Donegal 0-15
Clare 2-10
The Donegal ladies team were heroic in defeat on Saturday afternoon last as they just ran out of time in their efforts to bring a National League title back to the Northwest.
While the fall out over the decision to play the game in Ennis rumbles on, the Tir Chonaill girls showed plenty of resolve and fight on the day and were unlucky not to take something in front of a noisy ‘home’ support.
Donegal will now turn their attentions to provincial glory as the look forward to their June 8th clash with Armagh. After a nervy start that saw both teams go close it was Care who drew first blood when Eimear Considine fired to the back of the Donegal net after Majella Griffin had struck the woodwork.
Indeed Donegal were lucky not to fall further behind in the opening exchanges when Griffin again rattled the bar from close distance. But Donegal’s luck was short lives when Ann Kelly fired home to raise the Banner counties second green flag of the first half.
Donegal tried to salvage something and surges down filed yielded results as McMonagle, Doherty and Gallagher all found their range, though poor shooting in front of the posts let the Tir Chonaill girls down as they registered nine wides in total during the opening period.
That scoring burst gave the Donegal girls new hope before the break and further scores from Bridget Gallagher(2), Yvonne McMonagle and another brace from Yvonne McMonagle sent Donegal in at the break trailing by just three points.
Dominic McGlinchey hurried his side in to the changing rooms, and Donegal emerged with a new determination for the second half. But it didn’t take Clare long to re establish their dominance as Griffin and Kelly pushed the Banner girls further in front.
The introduction of Karen Guthrie added some much needed potency in front of goal as she grabbed two points, while Moville’s Niamh Hegarty also grabbed her first of the day.
With just four points separating the sides Bridget and Nadine Doherty rallied the Donegal challenge going into the last five minutes.
And when Treasa Doherty curled over to make it a one point game with under five minutes to go, it looked like it would indeed be Donegal’s day. But with the buzzer counting down Donegal just ran out of time as Clare hung on to take the title.
Donegal: Roisin McCafferty; Lorraine O’Sullivan: Nora Stapleton: Aoife Buggy; Olivia McCafferty: Diane Toner; Grainne Huston Aoife McDonnell: Maria Devenney; Niamh Hegarty: Nadine Doherty (0-04): Treása Doherty (0-01); Bridget Gallagher (0-04): Ann Doherty (0-01): Yvonne McMonagle (0-02) Subs: Louise Cassidy for McDonnell. Karen Guthrie (0-02) for A Doherty, Siobhan Mollahan for O’Sullivan
Clare: Denis Walsh: Carmel Considine: Lorraine Kelly: Afric O’Neill; Michelle Delaney: Sinead Kelly: Niamh Coyne; Sandra Malone: Louise Henchy: Una Downes (0-01): Maria Kelly (0-01): Fiona Lafferty; Eimear Considine (1-00): Majella Griffin (0-07): Aine Kelly (1-01)