Redcastle destroyed by Shamrocks
Buncrana Credit Union Cup Final 08.05.08

Clonmany Shamrocks...4 (Paul McLaughlin, Stephen McLaughlin, Michael Byrne 2) Redcastle United...0 by Liam Porter, Inishowen Independent, in Culdaff A DEVASTATING first half display by Clonmany Shamrocks saw them destroy Redcastle United on Sunday as they cruised to victory in the Buncrana Credit Union Cup Final. The sides had met in the final last year and were separated in the end by a magnificent Brendan Devlin goal, but the Shamrocks marksman wasn’t even there on Sunday as the club’s kids ran riot. Stephen McLaughlin tormented Redcastle from the opening moments and Michael Byrne chipped in with two – or perhaps even three goals.

Byrne certainly wheeled away in delight in the 11th minute as if he’d managed a touch on Paul McLaughlin’s dangerous inswinging corner, but McLaughin was credited with the goal. Even by that early stage Clonmany were the dominant team and they had threatened first in the 4th minute when Philip Devlin headed into Gerard Crossan’s grateful arms from a corner. Stephen McLaughlin then had a shot blocked in the 9th minute by Redcastle’s best performer Niall McColgan, and a minute later his stinging drive forced Crossan to palm over the bar. It was from the resulting corner that the deadlock was broken and if Brian Bell hoped it would be the wake-up call his side needed to drag themselves into the match, it didn’t come. Instead, buoyed by their lead, Clonmany played some devastating football as they pulled poor Redcastle asunder. They might have added to their lead in the 19th minute when McLaughlin beautifully chested the ball into the path of Jason Devlin, but a saving tackle from McColgan took the ball off his toe, even if it did drop dangerously close to his own goal before falling inches outside the post. At the other end Clonmany’s Peter Devlin was a virtual spectator and Phil Pat Doherty and Philip Devlin looked extremely assured

at the heart of the defence cutting out any sniff of a Redcastle attack. Not that there were too many of those to be fair and it was all one way traffic as Clonmany pressed on in search of a second goal. That goal came in the 35th minute when Devlin found Stephen McLaughlin and while his first shot was blocked, he reacted quickly to stab home the rebound to make it 2-0. At that stage it looked as if Redcastle would have a mountain to climb if they were to get back into the game and their misery was compounded in the 39th minute when the Shamrocks added to their tally.

This time it was Michael Byrne on target for the Clonmany men, first seeing his shot well saved by Crossan, but again reacting quickly to hammer in the rebound and almost certainly put the game beyond doubt. Redcastle had to try something and Bell tried to shake things up by introducing all three subs within the first seven minutes of the second half. Paul McGowan replaced Cathal Faulkner at half time, quickly followed on 52 minutes by the replacement of Eamon Reddin and Colm McLaughlin by Eddie McIntyre and Jimmy Gallagher. There was at least some more fight in Redcastle at this stage, but they still hadn’t mustered a single shot on target at Devlin’s goal. At the other end Michael Byrne put the game beyond

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