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Malin GAA officially open
Connolly Park
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Inis Eoghain...0-8 Tír Conaill...3-19 by Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent, at Malin DONEGAL travelled north on Sunday to play an Inishowen Select in a game to mark the official opening of the Malin GAA club’s new €1.5 million Connolly Park. Although short a number of regulars owing to the Gaeltacht championships and other commitments, Donegal proved much too strong and ran out comfortable winners. Eyebrows were raised among the Inishowen contingent when Ryan Bradley, Declan Walsh and Charlie Byrne were drafted into the Donegal team forcing Inishowen manager Pat McLaughlin to reshuffle his pack. |
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It was an unusual
experience for the Donegal team: despite playing on home
soil, they were treated as the away team and their
scores were greeted with complete silence from the
estimated 1,000 strong attendance. Donegal signalled their intent from the start and Michael Doherty knocked over two early points. They raced into an 0-9 to 0-0 lead by the 15th minute with points from Kevin McMenamin, Paddy McConigley, Leo McLoone, David Walsh, Ryan Bradley and two in a minute from full forward Stephen Griffin. Ciaran Dowds and Anthony Kelly did well for the home side at midfield, winning their fair share of ball from Neil Gallagher and Kevin Rafferty, but Inishowen’s link up play was sloppy. And their mistakes were punished heavily by a Donegal side that were more cohesive and fleeter of mind and foot. |
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Two Anthony Kelly frees got
Inishowen on the scoreboard, but the first of Donegal’s
three goals came in the 23rd minute. An Inishowen attack
broke down and Declan Walsh fed the ball out to Leo
McLoone who soloed for 50 metres before planting the
ball past Declan Lafferty into the bottom left corner. Frank McGlynn was the unlikely scorer of Donegal’s second goal two minutes later. The unmarked McGlynn picked up a crossfield pass from McGlynn and rifled a shot to the roof of the net from 25 metres out. |
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Points from Bradley, Conal
Dunne and a Michael Murphy free, and a pointed free from
Anthony Kelly for Inishowen saw Donegal lead by 2-12 to
0-3 at the break. Ryan Bradley and Charlie Byrne were drafted into the Inishowen side at half time as both managers rang the changes. Odhran Doherty’s point a minute after the restart was cancelled out by a rare point from Neil Gallagher. Points from full forward Christy McDermott and two from Odhran Doherty helped improve the scoreline from Inishowen’s perspective, but they hit six wides in the ten minutes after the break when they enjoyed their best spell. As is his wont, Brian Roper was providing his opponents with their fill of it. Midway through the half he pointed from distance and in the 46th minute he collected a pass from |
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Neil Gallagher and, finding
himself one-on-one with sub keeper Noel O’Donnell, he
made no mistake and goaled from close range. That killed off Inishowen’s mini-revival. Donegal rounded off with points from Stephen Griffin, PJ Barr, Leo McLoone and Brian Roper, while Odhran Doherty struck over a final free for Inishowen. Brian McIver won’t have learned much from the game, but that wasn’t really the point of the exercise. The day was about the Malin club and their fabulous new facilities. The sun shone brightly as Ulster Council President Tom Daly performed the official opening while the county executive officers were there in force. The new development includes a floodlit training pitch, a covered stand with 200 seats and a community centre with dressing rooms, gym, a magnificent sports hall, meeting rooms and function rooms. Connolly Park stands testament to the vision of the club and the generosity of the local community who supported their fund-raising efforts and provided all the labour voluntarily. The most northerly club in the land can now boast one of the country’s best GAA grounds and that is a credit to everyone involved. |
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Scorers Inis Eoghain:
Odhran Doherty 0-4 (1 free); Anthony Kelly 0-3 (3 frees)
and Christy McDermott 0-1. Scorers Tír Conaill: Leo McLoone 1-2; Brian Roper 1-2; Stephen Griffin 0-3; Frank McGlynn 1-0; Michael Doherty 0-2; Ryan Bradley 0-2; Michael Murphy 0-2 (2 frees); Neil Gallagher 0-1; Conal Dunne 0-1; David Walsh 0-1; PJ Barr 0-1; Kevin McMenamin 0-1 and Paddy McConigley 0-1. Inis Eoghain: Declan Lafferty; Mickey McCann, John Doherty, Damien Harkin; Mickey McLaughlin, Sean McDaid, Aidan Lynch; Anthony Kelly, Ciaran Dowds; Seamus Hegarty, Odhran Doherty, Matthew Byrne; Paddy McColgan, Christy McDermott, Alan Friel. Subs: Noel O’Donnell, Barney Friel, Paddy Kelly, Stephen Rodgers, Martin Duffy, Darren Burke. Tír Conaill: Michael Boyle; Declan Walsh, Paddy McDaid, Shane McGowan; Paddy McConigley, Frank McGlynn, Charlie Byrne; Neil Gallagher, Kevin Rafferty; Ryan Bradley, David Walsh, Leo McLoone; Kevin McMenamin, Stephen Griffin, Michael Doherty. Subs: Paul Durkin, Karl Lacey, Barry Monaghan, Brian Roper, Michael Murphy, Conal Dunne, PJ Barr, Enda McColgan. For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent. |
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