Naomh Conaill take Ladies Intermediate Championship with impressive performance.

BUNCRANA      1-07        V     4-09          NAOMH  CONAILL                                             They say that goals win football matches and when the Mc Donnell sisters Alanah and Aoife added two to the Naomh Conaill total in the last minute of the first-half of this Ladies Intermediate final in O Donnell Park you certainly felt this game was over as a contest and the Glenties girls were destined to add the Intermediate Championship to the Junior A title they won last year.                               Those goals left the half-time score at 4-05 to 0-05 in Naomh Conaill’s favour and it was hard to see a way back for the Buncrana girls.   Joanne Gallagher knocked over two early points for Naomh Conaill but Paula McGrory and Anne-Maire Gallagher had Buncrana back on level terms very quickly.                       Laoise Ward restored the Glenties lead and then Alanah Mc Donnell raced onto a long ball in and slotted to the net for the game’s first goal in the 7th minute. Paula Mc Grory had a great chance to equalise two minutes later but blasted wide from 13 mts.  Mc Grory pointed to leave a goal in it but in the 14th minute Joanne Gallagher finished off a super Naomh Conaill move with an excellent finish. The teams then exchanged  four points between them , Aoife Mc Donnell got both for Naomh Conaill while Mc Grory and Caroline Gallagher replied for Buncrana to leave the score 2-05 to 0-05.                                                                       Then in the final minute of the half Alanah and then her sister Aoife burst through the Buncrana defence to blast home to cracking goals , both to the same top corner of the net and at 4-05 tom 0-05 in Naomh Conaill’s favour it was surely game over.                                                                                                                           Charlie Collins reports from O Donnell Park.                                                              The opening quarter of the second-half saw a slow down in the scoring , Paula Mc Grory converted a couple of frees and Danielle Mc Devitt and Aoife Mc Donnell replied.  To their credit Buncrana kept trying and were rewarded in the 46th minute when Deirdre Grant did well before setting up,mAnn-Maire Gallagher who drilled the ball low to the bottom corner past Bronagh Gallagher to leave it 4-07 to 1-07.                                                                                                           The scoring somewhat dried up after this , Aoife Mc Donnell and Danielle Mc Devitt added a couple for Naomh Conaill to round off an impressive victory and step up from Junior to Intermediate Championship.                                                   BUNCRANA ; Fiona Doherty , Catherine Loughrey , Danielle Loughrey , Ciara Doherty , Lauren Hegarty , Noreen Doherty , Rhianne Mc Dermott , Laura Reid , Doreen Mc Gee , Kirsty Downey , Sophie Doherty , Ann-Marie Gallagher  (  Caroline Gallagher  (   , Paula Mc Grory  (    Deirdre Grant.                                        SUBS ;  Katelyn Doherty for Ciara Doherty ( 43mins ) , Brianna Doherty for Sophie Doherty ( 52mins ).                                                                                             NAOMH CONAILL ; Bronagh Gallagher , Gemma Burke , Megan Byrne , Niamh O Donnell , Shana Quinn , Briana Mc Donnell , Helen Roarty , Laoise Ward (   Leah MacInnes , Zoe Campbell , Alanah Mc Donnell  (   Danielle Mc Devitt , Joanne Gallagher (    Aoife Mc Donnell (    , Ellie MacInnes.                                                      SUBS ;  Deirbhile Ward for Campbell ( 33mins ) , Niamh Agnew for Roarty ( 35mins ).                                                                                                                                    REFEREE ;  Soibhan Coyle  ( Fanad Gaels ).