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Malin grab last gasp draw
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Malin...0-12 A. Kelly 0-5 (3 frees); M. Byrne 0-2; B. McGonagle 0-2; D. Ward 0-1; C. Byrne 0-1; P. McColgan 0-1 Termon 1-9 C. Conaghan 0-4; D. Alcorn 0-3 (1 free); J. Gallagher 1-0; K. McMenamin 0-1 (1 free); T. Alcorn 0-1 by Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent, at Connolly Park, Malin. 'GLAD to get the draw,’ was how Malin manager Pat McLaughlin summed it up at full-time. He had just watched his side squander a seven point second half lead. A goal from substitute Jimmy Gallagher in the 58th minute drew Termon level and Christy Conaghan put the visitors into a one point lead a minute into injury time. But Malin weren’t out of it. Four minutes into injury time they were awarded a free out on the right wing and Anthony Kelly used the left hand post to point from that difficult angle. The big news before throw-in was the absence through injury of Termon defender Paddy McDaid. An ankle injury had forced him out of Donegal’s Ulster Championship defeat to Derry and although he was named at centre half back and took part in the warm up, the injury flared up and played no part in proceedings. Darren Gibson filled in at centre back with Marty Sweeney coming in at top of the left. |
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Malin were without the
injured duo of Paul Lafferty and Michael Byrne but with
the benefit of an intense warm up session, they made by
far the better start. Anthony Kelly won the throw-in and
fed Matthew Byrne who hared down the right wing and got
the game’s opening score within ten seconds of the
whistle. The home side doubled their tally in the third minute when Anthony Kelly converted a free from the left. Termon centre forward Christy Conaghan scored from play in the fourth minute but points from Anthony Kelly and Damien Ward from the right wing put Malin 0-4 to 0-1 ahead. Declan Walsh was matched up with fellow county panellist Kevin McMenamin with the older man getting the upper hand for most of the first half and he set up Conaghan for Termon’s second point in the seventh minute. Conaghan hit a superb point from a difficult angle on the right to narrow the deficit to a single point in the ninth minute. Malin’s half back line of Kevin McColgan, John J McLaughlin and especially Charlie Byrne were in fine form, denying their opponents any space and driving forward at every opportunity. The midfield pairing of Anthony and Paddy Kelly was also on top, and Malin |
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were well in control at
this stage. Termon were really struggling with Malin targeting the right wing, and it was from that source that Malin won a 12th minute penalty. Damian Ward hand passed into Anthony Kelly and the latter was upended in the parallelogram by Darren Gibson. Kelly picked himself up and hit the penalty, but county sub goalkeeper Michael Boyle got down to his right and held the strike. Termon should have got a boost from that save, but Malin dominated the rest of the half reeling off five unanswered points – from Anthony Kelly, Matthew Byrne, Patrick McColgan, Brendan McGonagle and Charlie Byrne – from Termon’s exposed right wing to lead by 0-9 to 0-3 at the break. Malin led by seven when Anthony Kelly converted won by his brother Paddy in the 34 minute, but Declan Alcorn instigated Termon’s comeback when he pointed three minutes later. A Kevin McMenamin free and another Declan Alcorn point narrowed Termon’s deficit, before Brendan McGonagle broke a tackle to score at the other end mid way through the half. Termon were in the ascendant now, but Malin flooded their defence bringing a dozen players back inside their own 45 making scoring chances difficult. Such was the pressure, that Termon were forced to shoot from distance and racked up eight second half wides. Another point from Declan Alcorn, one from substitute Trevor Alcorn and a fingertip save from Michael Boyle and the other end, kept Termon in contention but they never really looked like pegging back the difference. Termon still didn’t look like doing much when they were awarded a 58th minute free. Kevin McMenamin lofted the free high in towards the goalmouth. It dropped just under the bar but the Malin defence failed to catch it cleanly and substitute Jimmy Gallagher punched the loose ball to the net: 0-11 to 1-8. Spurred on by their late equaliser, McMenamin passed to Christy Conaghan who pointed a minute into injury time as Termon took the lead for the first time in the match. Malin kept their heads and worked the ball into scoring positions but hit two wides before they were awarded that 64th minute free. Anthony Kelly held his nerve but needed the assistance of the post to grab a draw and set up a winner-takes-all meeting in the second leg in Termon in three weeks’ time. Malin: Declan Lafferty; John McLaughlin, Damien Harkin, Declan Walsh; Kevin McColgan, Charlie Byrne, John J McLaughlin; Anthony Kelly, Paddy Kelly; Paul McLaughlin, Brendan McGonagle, Matthew Byrne; Damian Ward, Martin Lafferty, Patrick McColgan. Sub: Edward Kelly for P. McLaughlin (43 mins). Termon: Michael Boyle; Jimmy McIlwaine, Sean O’Donnell, Anthony McGrenra; Billy Doherty, Darren Gibson, PJ McFadden; Declan Alcorn, Bernard Alcorn; Johnny McCafferty, Christy Conaghan, Brendan Robinson; Kevin McMenamin, Pádraig Hilferty, Marty Sweeney. Subs: T. Alcorn for M. Sweeney (44 mins); Jimmy Gallagher for D. Gibson (56 mins). For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent. |
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