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Ross is boss as Buncrana
cruise to final
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Buncrana Hearts...4 (Connolly 2, Boucher Hayes, McLaughlin) Drumkeen...1 (McLaughlin og) by Liam Porter, Inishowen Independent, at Castle Park TWO goals from striker Ross Connolly helped Buncrana Hearts stage a second half turnaround in the Donegal News League Cup semi-final on Sunday against a Drumkeen side who never really looked as if they had enough in the tank to seriously trouble the Inishowen men. Connolly’s first goal in the 54th minute saw the pendulum swing in Buncrana’s favour after they had gone into the interval a goal down, but having pulled things back to level terms within three minutes of the re-start, they got their noses in front with a wonderful left-foot strike from the big striker. After that it never looked as if there would be any other outcome other than a Buncrana win, even if the home side didn’t really put the game beyond doubt until the closing minutes. |
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The first half was an
evenly contested affair but Drumkeen’s only real threat
came from the lively Jamie Gallagher who caused the
Buncrana Hearts some trouble and won several frees for
his side. From one of those frees Benny Bonner’s inswinging cross in the 14th minute caused confusion in the home defence and Gerard McLaughlin somehow headed into his own net to give the visitors the lead. It was the first clear cut chance of the day and before that Liam McCarron’s 13th minute snapshot gathered by Paul McCauley in the Drumkeen goal, the only real effort on goal. Buncrana carved Drumkeen open in the 19th minute with an excellent move down the left involving Connolly, Johnny Eccles and McLaughlin, and when McLaughlin chested a cross from Eccles into Connolly’s path, |
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the striker saw his shot
fly just inches over the bar. Connolly whose physical presence was causing the Drumkeen defence serious problems, shook off a challenge from Ryan Gildea in the 43rd minute to set up another home attack, but Gildea did well in the end to get back and snuff out the chance as the ball fell to Boucher Hayes. Connolly blazed over with a free-kick on the stroke of half time, but any thoughts that Drumkeen had of keeping the home side at bay for the second half were quickly snuffed out. In a wonderful move in the 48th minute the Drumkeen defence was torn asunder and when Eccles lifted a super pass into the path of Sean Michael Boucher Hayes, he made no mistake with a cool right foot shot to the bottom corner. Connolly’s super goal six minutes later when he picked up the ball wide on the right, turned inside and let fly with a rasping drive, put Buncrana firmly in the driving seat and three minutes after that McLaughlin made up for the own goal when he powered home a header from a Barry McFadden free. Christopher Kyle tried an immediate response with a long range shot that flew over the bar, but while the visitors did come into the game for a while after that, they never really looked as if they had the punch up front to get back into the match. Things might have been different if Gallagher had managed to tuck away his chance in the 67th minute, but while he managed to get free of the defence he saw his left foot shot well saved by Rory Kelly and Benny Bonner blazed the rebound over the bar. Substitute Richard Moore dragged a couple of shots wide of the target in the closing ten minutes as Drumkeen threw caution to the wind, but they were made to pay for that when Connolly again finished a good Buncrana move with a well struck left-foot shot to make it 4-1. The Hearts will face either Letterkenny or Fanad, who were to meet last night, in the final. Buncrana Hearts: Rory Kelly, Gerard Boyle, Barry McFadden, Gary Duffy, Tony O’Loughlin, Brendan Halpin, Liam McCarron, Sean M Boucher-Hayes, Gerard McLaughlin, Ross Connolly, Johnny Eccles. Subs: Thomas McMonagle for McFadden (63), Diarmuid Fullerton for McCarron (77), Matthew Cutliffe for Halpin (83). Drumkeen Utd: Paul McCauley, Kevin Boyle, Darren Walker, Ryan Gildea, Shaun Gallagher, Chris Kyle, Gary Patton, Philip Whyte, Jamie Gallagher, Mark Marley, Benny Bonner. Subs: Richard Moore for Whyte (68); Raymond Sweeney for Boyle (77); Tom Reynolds for Marley (88). For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent. |
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