Sun June 25- Men's Junior Football- Galway v Donegal

There was a lively game of football between the Galway and Donegal Men’s Junior B

teams at the weekend. Scoring was high from the beginning, with Donegal’s Fiachra Coyle (8) securing a point followed by a goal from Micky Winston (13). Galway fought back with a number of points and scoring bounced back and forth between the two teams for much of the first half. Donegal’s Eoghan Hamill (12) scored a point from a free and immediately after, their second goal of the match.  

Galway’s number 9, Ryan Padden, and 10, John Moylan, took turns banking points to try and bridge the gap between them and their competitors. Their number 5, David O’Shea, finished the first half with another point. 

The second half kicked off with a goal attempt by Padden (9), which was unsuccessful. Donegal’s Hamill (12) and Winston (13) took turns racking up points that put them further ahead. Galway retaliated with a goal from number 7, Conor Gilligan. Donegal’s Darragh Lawlor (9), tried his hand at a goal but his aim was slightly too high, gaining him a point instead.  

Encouraged by Gilligan’s (7) goal, Galway came back with a new enthusiasm, bagging three points within the next few minutes. But for every Galway score, there seemed to be a corresponding Donegal one, leaving the scoring gap wide until the end.  

Galway fought til the finish, but they could not catch up to their rivals, whose performance on the field was undeniably superior. The game finished with a score of Donegal 3-18 to Galway 1-16. 

 

Donegal: 

 
1. Gavin Reilly 

2. Alpha Ike 

13. Micky Winston 

4. Ethan McDevitt 

5. Aidan  

3. Phillip Meyers 

7. Kyle Long 

8. Fiachra Coyle 

9. Darragh Lawlor 

10. Sean Rooney 

11. Conor Brennan 

12. Eoghan Hamill 

13. Mikey Whelan 

 

Galway: 

1. 1. Greg Lundy 

2. 2. Luke Gallagher 

3. 3. Aidan Flanagan 

4. 4. Ciaran Flanagan 

5. 5. David O’Shea 

6. 6. Kev Healy 

7. 7. Conor Gilligan 

8. 8. Ciann Doogan 

9. 9. Ryan Padden 

10. 10. John Moylan 

11. 11. Conor Kelly 

12. 12. Jason Daly 

13. 13. Kevin McDonnell  

 

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

Sun June 11 - Mens' Senior Football - Connemara Gaels v Donegal

 By Alana Loftus

There may not have been a victor in the battle between Connemara Gaels and Donegal senior championship game last Sunday, but there was surely a great display of football in Canton on the fine sunny day. The teams fought hard to combat the ever-present level-score throughout the game but finished with a draw.

Donegal number 13, David Garland scored the first point of the game. Gaels number 11, James Darcy, followed with a point for their side. Donegal goalie, Hugh Boyle (1) made a good save after the Gaels attempted a goal. Scoring went back and forth between the two sides, possession seemed shared evenly. Gaels number 9, Matthias Barrett made a dart for the Galway goal and was not confronted by any defenders. His attempt at a goal was unsuccessful.

Donegal’s 11, Cian O’Grady and 12, Ciaran McDevitt, secured points for their side. Gaels number 4, Coleman Mulkerin, drove a shot at the goal that was narrowly saved by the Donegal keeper. Play continued with two fouls in the space of a few minutes, and both frees were taken by Donegal’s 13, Garland. One attempt was successful, the other was put wide.

Gaels number 13, Simon Garrity was relentless with attempts at a goal. Though the Gaels goalie did his best, Garrity (13) scored a goal, putting them back in the running. Garrity (13) and James Darcy (11) banked two more scores from frees. A foul by Gaels number 5, Jack Lynch resulted in a free for Donegal (13) and another point between them.

The score levelled out just before the end of the first half. Gaels dominated play in the remainder of the first half, but scoring did not seem to be going their way. The halftime score was Connemara Gaels 1-05 to Donegal 0-8.

Play resumed with scoring from both sides. Gaels number 12, Sean Conneely, secured a fantastic goal, followed by a point from Barrett (9), that put them back in the lead. Points bounced back and forth between the two sides, constantly widening and narrowing the gap. A tremendous run from Gaels number 11, Darcy, resulted in a goal that was much deliberated both on the field and off. The ball hit the post but somehow made it’s way inside the net. The referee and umpire made the decision to award the goal, putting the Gaels ahead by three points.

With tensions high, a penalty was scored by Donegal’s number 11 (name), which once again levelled the score. Donegal (13) came back with a point that put Donegal in the lead for the first time since the first half.

A penalty for the Gaels saw Jack Lundy (10) secure a one-point lead. After a point from Donegal’s substitute number 21, the teams found themselves neck-in-neck again. With minutes left, a foul against Gaels number 14 Daniel Kerr, led to a free that saw Darcy (11) put his team back in the lead.

Frustrated and feeling helpless, the Donegal goalie, Hugh Boyle, made a powerful run and scored the equalizer with seconds left to go. With nails bitten down to nothing, the referee blew the whistle and signaled the game had ended in a draw.

The final score was Connemara Gaels 4-10 to Donegal 1-19.

 

Connemara Gaels:

1.      James Keoghan

2.      Tommy Gill

3.      Eoighain Murray

4.      Colman Mulkerin

5.      Jack Lynch

6.      Mikey Kerr

7.      Ryan Caffrey

8.      Nathan Donnelly

9.      Maithias Barrett

10.  Jack Lundy

11.  James Darcy

12.  Sean Conneely

13.  Simon Garrity

 

Donegal:

1.      Hugh Boyle

2.      Cillian Gilligan

3.      Anthony Diver

4.      Jason Nochton

5.      Jack O’Brien

6.      Sean Doherty

7.      Donal McBride

8.      Tomas Galligan

9.      Sean Winston

10.  Shane O’Donnell

11.  Cian O’Grady

12.  Ciaran McDevitt

13.  David Garland

 

Sun June 11 - Men's Senior Football: Aidan McAnespies v Galway

By Alana Loftus

Galway Boston took on Aidan McAnespies on Sunday last in the Boston GAA men’s senior football championship. McAnespies kicked off the game with three impressive scores, one after the other. Eoin Gormley (11) bagged the first point of the game, followed by a goal from Ruairí Gormley (8) within the first three minutes. Shortly after, Darragh Lyne (9) scored another point. All three scores were consecutive and set the tone for the first half.

A free for Galway taken by Reece Burke (12) secured their first score of the game. Determined to put them back in the race, the next two scores were also acquired by Burke (12), whose impressive scoring record proved his worth as a newcomer.

McAnespies number 10, Rory Brolly, bagged them another point.

The Galway full forward line was relentless with goal efforts and tried repeatedly to get past McAnespies goalie Marc Kelliher, but to no avail. Kelliher made two remarkable saves.  

McAnespie's Robbie Croft (13) scored a point which was matched by a point from Galway’s number 13, Nathan Grainge. Grainge banked a number of points for the Galway team, scoring three in a number of minutes. McAnespies goalie held strong, protecting the goal from yet another attack from Galway’s full forward line. A point for McAnespies number 8, Ruairí Gormley, was followed by one from Galway’s number 13, Grainge. Scoring alternated back and forth for much of the first half. Grainge, Galway’s top scorer of the match, bagged two more points putting the teams at a draw for the first time. Reece Burke (12) was taken off after suffering an injury and replaced by number 15, Patrick Darcy.

Two more points from McAnespies 10, Rory Brolly and 12, Robbie Croft put them back in the lead. Galway’s number 15 (substitute) scored a point to finish the half with 1 point between them and a score of Galway 0-10 to McAnespies 1-08.

McAnespies number 10, Brolly, secured the first score of the second half. A second attempt at a score hit the post. Galway’s Grainge (13) made a tremendous run, dodging several of McAnespies defenders, and finishing with a swift pass to Flaherty (10) who handpassed it over the bar.

After a brief recess on the sideline, McAnespies put Robbie Croft back into the game, and he within seconds he had scored another point. Just after that, McAnespies number 8, Ruairí Gormley widened the gap after getting a goal that increased their lead. After receiving a black card, McAnespies number 9, Darragh Lyne waited out his sinbin pacing the sideline and heading back out onto the field the second it was over.

Galway substitute, Danny Burke, scored a point and another followed from Grainge, whose scoring statistics far outweighed those of anyone else on the field.

Skilled passing between Croft (12), Lyne (9) and McAnespies sub number 15, who buried the ball in the net. Tensions were high at this point, and a scuffle near the Galway goal resulted in a 2nd yellow and subsequently, red card for McAnespies number 6, Tiernan McSkean. The referee also gave a black card to Galway’s number 13, Grainge, whose sinbin cost Galway serious scoring chances. The free taken by Conor Flaherty (10) lifted Galway’s spirits. Conor Flanaghan (11) followed up with a point from play and Patrick Moylan, who came on as a substitute, finished the game with a goal for Galway, but their efforts could not bridge the gap. The game finished with a final score of McAnespies 3-13 to Galway 2-14.

 

 

McAnespie’sMcAnespies:

1.      Marc Kelliher

2.      Conor Brady

3.      Caolan Harvey

4.      Ruairí Scott

5.      Ben McDonnell

6.      Tiernan McSkean

7.      Steve Ward

8.      Ruairí Gormley

9.      Darragh Lyne

10.  Rory Brolly

11.  Eoin Gormley

12.  Robbie Croft

13.  Shane Pettit

 

Galway:

1.      Jamie Kelly

2.      Dara Whelan

3.      Anthony Keating

4.      Kieran O’Dwyer

5.      Stephen White

6.      Michael Moylan

7.      Eoin Morrissey

8.      Connell Dempsey

9.      Jordan Muldoon

10.  Conor Flaherty

11.  Conor Flanagan

12.  Reece Burke

13.  Nathan Grainge

 

 

June 10 - Men's Junior Football - Aidan McAnespies v Donegal

By Alana Loftus

McAnespies took on Donegal Boston on Saturday evening in the Men’s Junior Championship. Donegal got the scoring underway with a powerful goal from number 12 Mark McFadden, in the first few minutes of the game. Around the four-minute mark, McAnespies number 9, Aidan O’Malley bagged them their first point. McAnespies dominated the next few minutes, with points from numbers 8, Paddy McGee and 12, Padraic Dillon. A 45 was awarded to McAnespies, and the opportunity for a goal was narrowly missed.

At a break in play, McAnespies goalie, Jack Lake (1) shielded his eyes from the sun that was getting stronger as the afternoon went on. One of McAnespies loyal supporters offered up their hat to help him.

A knee injury for Donegal number 4, Neil McEnany, stalled play for several minutes. An ambulance was called and the ambulance and fire brigade both arrived after approximately 20 mins. The crowd applauded him as he was carried off the pitch. We wish Neil a speedy recovery.  Play resumed and Donegal sprung to action, with Jack Doyle (10) scoring a point and attempting a goal immediately after but putting it wide.

After that there was a point from McAnespies number 14, Jude Campbell, followed by one from Donegal’s number 11, Sean Donnelly. A free in for McAnespies was popped over the bar with ease, by Campbell (14) putting them just one point behind Donegal.

The first half came to a close with a score of McAnespies 0-5 to Donegal 1-3.

Play continued with another goal from Donegal’s Mark McFadden (12), securing their place in the lead. A free for McAnespies substitute number 15, f  followed.

Donegal’s 10 and 12, both secured points to further widen the gap between the two teams. McAnespies tried tirelessly to catch them but seemed to lack when it came to scoring. Two crucial wides saw them fall further behind. McAnespies Jude Campbell (14) bagged the final score of the game, but unfortunately for McAnespies their fate had been sealed.

The match finished with a score of Donegal 2-9 to McAnespies 0-9.

 

McAnespies:

1.      Jack Lake

2.      Eoin Murdock

3.      Brian Troy

4.      Jonathon McGeraty

5.      Jimmy

6.      Conan McCusker

7.      Owen Ward

8.      Paddy Magee

9.      Aidan O’Malley

10.  Shane O’Brien

11.  Liam O’Malley

12.  Padraic Dillon

14. Jude Campbell

Donegal:

1.      Eoin McGing

2.      Paul McNulty

3.      Mark Canny

4.      Neil McEnany

5.      Ryan McMahon

6.      James Newall

7.      Jack Hamill

8.      Darren Grant

9.      Nicholas Store

10.  Jack Doyle

11.  Sean Donnelly

12.  Mark McFadden

13.  Donnacha Swinburne