Culdaff progress in FAI Cup
27.11.08
Culdaff...1
(Declan Kearney 89)
Moanghan Town...0
by Liam Porter, Inishowen
Independent, in Culdaff
A GOAL from midfielder Declan Kearney just a minute
from full time was enough to see Culdaff see off
battling Monaghan Town in the Umbro FAI Junior Cup on
Sunday and it was nothing less than the Inishowen League
side deserved. In conditions that made it difficult for
either side to play good football, the desire and
determination shown by the home side was enough to tip
the scales in their balance and the late goal was
justice for the hard work put in by John McFeeley’s men.
McFeeley led by example in the centre of the field and
with Dermot Diver, won ball after ball especially in the
second half when Monaghan with the wind advantage sought
to break the deadlock.
But it was a performance of all round true grit by the
Culdaff men and there were other notable performances
too including that of Brian McGonigle and John Paul
Thompson whose timely interceptions snuffed out a number
of potential Monaghan attacks. |
And the visitors to their
credit made more than their fair share of good chances
and will probably have left Caratra wondering what might
have been had they not squandered some excellent
opportunities.
Indeed while Culdaff bossed the possession for long
periods and seemed to have more hunger on the day for
the win, Monaghan probably had the clearest chances to
win the game.
The clearest chance of the first half probably fell to
the Monaghan centre-half Paul Gillisean, but even though
the big defender found himself unmarked at the back post
following Cathal Leonard’s corner, he somehow steered
his header wide of the post.
That chance came in the 20th minute and two minutes
earlier the visitors might also have broken the deadlock
when Tommy Mulhall harried Brian McGonigle into a
hurried clearance and then pounced on the loose ball.
However even though the Monaghan striker found himself
able to get a good strike on goal from just six yards,
O’Donnell was out bravely to block that goal-bound
effort. |
 |
Before that Culdaff had
threatened with just a couple of long range efforts, the
closest coming from Ronan Kearney in the 17th minute,
but the two chances for Monaghan seemed to kick start
the home side and they really bossed the rest of the
first half and created some excellent chances with the
wind at their backs.
Derek Doherty shot just over the bar with a first time
effort as Jimmy Treanor struggled to clear, while Adrian
McGonigle worked a nice opening for a shot in the 34th
minute only to see Alan Balentine in the Monaghan goal
make a good save.
Culdaff might even have scored from that chance had
Derek Doherty following up not lost his footing and his
shot from rebound from Ballentine’s save went high and
wide.
Doherty fired an excellent ball across the face of goal
in the 38th minute but there was no Culdaff man on hand
to prosper and then on the stroke of half time a rasping
free-kick from Matthew Byrne had the Monaghan keeper
diving full length to save.
If the visitors thought the wind advantage would help
them peg Culdaff back at the start of the second half,
they were mistaken and for the early part of the half at
least the home side got the ball down and pressed
Monaghan back without really creating a chance.
At the other end though the Culdaff defence and midfield
worked gamefully to keep O’Donnell’s goal protected and
he wasn’t called into action until the 68th minute.
On that occasion Darren Smyth and Tommy Mulhall combined
well to carve the opening, but O’Donnell saved
brilliantly with his legs from Mulhall’s shot.
Six minutes later the wind almost did play its part when
a kick out from O’Donnell swirled nastily back towards
his goal to Darren Smyth but his header sailed over the
bar to safety.
With the wind and hail at their back the visitors at
this stage were on top and they claimed a goal in the
81st minute when a corner from David Loughran was hacked
off the line. From the corner that followed that
clearance the unmarked Tommy Toal blazed over from six
yards and Culdaff breathed a sigh of relief.
With the seconds ticking away they eventually worked
their way down the left and out of their own half and
when Byrne fired in an excellent low cross, Kearney
gambled on a run across the defender to the near post
and was on hand to hammer home.
Monaghan who had surely been preparing in their minds
for extra time, had just seconds to try and recover, but
try as they might in the closing stages they were unable
to break a Culdaff side who held on for a hard-fought,
but well-deserved win.
Culdaff: Shaun O’Donnell, Brian Harris, Matthew
Byrne, Brian McGonigle, John Paul Thompson, John
McFeeley, Declan Kearney, Dermot Diver, Adrian McGonigle,
Ronan Kearney, Derek Doherty. Subs: Conor O’Brien for
Doherty 90 +1, Paul McLaughlin for D Kearney 90+3.
Monaghan: Alan Balentine, Brian Walker, Jimmy
Treanor, Brian Phelan, Paul Gillisean, Tommy Toal, Mark
Smyth, Mark Mulhall, Darren Smyth, Tommy Mulhall, Cathal
Leonard. Subs: David Loughran for M. Mulhall 57, Seami
McCrudden for Leonard 67, David Balentine for Walker 90.
For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the
Inishowen Independent. |
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