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Carn promoted to Division 2
02.12.08
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Carndonagh...0-13 (D. Burke 0-9 (3 frees, 1 ’45); C. O’Kane 0-1; R. McCartney 0-1; G. Doherty 0-1; D. Doherty 0-1) Red Hughs...1-6 (PJ Gallagher 1-0 (penalty); D. Browne 0-4 (2 frees); W. Scanlon 0-2) by Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent, The Scarvey CARNDONAGH booked a spot in the Division 3 final, and the promotion place that comes with it, with this four point victory over Red Hughs yesterday. Carn looked the better side for three-quarters of the game, and they led by 0-8 to 1-1 at half-time, but they had to withstand a late Red Hugh’s rally before victory was assured. Although they lost Rory Harvey to a hamstring injury within seconds of the throw-in, Red Hughs got off to the best possible start when they were awarded a penalty within five minutes of the first whistle. |
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Cathal Doherty had opened
the scoring for Carn with a 50 metre free after three
minutes, but the Carn full-back line was struggling to
deal with high balls into the danger area. One such ball
caused havoc in the Carn defence, and although keeper
Martin Mooney made a smart double save from PJ
Gallagher, Mickey Nelson was adjudged to have picked the
ball off the ground inside the small square and referee
Hugo Wallace awarded the penalty. PJ Gallagher shot cleanly to the back of the net, but Red Hugh’s failed to build on that and didn’t score again until a minute before half-time. Carn took the penalty setback in their stride and set about their business with flowing moves and incisive passing. Their full back line started to come to terms with the aerial bombardment, and Red Hughs persisted with the tactic long after it was profitable to do so. And in Darren Burke, Carn had a score taker supreme, from both play and the placed ball. Robert McCartney reduced the deficit to a single point in the tenth minute after picking up a pass from the industrious Dara McLaughlin, before Burke grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck. He hit six points between the 13th and 30th minutes, with one as good as the next. Full back Warren Scanlon couldn’t contain Burke as he roved far and wide to collect pinpoint passes provided by his teammates. |
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He scored two superb points
from the right sideline in the 13th and 25th minutes, a
spectacular point on the turn in the 20th minute and a
couple from frees for good measure. Red Hughs pulled extra men back into defence to deal with Burke’s threat, but they had few answers once he got possession of the ball. The only blemish in a superb first half display came when he sent a goal attempt narrowly wide from outside the 20m line three minutes before half-time. For the Killygordon men, Damien Browne at midfield and PJ Gallagher at centre forward looked dangerous, but the Carn full-back line – where Ryan Davenport was in top form – snuffed out the early threat from their full forwards. Carn led by double scores at the break, 0-8 to 1-1, and a free and a 45 from Burke within four minutes of the restart put them six points clear. Warren Scanlon, who had moved from defence to attack for the second half, got one back for Red Hughs in the 40th minute, but Carn extended their advantage to seven midway through the half with points from substitute Dominic Doherty (from his first touch) and midfielder Gerard Doherty. Carn were cruising at this stage, but the introduction of subs Christopher Bonner and Michael McMenamin coincided with Red Hugh’s stepping up their performance and they dominated the last quarter and Carn were hanging on at the end. Two points in two minutes, one from play and one from a free, from the impressive Damien Browne swung the momentum Killygordon’s way as the veteran Anthony McDaid made a telling contribution following his switch from attack to midfield. But while Warren Scanlon added another point in the 55th minute, his colleague were guilty of three wides as Red Hughs laid siege to the Carn goals. Cathal O’Kane embarked on a long solo run which ran down the clock late on, and he laid back to Dara McLaughlin who passed to Burke for the full forward to hit his ninth point of the game and break Red Hughs momentum. Damien Browne added a point in injury time, and Carn keeper Martin Mooney had to come smartly off his line to save from Eugene Browne, but Carn had done enough to claim victory, a place in the Division 3 final and promotion to Division 2 for 2009. In a repeat of the county junior final, Carn face Robert Emmets in league decider this weekend. The double remains on, and a victory their would cap a marvellous season. Carndonagh: Martin Mooney; Mickey Nelson, Mickey McLaughlin, Ryan Davenport; Paddy Nelson, Mark Canny, Ronan O’Connor; Gerard Doherty, Cathal O’Kane; Robert McCartney, Cathal Doherty, Liam Shiels; Garvan McGrenra, Darren Burke, Dara McLaughlin. Substitutes: Dominic Doherty, Barry McElhinney, Conor Doherty. Red Hugh’s: Troy McCormack; Mickey Sweeney, Warren Scanlon, Gerard Melaugh; Eugene Browne, Karl Young, Kieran Callaghan; Damian Browne, Martin Bonner; Anthony McDaid, PJ Gallagher, Rory Harvey; Kevin Melaugh, Martin Wilson, Joe Coyle: Subs: Mark Callaghan, Christopher Brennan, Michael McMenamin. For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent. |
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