8/11/2024 - Senior Football Final – Donegal Boston vs Connemara Gaels

 8/11/2024 - Senior Football Final – Donegal Boston vs Connemara Gaels

By Neil McEnaney

 

Full Time Score:

Donegal Boston: 1-19

Connemara Gaels: 0-11

 

It was Donegal who came out of the blocks straight from the throw in and raced to a 10 point lead in this Boston Senior Football Final before Connemara Gaels registered a score. The Gaels did their best to fight back but left the margin too big with too little time remaining to get close enough to trouble the strong Donegal side.

 
A foul on Jordan Morrissey from the throw in was quickly taken by Cory Gallagher who kicked it into Daire Cregg. Cregg moved the ball fast to his county mate Ciaran Murtagh who fisted it to Sean Lowry who scored the opening point from a tight angle.

 

Stefan Okunbar went down for Connemara Gaels and was believed to have back spasms and couldn’t continue after just a minute into the game. We wish him all the best in his recovery. Cathal Hynes replaced his as a sub.

 

Shane Carthy got fouled on the left wing which Ciaran Murtagh dispatched well to double Donegal’s lead. Okunbar tried working through his injury but was unable to continue and proved to be a big loss to the Gaels on the day.

 

Morrissey played a quick ball into Daire Cregg who was one on one and turned his man to kick a great score off his favored left boot. The resulting kickout went over the end line and involved the Gaels sub Hynes and Ben McCarron for Donegal. Carthy took the sideline quickly into Murtagh who scored a nice point from a tight angle. McCarron ended up landing awkwardly and dislocating his shoulder. It was popped back in and he was rushed to the ER. We wish him a speedy recovery.

 

Gaels started creating a few chances and but for a few wides, great defending by Donegaland a great block by Jason Noctor, they would have been on a scoresheet earlier. The early ball into Cregg in the full forward line caused worked well for Donegal as he linked well with Murtagh to create scores.

 

The Gaels can feel hard done by for Donegal’s first goal. Donegal broke out of their defence with an early pass from substitute Cian O’Grady into Cregg. Cregg called the mark but was outside the 45. In the confusion, Cregg took the mark quickly to Sean Lowry. Lowry used his pace and skill to bring the ball in and finish well into the bottom corner off his left foot to put Donegal 9 points ahead.

 

Cregg added another for Donegal as he squeezed one over off of his right foot. Some good work from Oran Cunningham for Connemara fisted it through to Adam Nolan who kicked a nice point off his left from a tight angle for their first point of the game.

 

Donegal started playing keep ball and were patient in their attack before finding an opening for Lowry to score off his left. On the Gaels side, a quick ball in from USGAA captain Jack Lynch found Ryan McQuillan who took the mark. McQuillan steadied up and converted well off his right foot.

 

Connemara started putting good plays together before half time and kicked some great scores from distance. A brilliantly worked moved between Nolan and Cunningham finished with Cunningham scoring a monster point from distance. Cunningham converted from a free and McQuillan added another great point from 45 yards out from play.

 

This brought 6 points between the sides. Cregg converted a free for Donegal just before the half time whistle to leave seven between the sides at the break.

 

Half Time Score

Donegal Boston: 1-9

Connemara Gaels: 0-5

 

Gaels started the brighter in the second half with Hynes setting up McQuillan for a nice point after a strong run. They had it back to 6 points and could have it closer but for some bad shooting. On the Donegal end, Morrissey made a signature strong run through the middle before setting up Cregg for the goal chance. Cregg took it first time and smashed the post from close range.

 

A quick free by Murtagh found an unmarked Carthy for Donegal who tipped it over from close range. McQuillan responded from a close range free for the Gaels to leave 6 between them again.

 

Lowry burst through using his pace and was fouled for Murtagh to convert the free. O’Grady found Cregg again who was one on one, soloing off the right and kicked a point off the left. Cregg added a point from a free and was unmarkable.

 

Jack Lynch found McQuillan for the Gaels on the loop who kicked a great point from the top of the D. Cunningham added a point shortly after off a dead ball from the top of the D to bring 7 between the sides.

 

Donegal were happy to play at their own pace and work the ball in and take their frees which the Roscommon men Cregg and Murtagh converted. O’Grady kicked a nice point from the right wing before Cregg converted another mark.

 

Gaels to their credit, kept fighting to the end with Cunningham adding some nice points but the damage was done in the first half after a blitz of a start to the game by Donegal Boston.

 

Congratulations to Donegal Boston on winning the Boston Senior Championship 2024 and best of luck in San Francisco.

Please see link below to anyone who would like to watch the game back:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D0pPTbCyw8

 

Finally, a huge thank you to our commentators; John Moylan, Greg Lundy and Eoin Casey for volunteering their time and adding to the entertainment in both games. Thanks lads.

Donegal Boston: Hugh Boyle, Cian Lynch, Neil Mulcahy, Sean Winston, Jason Noctor, Cory Gallagher, Shane Carthy (0-1), Jordan Morrissey (0-1), Ciaran McDevitt, Ciaran Murtagh (0-4), Ben McCarron, Sean Lowry (1-2), Daire Cregg (0-10)

Subs: Cian O’Grady (0-1), James O’Grady, Ethan McDevitt, Alex Doherty

 

Connemara Gaels: Bryan O’Flaherty, Sean Kennedy, Keelan Beirne, Stefan Okunbar, Sean Brady, Colman Mulkerrin, Adam Waddick, Jack Lynch, Michael Kerr, Dylan Murtagh, Oran Cunningham (0-4), Ryan McQuillan (0-6), Mark Nolan (0-1)

Subs: Cathal Hynds, Jack Lundy

 

Man of the Match: Jason Noctor

 

Referee: Eoin Moriarty

7/20/2024 - Senior Football – Donegal Boston vs Aidan McAnespies

 Senior Football – Donegal Boston vs Aidan McAnespies

 

By Neil McEnaney

 

Full Time Score:

Donegal Boston: 1-22

Aidan McAnespies: 1-15

 

It was Donegal who booked their place in the Senior Football final with a seven point win against Aidan McAnespies. The Macs knew they needed a win to keep their championship dreams alive, otherwise they would have to rely on other results that unfortunately didn’t go their way.

 

A few wides and balls dropped short for both sides started the match as the teams struggled to hit the target early on.. It was the Macs who struck first in the game with a well taken goal by Rurai Gormley after a great pass through by Eoin Gormley. Donegal clawed it back through the free taking of Donal O’Sullivan before Joe Hagan for the Macs kicked a great point from the left wing under pressure.

 

Daire Cregg responded in kind with a similar taken point for Donegal. A great run by Shane Carthy set up Ciaran Murtagh for a goal chance. Murtagh had the keeper beat with the ball heading straight for the top corner only to be denied by Darren Gibney on the Macs line who dived in to save it over the bar to leave the sides level.

 

Rory Brolly found a bit of space to tip over a nice point to put the Macs back in the lead. A free for O’Sullivan leveled up the score again. Points from Murtagh and Cregg extended Donegal’s lead before Rurai Scott brough it back to one point again. Some great work by Cregg set up Lowry for a goal chance but he chose to take the point as the onrushing Croft in goals narrowed the gap quickly.

 

A series of wides followed for both sides before Cory Gallagher broke through the middle to set Ciaran McDevitt up for a point. It was Gallagher who followed up with the point of the match kicking straight over from 50 yards out. From here, Donegal kept the pressure up on the Macs with points from McDevitt and Cregg to see out the half.

 

Half Time Score:

Donegal Boston: 0-12

Aidan McAnespies: 1-3

 

Murtagh started the scoring for Donegal in the second half finding space on the right wing and slotting the ball over the bar. Hagan responded for the Macs with an outside of the boot point after patient build up from the Macs. Adam Fanning added another to leave 5 points between the sides.

 

The second half continued in this fashion with both sides trading scores and Donegal keeping their lead intact. O’Sullivan did the scoring for Donegal while Fanning and Hagan did the damage for McAnespies. The Macs fought back well and narrowed the gap to three points with 10 minutes to go.

 

From here, the fresh legs off the bench for Donegal got them back into the game again. Two points in quick succession from Cian O’Grady stretched the lead to 5 for Donegal. The Macs had it back to 3 in no time with Fanning scoring from a free and Hagan kicking a super score that just curled inside the post.

 

With the Macs pushing everyone up trying to get the goal, a turnover led to James O’Grady being one on one with Croft in nets. He finished it on the ground soccer style and with that the ref blew the full time whistle to end the match.

 

Man of the Match: Cory Gallagher

 

Referee: Michael Moylan

 

Team and Scorers:

Donegal Boston: Hugh Boyle, Neil Mulcahy, Cian Lynch, Ethan McDevitt, Jason Noctor, Cory Gallagher (0-1), Jordan Morrissey, Shane Carthy (0-1), Ciaran McDevitt (0-2), Ciaran Murtagh (0-3), Sean Lowry (0-1), Daire Cregg (0-3), Donal O’Sullivan (0-3)

Subs: Cian O'Grady (0-3), James O'Grady (1-0), Ryan O'Dwyer (0-1)

 

 

Aidan McAnespies: Robert Croft, Cormac McKeogh, Darren Gibney, Conall Devlin, Matthew Murnaghan (0-1), Owen Ward, Anton Tohill, Rurai Gormley (1-1), Joe Hagan (0-3), Rurai Scott (0-1), Rory Brolly (0-1), Eoin Gormley (0-1), Adam Fanning (0-5)

7/6/2024 - Senior Football - Connemara Gaels vs Donegal Boston

By Neil McEnaney

 

Full Time Score:

Donegal Boston: 3-15

Connemara Gaels: 1-11

 

A comprehensive victory for Donegal kept their seniors undefeated in this years championship. Donegal raced to a 9 point lead early on in this game which the Gaels were never able to recover from.

 

Donal O’Sullivan opened the scoring for Donegal with a well taken free from the top of the D. Jordan Morrissey added another from play after some quick build up play between Cian O’Grady and Donal O’Sullivan.

 

From the resulting kickout, Cory Gallagher and Ciaran McDevitt forced the turnover with McDevitt unselfishly squaring it to O’Grady for a simple palm into the net. O’Sullivan added another point from a well taken free close to the 45.

 

A beautiful sideline point from Oran Cunningham opened the scoring for Connemara. Stefan Okunbar broke a ball through to Jack Lynch who was denied by a sprawling save by Hugh Boyle in nets for Donegal. From the turn over, Neil Mulcahy made a strong run up the field to set up O’Sullivan who was denied well by Bryan O’Flaherty in the Gaels nets.

 

Sean Lowry picked up a kickout in his own half before using his speed to devasting effect running the length of the field before finishing into the bottom corner. McCarron added a point to extend the lead to 9.

 

Connemara battled back before half time to narrow the gap with some well taken scores from Cunningham and a beautiful outside of the boot point from corner back Jack Lundy. It was Lundy who turned provider for Connemara’s goal, with a brilliant through ball finding Cunningham who slotted the ball under the outrushing Boyle’s legs.

 

 

Half Time Score:

Donegal Boston: 2-6

Connemara Gaels: 1-5

 

While Connemara did well to narrow the gap to 4 points, they weren’t able to keep that momentum going into the second half. Points from McCarron and O’Grady kept the scoreboard ticking over for Donegal.

Ciaran Murtagh came off the bench for Donegal and made his presence known immediately, taking on his man and scoring a nice point. It was Murtagh who turned provider for Donegal’s last goal of the game. He found O’Sullivan inside with a great kick pass who made no mistake from close range.

 

Connemara, to their credit never gave up and battled back with a flurry of points from Waddick and Keogh to finish the game strongly.

 

Man of the Match: Donal O’Sulliivan

 

Referee: Niall Malone

 

Team and Scorers:

Donegal: Hugh Boyle, Cian Lynch, Neil Mulcahy, Cory Gallagher, Jason Noctor, Ethan McDevitt, Shane Carthy (0-1), Jordan Morrissey (0-2), Sean Lowry (1-0), Ben McCarron (0-3), Ciaran McDevitt, Donal O’Sullivan (1-6), Cian O’Grady (1-1)

 

Connemara Gaels: Bryan O’Flaherty, Sean Kennedy, Jack Lundy (0-1), Colman Mulkerrin, Stefan Okunbar, Keelan Beirne, Jack Lynch, Adam Waddick (0-1), Bryan Fadden, Dylan Murtagh, Oran Cunningham (1-4), Ross Keogh (0-2), Mark Nolan

6/30/2024 – Senior Football – Donegal vs Galway

Full Time Score:

Donegal: 0-13

Galway: 0-13

By Neil McEnaney

 

A share of the spoils for Galway and Donegal in what was at times cagey but always entertaining game. A black card for Galway in the second half let Donegal take advantage and spring to a 4 point lead, but Galway didn’t panic, and dug in well to salvage a draw.

 

Donegal won the throw up and moved the ball quickly into Donal O’Sullivan who fisted it to Cian O’Grady on the loop who pointed from a tight angle. Galway responded immediately with Eoin Colleran linking up well with Paul Carey before Eoin Colleran kicked a great point with the outside of his left boot from a difficult angle to level the sides.

 

Ben McCarron finished off a nice move for Donegal before Carey converted from a free. The two sides went point for point for the whole first half with neither sides giving the other an inch. Galway started moving the ball quickly into the forwards and Daire Keenan finished off some great moves with two well taken points.

 

A high sideline ball from Shane Carthy into the square created a half a goal chance that was blasted over the bar by McCarron. From the resulting kickout, Donal O’Sullivan rounded his man before fisting it across to McCarron who hit the side netting with a diving fisted attempt.

 

Colleran continued to show his point taking ability with a great point coming from the right wing. At the other end, McCarron broke through for a goal chance but James Egan in goals narrowed the angle well forcing him to kick it wide.

 

Galway created a great goal chance of their own with Carey getting an early ball inside and taking on his man before fisting it across the goal to Daire Keenan who was brilliantly denied by Hugh Boyle in nets diving on his boot for the block. Egan came up for the resulting 45 and slotted it over the bar.

 

Sean Lowry for Donegal won the resulting kickout and used his speed to great effect opening up the Galway defence. He was one on one with Egan who made a spectacular save to deny him a certain goal. Just minutes later, Jordan Morrissey played McCarron through on goal before Egan made another great save, diving on the left boot of McCarron. A few more points traded between the teams ended the first half.

 

Half Time Score:

Donegal: 0-8

Galway: 0-8

 

Donegal started the second half brighter with Lowry finishing off a point after a strong run from the kick out. Carey took a free from a tight angle which dropped short into the hands on Neil Mulcahy. The ball moved quickly to Morrissey who fisted it off before being stopped by the shoulder into the chest by Paul Carey. The third man tackle was enough for the referee to issue the black card to Carey.

 

With the extra man, Donegal made their advantage count racing to a 4 point lead with points from O’Sullivan, Lowry and Carthy. Galway played smart football when they got a hold of the ball, slowing the game down and winding down the black card clock.

 

A great move between Colleran and Carey set up Colleran for a goal chance that was well saved by Boyle in nets for Donegal. Colleran kicked a 20 yard dink pass into Carey and run off the shoulder for the return before being denied by the Donegal shot stopper.

 

Carey came back from his black card and kicked a point on the loop from the top of the D to leave 3 between the sides. The break seemed to rejuvenate Carey as he followed up with another point shortly after. O’Sullivan for Donegal did well to win his own free which he tapped over to extend the lead to 2 points. A few kickable wides for Donegal will leave them disappointed they didn’t extend their lead further.

 

Carey won a free and tapped it over for Galway setting up a grand stand finish with just two minutes left. Galway didn’t panic and were patient with their attack. They worked the ball to Carey who kicked a great point from the left wing on the loop to level the match.

 

Team and Scorers:

Donegal: Hugh Boyle, Neil Mulcahy, Cian Lynch, Cory Gallagher, Jason Noctor, Sean Winston, Shane Carthy (0-1), Jordan Morrissey, Ciaran McDevitt, Ben McCarron (0-3), Sean Lowry (0-2), Cian O’Grady (0-2), Donal O’Sullivan (0-5)

 

Galway: James Egan (0-1), Tomas Crean, Ciaran Potter, Michael Moylan, Stephen White, Paudi Behan, Eoin Morrissey, Declan Doyle (0-1), Maidhc MacGearaitt, Daire Keenan (0-2), Eoin Colleran (0-2), Conor Lawler, Paul Carey (0-6)

Subs: Jack Lavin (0-1)

 

Man of the Match: Paul Carey

 

Referee: Paul Walsh

6/29/2024 - Intermediate Football - Donegal vs Shannon Blues

 

Full Time Score:

Donegal: 5-16

Shannon Blues: 5-6

 

By Neil McEnaney

Donegal intermediates kept up their impressive 100% win record with a win against Shannon Blues. 5 goals for each side made for an entertaining game as both teams moved the ball well in attack to open the opposition defences.

 

It was Donegal who started the scoring through Alex Doherty who found himself in space and put the ball over the bar. Shannon Blues weren’t long responding with a beautiful outside of the boot point from Michael Moylan from the right wing.

 

A great solo run by Ben Bradley released Doherty who snuck the ball into the bottom corner for the games first goal. Ethan McDevitt won the resulting Blues kick out and moved the ball quickly through the hands to Blake McGarvey and on to Conor O’Neill who made no mistake when one on one with the keeper.

 

Shannon Blues had a goal chance of their own as Moylan kicked long to Aodhan O’Luasa who shot just wide of the post from a tight angle. The Blues were creating chances but unable to put them on the scoreboard. Their first goal came from Darragh O’Leary after a strong run through the middle from Moylan.

 

They weren’t long getting their second goal as Darren Wallace tried to take it around the keeper only to be brought to the ground for a penalty. A good save by Darren Grant in nets could only be rebounded to O’Leary who made no mistake at the second time of asking.

 

Donegal responded immediately with O’Neill fetching the resulting kickout and moving the ball quickly through the forwards before Doherty finished for his second goal.

 

Just before half time, a flashpoint between Ryan McMahon and Michael Moylan ended in the two men getting their marching orders for striking each other after the foul was given. Donegal went in at the break 7 points to the good.

 

Half Time Score:

Donegal: 3-6

Shannon Blues: 2-2

 

Shannon Blues started the scoring in the second half with a well taken score from Tom Murrane. With both teams down to 12 men, spaces opened up in both defenses making it an entertaining game for the spectators.

 

A well worked move by Donegal between McGarvey and Doherty left Jack O’Brien with the simplest of tap ins for a goal. Shannon Blues didn’t quit and came up the other end of the field for another well taken goal from O’Leary.

 

From here, Donegal kept the pressure on and started dominating the middle third to see out the game. Some well taken points from O’Neill and Tiernan McHugh extended the lead to 11 points which Shannon Blues were unable to recover from. A flurry of goals from both sides ended the game as Donegal joined Cork at the top of the Intermediate Championship.

 

Team and Scorers:

Donegal: Darren Grant, James Newell, Mark McFadden, Ryan McMahon, Jack O’Brien (1-0), Sean Donnelly, Leo Cunningham, Conor O’Neill (2-5), Ethan McDevitt (0-1), Alex Doherty (1-3), Ben Bradley, Blake McGarvey (0-1), Tiarnan McHugh (0-4)

 

Shannon Blues: Nik Albarran, Teddy Shay, Tommy Cronin (1-1), Patrick Moylan, Gearoid Fennessy (1-0), Derek O’Brien, Michael Moylan, Tom Murrane (0-2), Niall Walsh, Darragh O’Leary (3-1), Declan Rogers, Darren Wallace, Aodhan O’Luasa

 

Man of the Match: Conor O’Neill

 

Referee: Robbie Croft

6/16/2024 - Intermediate Football - Donegal Boston vs Kerry Boston

 By Neil McEnaney

Full Time Score:

Donegal: 3-13

Kerry: 1-16

 

Both Donegal and Kerry were coming into this game with their tails up after having convincing wins against Wolfe Tones and Christophers respectively. The pace was frantic throughout with Donegal getting the crucial goals to get over the line to take the win.

 

It was Donegal who started the brighter with Ethan McDevitt getting through on goal and taking the wise option of fisting it over the bar. Alex Doherty then found Jack O’Brien unmarked on the 21 who only had the keeper to beat and finished coolly into the bottom corner. Kerry didn’t panic and they weren’t long getting on the scoresheet thanks to the free taking of Finbar Murphy. It was Murphy who scored a goal to level it after a great move by Kerry which saw Sean Guiden finding Murphy who made no mistake from close range.

 

The midfield battle was a fascinating one with the two giants Leo Cunningham and George Kealey not giving each other an inch while Murphy and Conor O’Neill battled for the breaking ball. There really was nothing between the teams throughout the first half as when one team scored, the other was soon to level it.

 

Cunningham broke through the Kerry defence with some strong running to set up Alex Doherty for a goal which he finished into the bottom corner. Some fantastic points from the left boot of Ryan O’Grady kept the sides level at half time.

 

Half Time Score:

Donegal: 2-5

Kerry: 1-8

 

Murphy opened the scoring in the second half for Kerry before Donegal hit their stride scoring 4 points in a row from McGarvey, Doherty (x2) and O’Neill. The introduction of Cian O’Grady off the bench for Donegal made a huge difference as he used all his pace and skill to open up the Kerry defence. In the Kerry attack, Ryan O’Grady was unmarkable at times kicking some great points off his left foot.

 

It was Cian who got the goal to put Donegal 6 up. O’Neill fed Cian the ball who burst through the Kerry defence with great speed before blasting it into the net.

 

Once again, Kerry didn’t panic. They started winning the midfield battle and slowly chipped away at the Donegal lead getting it back to 3 points.

 

Donegal showed all their experience with and started holding on to the ball in their own back line to wind down the clock. The patient build up play paid off with Ryan McMahon kicking a point from the top of the D.

 

Kerry got it back to three points and had one more goal chance at the end that hit the side netting. A fantastic game of football that could have went either way.

 

Man of the Match: Jack O’Brien

 

Teams and Scorers:

Donegal Boston:

Darren Grant, James Newell, Mark McFadden, Ryan McMahon (0-1), Jack O’Brien (1-0), Sean Donnelly, Conor O’Neill (0-3), Leo Cunningham (0-1), Ethan McDevitt (0-1), Alex Doherty (1-4), Ben Bradley, Tiarnan McHugh (0-1), Blake McGarvey (0-1)

Subs: Cian O’Grady (1-1)

 

Kerry Boston:

Sean Bohan, Luke Chester, Paul Ring, Deividas Uisis, John Cooper, Gary Vaughn (0-1), George Kealey, Finbar Murphy (1-4), Darragh Curtin, Sean Guiden (0-1), Connor Stark (0-2), Ryan O’Grady (0-6), Mattie Farrell (0-1)

Subs: Number 14 (0-1)

 

Referee: Robbie Croft

6/9/2024 - Intermediate Football - Donegal Boston vs Wolfe Tones

By Neil McEnaney

Full Time Score:

Donegal 7-6

Wolfe Tones 2-10

 

It was a case of take the goals and the points will come for Donegal in the Intermediate Championship against Wolfe Tones! Donegal were just a level or two above the Tones today with the pacy Alex Doherty causing a lot of damage from center forward.

 

It was all square after 15 minutes as the game ebbed and flowed. A patient build up and some strong running by Tiernan McHugh of Donegal led to the games first goal taken by Doherty.

 

Wolfe Tones responded immediately with a long kick pass from Padraig Diamond into the two inside forwards, Dylan Murtagh and Darragh O’Reilly who combined well to set up a point for O’Reilly.

 

Doherty and McHugh moved the ball quickly in response for Donegal to set up Mark McFadden who side footed it into the net from a tough angle with his left foot. Tones responded again with a great switch of the play from Paddy Maughan to pick Barry O’Connell who took his man on one-on-one to finish with a great goal for the Tones.

 

With just three points between the sides, Murtagh had a goal chance denied by the bottom of the post as his shot just went a few inches too left to find the net. In a killer blow to the Tones just before half time, Conor O’Neill picked out Doherty on the left wing with a great kick pass. Doherty used his pace to take on his man and finished brilliantly into the bottom corner.

 

Half Time Score:

Donegal 3-4

Wolfe Tones 1-6

 

The start of the second half finished just like the first with a goal for Donegal. This time taken Matthew Smith. It wasn’t long before Doherty finished his hattrick after some strong running. Padraig Diamond for the Tones made a strong run up the wing to set up O’Reilly who was brought down for a penalty. O’Reilly made no mistake from the penalty spot cooly finishing to the bottom corner.

 

Tones could have had a few more goals themselves but for some last ditch defending by Donegal. Eoghan Rocks dived for a block and was down in discomfort and had to be subbed off. Sources tell me he dislocated his elbow so we wish him a speedy recovery.

 

Conor O’Neill finished with a goal himself after another assist from McHugh.

 

 

Man of the Match: Alex Doherty

 

Team and Scorers:

Donegal Boston:

Darren Grant, James Newell, Eoighan Rocks, Mark McFadden (1-0), Jack O’Brien, Ethan McDevitt, Ryan McMahon, Conor O’Neill(1-1), Ben Bradley (0-1), Alex Doherty (3-0), Matthew Smith (0-2), Tiernan McHugh (0-2), Michael Winston

Subs: Mikey Whelan (0-1), Conor Coyle (1-1)

 

Wolfe Tones:

Cormac Joyce Power, Thomas McGuinness, Conor Farrell, Ross Carolan, Mikey Kerr, Jon Foster, Padraig Diamond (0-1), Mikey Quinn, Barry McShea, Barry O’Connell (1-6), Paddy Maughan, Dylan Murtagh, Darragh O’Reilly (1-3)

6/9/2024 - Senior Football - Donegal Boston vs Aidan McAnespies

By Neil McEnaney

Full Time:

Donegal Boston 3-20

Aidan McAnespies 1-6

 

The dreary rain that started the day had stopped by the time the ball was thrown in for these two Boston Senior Football rivals. The match started quite evenly with both teams trading early scores before Donegal started pulling ahead and running out comfortable winners.

 

Donegal started the brighter with Carthy winning the breaking ball from the throw up and moving it quickly into Donal O’Sullivan who was fouled as he took on his man. O’Sullivan stepped up and converted the free to get the scoring underway. He added a second point from a free when a Macs player was blown for overcarrying.

 

Conall Devlin for McAnespies did brilliantly to catch Croft’s kickout on the right wing under pressure before taking it himself on a solo run and a brilliant point too with the outside of his boot. Macs kept the pressure up and leveled with Donegal with a well taken score by Adam Fanning with his left foot.

 

Donegal started getting into their groove, with strong running from Morissey setting up Jimmy O’Grady for a point and Donal O’Sullivan adding another point from play. A holding the jersey off the ball led to a converted point by Brolly for the Macs leaving them within one point of Donegal (0-4 to 0-3).

 

From here to the rest of the game, it was all one way traffic in favor of Donegal. Ruari Gormley picked up a yellow for pulling Morissey to the ground. Corey Gallagher made a strong run from wing back to set up O’Grady for an easy point.

 

Donegal started moving the ball very well with Carthy assisting Lowry and O’Dwyer for points before adding himself to the scoresheet with a well taken score from the left wing. Ruari Gormley broke through the Donegal defence at one stage but hit his shot wide, just trailing left of the post.

 

Half Time Score:

Donegal Boston: 0-12

Aidan McAnespies 0-4

 

The second half started with a bang and any chances of a Macs comeback were dealt a huge blow right from the throw in. A high tackle by Gormley in midfield led to him picking up a second yellow and was sent off.

 

Donegal weren’t long making their man advantage count extending the lead with points from Morissey, O’Sullivan and O’Grady. The killer blow for the Macs came from Lowry who used all his speed to take on his man and set O’Sullivan up for the first goal of the game. O’Sullivan wasn’t long getting another goal after he rounded the goalkeeper to put it into an empty net.

 

The McAnespies, to their credit, kept on battling to the end with Fanning looking dangerous in the full forward line and picking up a goal after a long pass from Croft.

 

Man of the Match: Shane Carthy

Team and Scorers:

Donegal Boston:

Darren Grant, Anthony Diver, Neil Mulcahy, Sean Winston, Ben McCarron (0-1), Cory Gallagher, Shane Carthy (0-2), Jordan Morissey (0-2), Ciaran McDevitt (0-1), Jimmy O’Grady (0-3), Sean Lowry (1-2), Donal O’Sullivan (2-4), Ryan O’Dwyer (0-4)

 

Aidan McAnespies:

Robbie Croft, Darren Gibney, Cormac McKeogh, Conall Devlin (0-1), Owen Ward, Cian Quinn, Ruari, Gormley, Steven Ward, Cian Grime (0-1), Eoin Gormley, Rurai Scott, Adam Fanning (1-3), Rory Brolly (0-1)

6/2/2024 - Men's Senior Football - Connemara Gaels v Donegal

By Neil McEnaney 

Connemara Gaels vs Donegal Boston 

It was a repeat of last years final to kick off the senior championship for these two Boston heavyweights. The crowd in attendance were hoping for similar match in terms of entertainment and it definitely didn’t disappoint! 

It was Donegal who started the brighter with Shane Carthy setting up Jordan Morrissey for the opening score. A quick ball kicked inside from James O’Grady to Sean Lowry ended with Lowry being fouled and Carthy converted the resulting free. 

Connemara then responded with some great link up play between Adam Waddick and Mark Nolan leading to Waddick being wide open in front of the goals to smash the ball into the roof of the net. Connemara stayed on top then with well taken points from Ryan Fadden and Oran Cunningham from the top of the D. 

A high ball in from Mark Nolan was well gathered by Cian Folan who laid it off to the onrushing Ryan Fadden. Ryan was one on one with the Donegal keeper Hugh Boyle and made no mistake from close range. 

Donegal were 6 down at this point and started slowly coming back into the game. Some quick fist passing up the field led to a goal chance for Ben McCarron which was well saved by Bryan O’Flaherty in goals for Connemara, tipping it over the bar for a point. 

Sean Lowry for Donegal started causing Connemara all sorts of trouble. Boyle picked him out from a kickout and some strong running led Coleman Mulkerrins to trip him resulting in a black card. Ben McCarron kicked the resulting free kick from a tough angle and close to the 45. 

Donegal really put the pressure on with the extra man. McCarron made a strong run through the middle to fist a point before Ciaran McDevitt was brought to the ground for a penalty. Carthy stepped up to take the peno, but O’Flaherty guessed the right way and pulled off a great save! 

Both teams traded scores to finish off the half with the goals and O’Flaherty’s goalkeeping being the difference at half time. 

Half Time Score:

Donegal Boston 0-8 Connemara Gaels 2-6 

Donegal won the throw up in the second half and were patient in their build up. A great turnover by Gaels captain Mulkerrins resulted in Sean Kenneddy breaking up the field to set up a well taken score from Oran Cunningham. Donegal responded with a very well taken score from McCarron from a tough angle on the left. 

An off the ball tussle between Jack Lynch and Jordan Morrissey led to two yellows for the pair. Donegal slowly clawed the Gaels back to 3 points in the difference with well taken points by O’Grady and McCarron. The Gaels then worked some very quick hand passing to Oran Cunningham who found himself right in front of goals and couldn’t miss. 

Michael Kerr for the Gaels picked up a great kickout down the right wing and took the ball inside and scored a beautiful point off his left. This left 8 points between the teams with Donegal with everything to do! 

Cory Gallagher was sprung from the bench for Donegal and started making his presence known around the middle winning breaking ball and switching the play when needed. Donegal slowly started to claw their way back with points from Sean Maloney, McCarron and Gallagher. 

Some sloppy play by both sides led to a few turnovers as the Gaels tried to wrestle back control of the game. 

McCarron won a high ball on the 20 yard line and turned his man to kick a point. A series of missed chances for Donegal eventually broke to Carthy who kicked a nice point off his left. Lowry turned provider for Maloney who was fouled on his way through. McCarron took the resulting free kicking the point. 

Donegal brought it back to 2 points before Oran Cunningham took on his man and scored with his left. The Donegal defenders started to get out on top making turnovers and breaking at speed. Carthy and Maloney added points to narrow the gap once more. One point between the sides. 

Waddick added a point for the Gaels before Ryan McMahon and McCarron leveled the proceedings. Ross Keogh for Connemara put scored another leave a point between the sides going into extra time. Ryan Fadden for the Gaels then got a black card for a deliberate foul around the middle of the field. Morrissey moved the ball quickly to Carthy who kicked a great score from the right hand side. 

Both teams had a chance to win it at the end with Fionn O’Hehir hitting the post for the Gaels and Sean Lowry dropping a shot short. 

Full Time Score:

Donegal Boston: 0-22 

Connemara Gaels: 3-13 

Man of the Match: Ben McCarron

 Teams and Scorers:

Donegal Boston:

Hugh Boyle, Neil Mulcahy, Anthony Diver, Sean Winston, Sean Moloney (0-2), Sean Doherty, Ben McGowan, Jordan Morrissey (0-1), Ben McCarron (0-9), Jimmy O’Grady (0-1), Shane Carthy (0-7), Sean Lowry, Ciaran McDevitt 

Connemara Gaels:

Bryan O’Flaherty, Sean Kennedy, Fionn O’Hehir, Michael Kerr (0-1), Colman Mulkerrin, Zaak Mahon, Adam Waddick (0-2), Oran Cunningham (1-3), Ryan Fadden (1-1), Dylan Murtagh (1-0), Mark Nolan (0-1), Cian Folan, Ross Keogh (0-4)

Sun June 18 - Men's Senior Football - Donegal v Aidan McAnespies

Donegal Boston’s men’s senior team took on Aidan McAnespie’s last Sunday June 18^th.

McAnespie’s wasted no time in securing the first goal of the game, and making their presence felt. Donegal’s forwards started the game with several vigorous attempts at goals. Two attempts were deterred by McAnespie’s goalie, Mark Kelliher (1) and the second made its way over the bar by Donegal’s number 13, David Garland.

An injury for Donegal’s number 12, Ciaran McDevitt saw him limp off the field. Scoring remained minimal for the next several minutes. Many attempts were put wide on both sides of the field. Donegal’s number 11, Shane Carthy was successful, with a powerful kick from the 45 line. Another for Garland (13) followed shortly after. McAnespie’s had a chance for redemption with a goal attempt by Patrick Darcy (11) but Donegal’s keeper made an excellent save, protecting their advantage. Two more scores from Garland (13) put Donegal ahead of their competitors.

Another injury for a Donegal player paused play for several minutes. This time it was number 7, Thomas Galligan, who continued playing. McAnespie’s Darragh Lyne (8) dodged several Donegal defenders to finally bring scoring back for McAnespie’s. From there, McAnespie’s seemed to wake up and sprung to action. Three consecutive points from (12) put them back on an equal score and a goal from Lyne (8) put McAnespie’s back in the lead. 

Donegal may have dominated the first part of the first half, but McAnespie’s returned with a vengeance.

The second half began with a score of McAnespie’s 2-5 to Donegal 0-8. Darragh Lyne (8) took his chance at a goal and succeeded, for the second time in the match. Scoring followed for both sides, which meant McAnespie’s stayed in the lead. A penalty for Donegal bridged some of the gap, but simply not enough. A point for Donegal was matched by one for McAnespie’s, which ended up being the last kick of the game. Despite their commendable attempt at a comeback, McAnespie’s scoring in the closing minutes of the first half put them too far ahead for Donegal to catch up. The match finished with a final score of McAnespie’s 3-10 to Donegal 1-13.

 

McAnespie’s

1.      Marc Kelliher

2.      Caolan Harvey

3.      Conor Brady

4.      Owen Ward

5.      Jon Cassidy

6.      Iarla O’Sullivan

7.      Ben McDonnell

8.      Darragh Lyne

9.      Rory Brolly

10.  Ruairi Gormley

11.  Patrick Darcy

12.  Shane Petitt

13.  Eoin Gormley

 

Donegal

1.      Hugh Boyle

2.      Sean Doherty

3.      Killian Gildea

4.      Cory Gallagher

5.      Jack O’Brien

6.      Jason Noctor

7.      Thomas Galligan

8.      Paul McBride

9.      Sean Winston

10.  Shane O’Donnell

11.  Shane Carthy

12.  Ciaran McDevitt

13.  David Garland