ST EUNAN’S are through to the Senior Football Championship final after a comprehensive win over Dungloe in Ballybofey tonight.
Man of the match Lee McMonagle scored two goals and Mark McGowan netted a third for the Letterkenny men for whom Conor Gibbons excellent free-taking also proved vital.
The final score in this evening’s semi-final was St Eunan’s 3-06, Dungloe 0-06.
McMonagle hit a first half penalty before smashing home a superb second goal in the second half.
McGowan put the icing on the Eunan’s cake when county star Rory Kavanagh took a great ball in midfield before passing it on to David McGinley who laid a superb pass for McGowan to finish to the net.
St Eunan’s had a ropey start to the championship but have certainly improved since and tonight’s win was well-deserved and takes the Letterkenny men into their first final since 2009.
St Eunan’s had been behind just once at MacCumhaill Park in the first few minutes but went in at half time, four points ahead – 1-03 to 0-02.
The Letterkenny men were first into the lead, Conor Gibbons hitting the first point with just 40 seconds on the clock.
Noel McBride levelled it for the Dungloe men in the 5th minute before teammate Shaun Sharkey gave them a 2-1 lead in the 13th minute.
But they lead for less than a minute, John Haran levelling matters.
Adrian Sweeney then missed a fairly easy free and within a minute Eunan’s had a goal.
Ross Wherrity was hauled down in the box and Lee McMonagle made no mistake from the spot kick.
Boyle had a great chance to pull things level but his attempt went off a post.
And Eunan’s went up the other end where Wherrity was causing even more trouble for the Dungloe defence. He was hauled down again and this time Conor Gibbons converted the free to leave the score at 1-03 to -02 at the break.
Within a minute of the re-start Sharkey missed another free attempt – and with two minutes gone in the second period Gibbons pointed from another free to extend the Letterkenny team’s lead to five points.
Dungloe really needed a score and with four minutes gone, full forward Adrian Hanlon provided one.
Shaun Sharkey then had a great chance to put another score on the board for Dungloe but he put a 13-yard free wide.
Hanlon showed him how it should be done with eight minutes gone to leave the score 1-04 to 0-04 to Eunan’s – just a goal in it.
The Dungloe forward ended up in the referee’s book a couple of minutes later after half-back Mark McGowan ended up sprawled on the ground.
The game swung St Eunan’s way in dramatic fashion in the 10th minute.
A high ball into the Dungloe defence broke to Lee McMonagle and the forward smashed the ball hard to the back of the net – leaving it 2-04 to 0-04.
Hanlon then missed another free for Dungloe, and Eunan’s went up the other end and Gibbons made no mistake from his free to give his side a 7 point lead.
The Dungloe man did take his point two minutes later but as the game went into the final ten minutes, the men from the west trailed by six points.
And it got worse with McGowan’s fine team goal.
Dungloe’s man of the match Hanlon pointed to reduce the deficit to nine but it was merely a consolation.
Naomh Conaill and Four Masters play on Sunday at 4pm at St Eunan’s home ground of O’Donnell Park to see who will play them in this year’s final – Sunday November 4th.
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