Donegal Senior Football Championship final: St Eunan’s, Letterkenny 1-13 Dungloe 1-10
ST EUNAN’S dealt with conceding a mystery injury-time penalty by finishing with an impressive flourish to clinch the Dr Maguire Cup for the 16th time and edge ahead of Gweedore as Donegal’s most successful club.
The Letterkenny side went into this final as overwhelming favourites but there was nothing between the sides until they pulled away in the final minutes of a nip-and-tuck, often scrappy affair.
Undermined by their poor shooting – particularly in the first half – Dungloe hung in there and grabbed a late lifeline when, with Ryan Connors about to take a free, referee Ryan Walsh awarded them a penalty for an off-the-ball incident. Connors scored to level it but Eunan’s reacted brilliantly with the last three points of the game to win the title for the first time since 2021.
“I was chatting to the lad it was given against (Aaron Deeney) and he said he put his hand on the lad’s stomach and the ref gave a penalty,” said a relieved but disgruntled Eunan’s manager Barry Meehan.
“It was an outrageous decision. It brought them right back into the game. However, our boys dug deep and showed massive resilience and I’m so proud of them for that. When something like that (the penalty) happens it usually wrecks your day but fortunately our lads are strong characters.
“Stuff like that has happened to them before in this county and it’ll probably happen again but our boys are starting to deal with it and I’m so proud they didn’t wilt. Some of the decisions that have been given against us this year have been absolutely atrocious. Other than that he (Walsh) had a good game but it was a crazy decision.”
All’s well that ends well for the Donegal champions who now meet the Tyrone winners (Trillick or Errigal Ciaran) in the Ulster Club Championship.
Meanwhile, Dungloe – intermediate champions just two years ago – will lick their wounds and hope to go a step further next year.
“Nobody gave us a chance but we came here believing we were going to win,” said manager Dessie Gallagher.
“We put it up to St Eunan’s and I think we left it behind us in the first half (seven missed chances).
“They got a goal off the post which was at a bad time for us because we needed to get a had of them to win it – we were there or thereabouts but the goal off the post was probably the big score in the game.”
The throw-in was the first in a series of frantic battles but Dungloe came away with the ball. Conor O’Donnell senior (one of three players of that name on the field) had the first shot but it was partially blocked by Darragh Mulgrew and was the first in a series that fell short.
With Niall O’Donnell at full-forward, Eunan’s tried to get the ball in quickly but the Dungloe defence stood firm and Aaron Neely gave the underdogs the lead after eight helter-skelter minutes.
Eunan’s were quickly back on terms when Conor O’Donnell junior (no relation to his namesake ‘senior’) split the posts from the right.
There was no shortage of effort but the quality in front of the posts was lacking as Matthew Ward scuffed a mark wide (Dungloe’s fifth miss which was a luxury they couldn’t afford) and the game reached the end of the first quarter with only two scores on the board.
Dylan Sweeney finally broke the deadlock with a sliderule finish and again Eunan’s replied immediately as Pauric Boyle’s effort just had the legs to scrape over the bar.
Burly full-forward Conor Greene landed a mark to send Dungloe back in front but, after Shane O’Donnell had skipped past two defenders, Ciaran Moore’s superb finish levelled a game that was settling down
The tit-for-tat sequence continued when Ryan Connors kicked a free and again Eunan’s replied, this time through O’Donnell junior after another Shane O’Donnell run had drawn a free from the Dungloe rearguard. Eunan’s packed the square and kept possession but the ball never went in and the Dungloe faithful roared as their side won it back.
It was quickly lost again but Boyle’s shot landed short and then Moore blazed wide when he had time to do better. Dylan Sweeney dropped two shots into Shaun Patton’s arms before the players ran in level (0-4 apiece) at the interval.
Dungloe goalkeeper Danny Rodgers’s sweet strike sent a long-range free over the black spot to give his club the lead after a foul at the throw-in and Shane O’Donnell’s miss meant Eunan’s had passed up four opportunities since their last score.
Defensively, Dungloe were solid and Eunan’s sub Eoin McGeehin was crowded out as he shaped to shoot but Boyle was fouled and Niall O’Donnell, now operating as midfield, levelled it for the fifth time.
Niall O’Donnell won the kickout and, after his shot hit the upright, Boyle reacted quickest. He played in O’Donnell junior who poked the ball into the net to give Eunan’s the lead for the first time.
At the other end, Dungloe’s frustrating inconsistency continued. Connors missed a straightforward free and Darren Curran dropped (another) shot short but Connors scored from his next try and Rodgers’ second long range effort meant there was just a point in it midway through the half.
Donegal senior star Moore showed a glimpse of his quality to double Eunan’s lead and Niall O’Donnell did likewise when he grabbed a break and curled the ball over from the left wing.
Sweeney pulled one back to leave two in it (1-7 to 0-8) as the final 10 minutes began.
Aaron Deeney extended the Eunan’s lead and then Greene and O’Donnell junior and Barry Curran and Kieran Tobin traded points before controversy erupted.
As Connors prepared to take a free, referee Walsh spotted a Deeney foul on Shaun McGee and awarded Dungloe a penalty.
Injury-time had begun when Connors stepped up to take it and he stroked it calmly to Patton’s right to level the game.
But there were five minutes of injury-time still to play and Eunan’s responded brilliantly. They attacked from the kickout and, after Niall O’Donnell was awarded a softish free, O’Donnell junior tapped it over. Moore added another and, with seconds remaining, McGeehin got his name on the scoresheet to seal a dramatic win for the Letterkenny club.
St Eunan’s: S Patton; A Deeney (0-1), C Morrison, C Ward; D Mulgrew, C O’Donnell snr, K Tobin (0-1); E Dowling, J Kelly; C Moore (0-3), S O’Donnell, C O’Donnell jnr (1-4, 0-2 frees); K Kealy, N O’Donnell (0-2, 0-1 mark), P Boyle (0-1)
Subs: E McGeehin (0-1) for Dowling (34), L McMonagle for Boyle (46), O Winston for Mulgrew (53)
Yellow card: C O’Donnell jnr (55)
Dungloe: D Rogers (0-2 frees); J McBride, A Ward, M Curran; B Curran, C O’Donnell, K Magee; D Curran (0-1), R Connors (1-2, 1-0 pen, 0-2 frees); D Sweeney (0-2), D Gallagher, M Ward; A Neely (0-1), C Greene (0-2, 0-1 mark), O Bonner
Subs: S McGee for Bonner (42), C Diver for McBride (60), O Gallagher for Ward (60)
Yellow cards: K Magee (5)
Referee: Ryan Walsh (Bundoran)
