AN INJURY TIME goal by Ryan McHugh condemned Donegal Under-21s to a gut-wrenching McKenna Cup defeat to UUJ in Ballybofey.
Donegal 4-13 UUJ 2-20
The Donegal young guns looked set to be on their way to a win when McHugh finished from close range.
Donegal gave up possession cheaply and Frank Burns’ ball across was turned in by All-Star McHugh.
Declan Bonner’s young guns – who are representing the county in the competition this year – turned in a useful display and will feel aggrieved not to have held on
Goals by substitutes Brendan McCole and Ethan O’Donnell helped fire Donegal into a lead they ought to have held onto but inexperience perhaps told down the home straight.
Donegal were down to 14 men when Tony McClenaghan was given a second yellow card and McHugh’s goal, in the first minute of the added time, secured a win for the visitors.
With McBrearty to the fore, UUJ were always in with a chance, but Donegal netted twice in the final ten minutes.
A brilliant passage of play, involving Conor Morrison, Michael Langan and Daniel Gallagher, ended with St Naul’s man McCole cracking a powerful effort beyond UUJ ‘keeper Sean Fox.
Langan was at the hub for Donegal’s fourth goal, converted by O’Donnell, but the tables were turned late in the game, though the 70 minutes will certainly have given Bonner and company good cause for optimism.
Donegal led through an early Niall O’Donnell score, but they fell behind as UUJ broke for a goal with only five minutes on the clock. Rory McGlone’s pass sliced Donegal open and Daire Gallagher did the rest, the Trillick man finishing well past Danny Rodgers.
Donegal were back in front with a fortuitous goal of their own. Eoghan Ban Gallagher’s ball inside wasn’t the best but, after Ricky Johnston, the UUK full-back, made a hash of dealing with it, Gavin McBride picked up the loose ball.
McBride handed off to Gallagher, who tucked into the unguarded net.
UUJ were minus the injured Eoin McHugh, but three Donegal men – All-Star McHugh, McBrearty and Lorcan Connor – were included in the Poly’s XV.
UUJ had fired an early warning shot when McHugh blasted just wide of the target, but by the quarter-hour the students had warmed to the task, with Donegal natives McBrearty and Connor scoring along with Barry Grant and Niall McKeever to open up a three-point lead.
O’Donnell and Michael Langan kept battling Donegal in touch and the hosts were a lick of paint from a second goal. The scampering Jamie Brennan was sent on his way by McBride, but the Bundoran man thundered off the crossbar.
Instead of being a point up, Donegal found themselves two down as McBrearty curled over a free.
Brilliant efforts by Eoghan Ban Gallagher and Daire Ó Baoill raised the home side’s hopes and they did get a second major on 27 minutes.
A sweeping move out from the back saw Carroll make huge ground. O’Donnell and Langan were involved and the passage concluded with Gaoth Dobhair’s Carroll palming past Sean Fox.
Donegal led 2-7 to 1-9 at the break, but they could and should have been further in front. McBride had to settle for a point when he palmed over in the final minute of the half after Gallagher and Brennan opened the possibilities.
Bonner was without the likes of the injured Stephen McBrearty and Jason McGee as well as the college-tied Kieran Gillespie, Cian Mulligan, Caolan McGonigle and Mark Coyle for this one.
But his side – which was perhaps not too far off that which will face Tyrone in the Ulster Under-21 Championship in mid-March – kept themselves inches in front through Gaoth Dobhair duo McBride and Carroll early in the second half.
McBrearty was allowed too much room to manoeuvre for a fisted point, his sixth of the day, that brough UUJ within a point again.
McGlone levelled things up 11 minutes into the second half, but McBride’s free restored the Donegal lead.
When substitute Gallagher polished off a superb five-man move with a thundering finish, Donegal began to dream of an upset.
Tyrone Under-21 All-Ireland winner Burns wasted no time in getting in on the act for UUJ with four points, but long-range scores by Carroll and O’Donnell had the Donegal tails up, only for McHugh to lower their colours when punishing a mistake in the Donegal rearguard.
Donegal: Danny Rodgers; Danny Monagle, Stephen McMenamin, Conor Morrison; Eoghan Ban Gallagher (1-1), Niall Friel, Daire Ó Baoill (0-1); Tony McClenaghan, Micheál Carroll (1-2); Christian Bonner, Michael Langan (0-2), Niall O’Donnell (0-3); Conor Doherty, Gavin McBride (0-4, 3f), Jamie Brennan. Subs: Brendan McCole (1-0) for Friel (49), Daniel Gallagher for Bonner (51), Ethan O’Donnell (1-0) for Brennan (54), Adam Neely for McBride (61), Ciaran Diver for Doherty (65), Daniel Clarke for O’Donnell (70).
UUJ: Sean Fox; Ruairi Kelly, Ricky Johnston, Cathal Boylan; Ryan McHugh (1-1), Barry Grant (0-2), Gareth McKinless; Niall McKeever (0-1), Rory McGlone (0-1); James Kearney (0-1), Matthew Walsh, Lorcan Connor (0-1); Patrick McBrearty (0-7, 3f), Niall Madine (0-1, 1f), Daire Gallagher (1-0). Subs: Damien McKeown for McKinless (black card, 28), Frank Burns (0-4, 3f) for McKeever (half-time), Jack McCann for Walsh (half-time), Ronan McAlinden (0-1) for Gallagher (half-time), John Fitzgerald for Grant (48), Shane McGahon for Connor (65).
Referee: Conor Doureen (Cavan).
