“An outrageous decision…” St Eunan’s reclaim Donegal crown despite late penalty drama against Dungloe – The Irish News

Donegal Senior Football Championship Final: St Eunan’s, Letterkenny 1-13 Dungloe 1-10

ST EUNAN’S conceded a mysterious stoppage-time penalty and secured the Dr. for the 16th time with an impressive performance. Maguire Cup and overtook Gweedore as Donegal’s most successful club.

The Letterkenny side went into this final as overwhelming favorites but there was nothing between the sides until they pulled away in the final minutes of a heated, often heated affair.

Undermined by their poor shooting – particularly in the first half – Dungloe stuck with it and grabbed a late lifeline when Ryan Connors was about to take a free throw and referee Ryan Walsh awarded them a penalty for an off-ball incident. Connors equalized but Eunan responded brilliantly with the final three points of the game to win the title for the first time since 2021.

“I was talking to the boy it was given against (Aaron Deeney) and he said he put his hand on the boy’s stomach and the referee gave a penalty,” Eunan’s manager Barry Meehan said, relieved but annoyed.

“It was an outrageous decision. It brought them right back into the game. However, our boys stepped up and showed tremendous resilience and I am so proud of them for that. When something like that (the punishment) happens it usually ruins the day, but luckily our boys are strong characters.

“It’s happened to them before in this county and it will probably happen again, but our boys are starting to get to grips with it and I’m so proud they haven’t wilted. Some of the decisions made against us this year have been absolutely cruel. Otherwise he (Walsh) had a good game, but it was a crazy decision.”

All is well that ends well for the Donegal champions, who now face the Tyrone winners (Trillick or Errigal Ciaran) in the Ulster Club Championship.

In the meantime, Dungloe – middle champion just two years ago – will lick his wounds and hope to go one step further next year.

“Nobody gave us a chance but we came here believing we would win,” manager Dessie Gallagher said.

“We did it against St Eunan and I think we put it behind us in the first half (seven missed chances).

“They hit the post which was a bad time for us because we had to keep them at bay to win – we were about there but the goal hit the post was probably the deciding point in the game. “

The throw-in was the first in a series of hectic battles, but Dungloe escaped with the ball. Conor O’Donnell senior (one of three players of that name on the field) had the first shot, but it was partially blocked by Darragh Mulgrew and was the first in a series that fell short.

With Niall O’Donnell as a striker, Eunan tried to get the ball into the goal quickly but the Dungloe defense held firm and Aaron Neely gave the underdogs the lead after eight turbulent minutes.

Eunan was quickly back on track when Conor O’Donnell junior (no relation to his namesake ‘Senior’) split the posts from the right.

There was no lack of effort but the quality in front of the posts was lacking as Matthew Ward shot narrowly wide (Dungloe’s fifth miss which they couldn’t afford) and the game ended at the end of the first quarter with just two points on the board.

Dylan Sweeney finally put the ball ahead with a slide rule finish and again Eunan responded immediately as Pauric Boyle’s effort skidded over the bar.

Burly striker Conor Greene hit a ball to put Dungloe back in the lead, but after Shane O’Donnell skipped past two defenders, Ciaran Moore’s superb finish leveled a game that was slowly settling down

The dueling sequence continued as Ryan Connors scored a free-kick and again Eunan responded, this time through O’Donnell junior, after another run from Shane O’Donnell had allowed the Dungloe rearguard a free-kick. Eunan filled the pitch and retained possession, but the ball never went in and the Dungloe fans cheered as her team won the ball back.

It was quickly lost but Boyle’s shot went wide and then Moore shot wide when he had time to do better. Dylan Sweeney fired two shots into the arms of Shaun Patton before the players were level at half-time (0-4 each).

Dungloe’s goalkeeper Danny Rodgers sent a great long-range shot over the black dot to put his club in the lead after a foul on the throw-in and Shane O’Donnell’s miss, meaning Eunan’s had missed four chances since their last goal.

Defensively, Dungloe stood strong and Eunan’s replacement Eoin McGeehin was pushed out as he lined up to shoot, but Boyle was fouled and Niall O’Donnell, now in midfield, equalized for the fifth time.

Niall O’Donnell won the kickout and after his shot hit the post, Boyle was quickest to react. He played for O’Donnell junior, who put the ball into the net to give Eunan’s the lead for the first time.

At the other end, Dungloe’s frustrating inconsistency continued. Connors missed a direct free-kick and Darren Curran had (another) shot fall short, but Connors scored on his next attempt and Rodgers’ second long-range effort meant there was only one point left midway through the half.

Donegal’s senior star Moore showed his quality by doubling Eunan’s lead and Niall O’Donnell followed suit when he caught a break and rolled the ball over from the left wing.

Sweeney pulled one goal back and left two points (1-7 to 0-8) at the start of the final 10 minutes.

Aaron Deeney extended Eunan’s lead and then Greene and O’Donnell junior and Barry Curran and Kieran Tobin traded points before controversy ensued.

As Connors prepared to take a free kick, referee Walsh spotted a foul by Deeney on Shaun McGee and awarded Dungloe a penalty.

Addition time had already begun when Connors stepped forward to attack and calmly flicked it to Patton’s right to equalize.

But there were still five minutes of injury time left to play and Eunan responded brilliantly. They attacked from the kickout and after Niall O’Donnell was awarded a soft free kick, O’Donnell junior shot the ball over the goal. Moore added another goal and with seconds left McGeehin got on the scoresheet to secure a dramatic win for the Letterkenny club.

St Eunan’s: S Patton; A Deeney (0-1), C Morrison, C Ward; D Mulgrew, C O’Donnell snr, K Tobin (0-1); E. Dowling, J. Kelly; C Moore (0-3), S O’Donnell, C O’Donnell jnr (1-4, 0-2 frees); K Kealy, N O’Donnell (0-2, 0-1), P Boyle (0-1)

Subs: E McGeehin (0-1) for Dowling (34), L McMonagle for Boyle (46), O Winston for Mulgrew (53)

Yellow card: C O’Donnell jr. (55)

Dungloe: D Rogers (0-2 frees); J McBride, A Ward, M Curran; B. Curran, C. O’Donnell, K. Magee; D Curran (0-1), R Connors (1-2, 1-0 penalties, 0-2 frees); D Sweeney (0-2), D Gallagher, M Ward; A Neely (0-1), C Greene (0-2, 0-1), O Bonner

Substitutes: S McGee for Bonner (42), C Diver for McBride (60), O Gallagher for Ward (60)

Yellow cards: K Magee (5)

Referee: Ryan Walsh (Bundoran)