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Donegal profit from extra work

MCKENNA CUP FINAL/Donegal 2-12 Queen’s University 0-11: (Aet: 0-10 to 0-10 after 70 mins):   DONEGAL’S FIRST Dr McKenna Cup …

Mon Jan 26 2009 - 00:00

MCKENNA CUP FINAL/Donegal 2-12 Queen's University 0-11: (Aet: 0-10 to 0-10 after 70 mins):  DONEGAL'S FIRST Dr McKenna Cup triumph since 1991 gave manager John Joe Doherty a positive start to his tenure. His under-strength side needed extra-time as goals in added-time from David Walsh and substitute Ryan Bradley sealed victory.

Leo McGoldrick, Shaun O’Neill, James Loughrey and James Kielt steered over points to open up a 0-4 to 0-1 lead for Queen’s after five minutes. Kielt added a couple of sublime efforts while Kevin McMenamin and Stephen Griffin kept Donegal in touch from frees.

Donegal were fortunate to be just three points behind at the break, 0-8 to 0-5. Ciarán Bonner moved to midfield and succeeded in curbing Charlie Vernon. Bonner brought the sides level eight minutes into the second half, before McMenamin gave Donegal the lead. The game appeared to be drifting away from Queen’s but with McGoldrick and Conor Bayne digging deep, they rallied. Shaun O’Neill landed two superb scores, but Neil Gallagher levelled a minute from the end. Vernon missed a chance to win it for Queen’s with a free, and at 0-10 each, it went in to extra-time.

Bonner, after he had hit the lead point, supplied Walsh to finish to the net. They turned leading 1-11 to 0-11, and killed the game off with a goal from substitute Thompson.

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DONEGAL: P Durcan; F McGlynn, R Sweeney, P McDaid; C Byrne, B Monaghan, E McGee (0-1); N Gallagher (0-1), B Boyle (0-1); C Bonner (0-2), C Dunne, R Kavanagh; K McMenamin (0-3, two frees), S Griffin (0-3, three frees), D Walsh (1-1). Subs: M Doherty for Boyle (58 mins), L Thompson for Dunne (65 mins), E Waide for Kavanagh (68 mins, yellow card), R Bradley (1-0) for Sweeney (70 mins, yellow card), Boyle for Byrne (84 mins).

QUEEN’S: F Murphy; A McCrory, L Howard, R Dillon; D Ó hAgain, B McArdle, J Crozier; C Vernon, P Courtney (0-1); J Loughrey (0-1), C Maginn (0-1), S McGoldrick (0-1); J Kielt (0-4, two frees), S O’Neill (0-3), C Bayne. Subs: L Morrow for McArdle (36 mins, yellow card), P McVeigh for O’Neill (64 mins, yellow card), B Martin for Morrow (65 mins), C Leonard for Bayne (84 mins).

Referee: P Hughes (Armagh).