight points up 2-7 to 0-5.
The second half started slowly as again the teams traded points but not as frantically and approaching the end of the third quarter Roscommon had slightly narrowed the gap 2-8 to 0-8. Then Donegal were awarded a penalty, Paddy Dolan converted but it was another five minutes before the score fest began with 7 goals in the last ten minutes. The first was for Mark McAteer, who had just entered the fray, McFadden followed with a point, Roscommon goaled directly from the kick-out and Donegal repeated the trick as McAteer goaled again to make it 5-9 to 1-8. Within another minute he completed his hat-trick and was angling for a fourth when Donegal got another penalty but Paddy Dolan stepped up and converted as the score moved from 3-8 to 0-8 in the 20th minute to 7-9 to 1-8 by the 25th. The match calmed down for the next five minutes and in added time Roscommon goaled again but Donegal corner back Shane Gillespie got in the scoring spree as he netted for the final goal of the game. Lán ama, Ros Comáin 2-9, Dún nan Gall 8-9.
Next up Donegal take on Tír Eoghain in Brewster Park in the curtain-raiser to CLG Dhún na nGall’s Ulster SFC quarter-final idir Fear Manach on May 26th. This will be the third and final game of the Round Robin section of the Philly McGuinness Cup and a must win if they are to have a chance of progress to the final. The only blot on Donegal’s day was an injury to midfielder Ronan Docherty from Baile na nGalloglach – hopefully he will recover for the championship at end-June.
Roscommon: Michael O’Donnell, Darren Duff, Jack Keane, Enda Killoran, Sean Hanly, Michael Conroy, Ryan O’Donoghue, Dylan Summer, Thomas O’Rourke, Ronan Dowd, Paul Carey, Conor Flynn, Peter Gillolly, Dylan Ruane and James Fitzpatrick.
Donegal: Eoin O’Boyle, Shane Gillespie (1-0), Jack McKelvey (0-1), Peter McEniff, Shane O’Donnell, Seamus Óg Byrne, Niall Hannigan, Ronan Docherty, Paddy Dolan (3-2, 2 pen), Luke Gavigan (0-2), Colin McFadden (1-1), Peadar Mogan, Jack McSharry, Conor O’Donnell (0-2, 2f) and Ryan Cunningham (0-1). Subs used: Ryan McMahon, Mark McAteer (3-0), Ryan Statham, Keelan McGroddy, Anthony Diver and Oisin Kelly.
Donegal u-20s, before Roscommon game
