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Shamrocks win first O’Gara Cup
13.05.10
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Clonmany Shamrocks
Reserves...2 (A. Doherty 27; D. McLaughlin 56) Cockhill Celtic Youths...0 by Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent, at Maginn Park CLONMANY Reserves used all their guile and experience to see off the challenge of Cockhill Celtic Youths in the Fr O’Gara Cup final on Sunday night. Cockhill shaded the contest in terms of possession, but with captain Kevin Harkin and fellow centre half Jonathan McLaughlin comfortably dealing with everything that was thrown at them, Clonmany mostly reduced the opponents to shooting from distance and they failed to create many clear cut chances. Goals in either half from Aidan Doherty and Daniel McLaughlin had the Reserve League side 2-0 up, and goalkeeper Christy Ivers saved an 80th minute penalty to ensure that their First Division opponents never threatened that lead. Clonmany created the first chance of the game when Daniel McLaughlin whipped a dangerous cross into the 6 yard box. Dessie Doherty slid in to meet it, but put the ball over the bar. |
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After that, it was all
Cockhill. With Mickey Gallagher getting forward from his
right back position to deliver good crosses for Cathal
Doherty and Seamus Gill, but the former saw his shot
charged down while the latter blasted wide. Martin
Donaghy couldn’t get enough on a 17th minute header to
trouble the keeper, while Shaun Porter’s shot from
distance failed to trouble Ivers in the Clonmany nets. Clonmany took the lead against the run of play approaching the half hour mark. Cockhill lost possession in defence and Aiden Doherty latched onto the loose ball, riding two tackles and surging into the box to put the ball low to the right of the Leo McColgan. Cockhill almost responded immediately when impressive midfielder Shane McDaid hooked a ball over the top for Donny Bell to run onto. Bell didn’t get much purchase on the ball and Ivers made a comfortable save at his near post. Bell had another chance five minutes before the break he rose to head a Mickey Gallagher cross, but the header was only glancing and the ball drifted harmlessly wide and was cleared by the Clonmany defence. With a strengthening wind on their backs, Cockhill came out strongly in the second half with Aidan Porter and Donny Bell going close within moments of the |
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restart, and Seamus Gill
just off target with an overhead kick from a Cathal
Doherty cross in the 52 minute. Martin Donaghy’s 55th minute shot from well outside the box was comfortably dealt with by Christy Ivers and having absorbed the early pressure, Clonmany again caught Cockhill on the break. Midfielder Edmund Doherty played a long ball that looked to be going wide into the right channel, but the ball held up in the wind allowing Karol Harkin to get onto it and his low drive across the area found the unmarked Daniel McLaughlin who hammered the ball low past Leo McColgan into the net. At 2-0 down, Cockhill put three up front and threw everything at Clonmany but the leaders were content to fall back into their own half soak up the pressure, with the back four ably assisted by Eddie Doherty and Dessie Doherty and the wide men giving them an option to break from deep. |
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Ivers pulled off another
top drawer save on the hour when he got down low at his
near post to keep out Martin Donaghy’s diving header,
while Eamon Fullerton shot wide from 30 yards after a
one-two with Aiden Porter. Porter finally beat Ivers in the 78th minute with a cracking 25 yard drive, but the ball crashed off the crossbar and the chance was lost. Cockhill were handed a lifeline ten minutes before the end when Seamus Gill was wrestled to the ground inside the box. Aiden Porter stepped up to take it, but Ivers dived low to his right to make another super save. The First Division side huffed and puffed for the remainder of the game, but save for a 35 yard effort from Martin Donaghy, created nothing of note and Clonmany Reserves comfortably held out to win their first ever Fr O’Gara Cup. Clonmany Reserves: Christy Ivers; Declan Grant, Kevin Harkin, Jonathan McLaughlin, Danny Harkin; Liam McCarron, Edmund Doherty, Dessie Doherty, Aidan Doherty (Jamie Coyle 90 mins); Karol Harkin, Daniel McLaughlin. Subs not used: Dean McDaid, John McCarron, Paul McGettigan, Ciaran McLaughlin. Cockhill Celtic Youths: Leo McColgan; Michael Gallagher, Martin Donaghey, Shaun Porter, Eamon Fullerton; Martin Bradley (David Laird 65 mins), Shane McDaid, Aidan Porter, Cathal Doherty (Eamon Porter 75 mins); Donny Bell, Seamus Gill. Subs not used: Aaron McLaughlin, Michael Doherty, Mark Gillespie. For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent. |
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