Donegal footballers suffer Tailteann Cup exit with London

Six Donegal men lined out for London at the weekend who were unfortunately defeated by Antrim in what was a four-point Tailteann Cup preliminary quarter-final defeat in Corrigan Park.  

Moville man Ciarán Diver and Gaoth Dobhair native Michael Carroll led the way for the Exiles with both men topping the scoreboard for their side for the afternoon, with Diver hitting over four points, while Carroll struck 1-1 but they unfortunate to be on the losing end with Antrim running out winners on a 3-11 to 2-10 point scoreline. 

Elsewhere in the starting line-up Daniel Clarke, who was with Naomh Colmcille, played at centre-forward, while Termon’s Nathan McElwaine started in the full-back line. 

St Mary’s Convoy Josephy McGill, and St Eunan’s man Michael Miller came on as second-half substitutes, while other Donegal members on the panel include, Michael Lynch, formerly of Gaoth Dobhair and Naomh Colmcille, St Mary’s Convoy’s Patrick Dolan, and Seán McMonagle from the Na Rossa club.   

The match was anything but straightforward for the Saffrons, with London remaining competitive until Aghagallon’s Ruairí McCann secured his second goal in the dying moments of added time. 

London started strongly, with Stephen Dornan finding the net within five minutes. Joshua Obahor then added a point before the hosts responded. A break from Marc Jordan allowed him to set up Ryan McQuillan, whose pass was finished by McCann. Following an exchange of points, London suffered a setback when Cahir Healy received a black card on 26 minutes. Despite points from Niall Burns and Paddy McAleer edging Antrim ahead, they missed several opportunities. 

London’s confidence grew, culminating in a goal on 29 minutes when Ciarán McKeon set up Michael Carroll to score. Antrim responded with points from Ryan McQuillan and Eunan Walsh, leaving the score at 1-5 to 2-2 at half-time. 

Antrim began the second half with more intent, extending their lead with a fortunate goal on 47 minutes when Dermot McAleese’s attempt for a point ended up in the net. However, London answered with four consecutive scores. 

Substitute Dominic McEnhill eased Antrim’s nerves with a brace. With two points still separating the teams deep into added time, McCann’s second goal sealed the victory for Antrim.