O’Donnell earns point for Cockhill 11.11.09
Strand Hotel First Division

Cockhill...1 (O’Donnell ’70) Carndonagh...1 (Doherty ’43) by Gerard McLaughlin, Inishowen Independent, at St Mary’s Park PLAYED IN perfect conditions in Cockhill, this was a game of very few clear cut chances and, in the end, a point was probably a fair result as neither team really did enough to win the game.

The first ten minutes failed to see either keeper tested as most of the play took part in the middle of the pitch. The first chance of the game fell to Cockhill centre forward Marty Bradley but he failed to test Declan O’Donnell in the Carndonagh goal. Aidan Porter then cut in from the left but his shot went straight at O’Donnell. The same player then had a volley from 25 yards, but again failed to really test the big Carndonagh keeper. Cockhill were the team on top at this stage but they failed to take advantage of the possession they had. A long range effort from right back O’Connor and a couple of strikes from midfielder Ciaran Mc Laughlin still failed to trouble O’Donnell. Carndonagh had their first opportunity of the game on 35 minutes when good work from

Dermot Doherty saw him cut inside and fire a shot that was well saved by Leo McColgan. This seemed to spark Carndonagh to life and they began to dominate in the final ten minutes of the half. They managed to make the most of this period when two minutes before the break they took the lead through right winger Liam Doherty who was intelligently played through by Dermot Doherty and able to calmly slot under the body of Leo McColgan.

Cockhill began the second half the better with a long range effort from Bradley which went narrowly over and Aidan Porter missed a gilt edged chance, when good build up play on the right from O’Connor and Gallagher ended with the latter sending over an inviting cross which Porter failed to connect with when he surely would have scored. Cockhill remained on top for large periods of the second half and very nearly levelled on the hour when Martin Donaghey met Shane McDaid’s corner with a glancing header that was well dealt with by O’Donnell. They didn’t have to wait much longer for the equaliser however. Good build up play on the left by McDaid saw him cross for substitute James O’Donnell who from his first touch took the ball past the defender and slotted low past Declan O’Donnell in the Carn nets for an excellent individual goal. The home team then pushed for the winner which so nearly came in the dying seconds when midfielder Ciaran McLaughlin broke through from the middle and but for the feet of O’Donnell it would surely have been the winner. All in all, neither team did enough to win the game and both managers will know that they need to improve if they are to make a push for promotion to the Premier division. With 13 points, Carn are joint top of the league but both Carrowmena and Dunree United have games in hand.

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