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Buncrana power past Carn
13.11.08
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Carndonagh...1 (Houten 70+4) Buncrana...2 (Timlin 14, Quigley 24) by Simon McGeady, Inishowen Independent, at St Patrick’s Park BUNCRANA advanced to a showdown with Cockhill after a 2-1 win over Carndonagh at a squally St Patrick’s Park on Saturday in a game that was not as close as the score-line might suggest. Buncrana rolled into Carn confident in the knowledge that they’d already beaten Denis McLaughlin’s side twice in league play this season. Playing in royal blue shirts with a navy sash down the front the visitors set off in a manner that suggested it they would impose their rule once again and make it three wins out of three. In the fourth minute Peter McLaughlin played in Mark Timlin but Conor McDonagh was alive to the danger developing and made a clearance. Deep Buncrana balls into the area were a source of consternation for the Carndonagh defence and when goalkeeper Seamus Houten punched clear in the 14th minute Kevin O’Loughlin screwed the knock down wide of the right post. |
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Buncrana’s front four of
wingers Oisin Doherty and Mark Timlin and strikers Peter
McLaughlin and Kevin O’Loughlin looked menacing every
time Buncrana came forward, especially in the first half
when the visitors were at their most threatening. Buncrana made the breakthrough in the 17th minute. Lively winger Doherty stole a march on the Carn fullback and fizzed in a low cross from the right that O’Loughlin nudged on to Timlin who fired over the advancing Houten and into the net. Four minutes later it might have been 2-0 when Doherty again centered a telling delivery from the right, but on this occasion neither McLaughlin at the front post or Timlin steaming in at the back stick could latch on to. Buncrana did not have to wait too long for their second. In the 24th minute left back James Quigley advanced up his flank and hit a left foot cross that flew over Houten’s head on it’s way to the net. At the other end Carn’s chances were few and far between. They had threatened a breakaway midway through the half only for Robbie Fullerton to come in with a crunching tackle to stop a four-on-three from developing. Indeed, an early Conor Fagan header was all the red shirts could muster in terms of goal threats until the closing stages of the half when Fagan broke through on the left of the area but was denied by a O’Donnell’s |
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finger-tip save. With Carndonagh playing with the wind in he second half, possession was more even between the sides. Carn upped the intensity of their play and there were some tasty challenges more commonly seen in an adult match than among kids barely out of National School. The hosts had the greater urgency but still struggled to create chances against a speedy Buncrana intent on playing a pressing game. McLaughlin and Timlin passed up chances to increase the Buncrana lead. Substitute Matty Barber combined well with Curran to create another decent chance and when Darragh O’Connor released McLaughlin over the top only a superb challenge from Kieran O’Callaghan stopped the Buncrana forward from going clean through. As the half wore on, though Buncrana were guilty of overconfidence in possession and gave they gave the ball away on a number of occasions. From just such a turnover, Carn won a free kick just outside the ‘D’ in the closing stages. Ryan McLauglin’s shot struck the six-boy wall and the ball spun loose to substitute JL Loftus to the right of goal but his first-timer was kicked away to safety by the imposing O’Donnell. Deep into stoppage time at the end of the match Carndonagh got a bizarre consolation. From midway inside his own half the home goalie punted a free forward that landed behind Buncrana’s back four and bounced over O’Donnell and into the net. There followed some unsavoury scenes when several blue shirts took umbrage to the Carn keeper’s perhaps over exuberant celebrations and chased him back into his own half. The Buncrana boy leading the charge saw yellow from Daniel McLaughlin, but this late unpleasantness did not take the shine off a fine display from the Castle Park youngsters. Carndonagh: Seamus Houten, Kieran McLaughlin, Conor McCormack, Kieran O’Calaghan, Conor McDonagh, Evan Doherty, Conor Doherty, Ryan McLaughlin, Caoimhinn Canny, Conor Fagan, Liam Coyle. Subs: Gavin Monigle for Doherty (50), Conor O’Sullivan for Fagan (53), Brendan Monigle for McCormack (57), JL Loftus for Coyle (69). Buncrana: Conor O’Donnell, Eoin Deery, Robbie Fullerton, Andy McGinley, James Quigley, Ryan Curran, Oisin Doherty, Darragh O’Connor, Kevin O’Loughlin, Peter McLaughlin, Mark Timlin. Subs: Matty Barber for Doherty (56). For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent. |
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