Donegal Schoolboys League were made to work hard for their 1-0 Junior Section win over a County Down side who will feel they could have got more from the match.
Confused faces abounded at Anderson Park where the rain stopped for the first time in two days, and the crowd were treated to an entertaining encounter between the local sides. Down started the brighter of the two with good work down the flank by Dean Truesdale leading to a shot by Alex McIlmail, but Eoin O’Boyle in the Donegal goal was equal to the challenge. Shortly after Down were on the charge again, with some neat interplay between Truesdale, Kai Wardlow and Leo Brown but they couldn’t create a clear shooting opportunity. The Donegal defence was working hard with both Keelan McGill and Michael Gallagher frustrating Down’s frontman Brown’s efforts.
Donegal had few chances of their own in the first period, with the first real opportunity coming after 20 minutes when Justin McGee beat one man and was charging towards the Down goal, only to be stopped in his tracks by a solid tackle from Cole Magee who cleared the Down lines.
Donegal started better in the second half, and were rewarded with the game’s only goal early on. Jonah Serrinah was allowed space inside the box and fired a shot low and hard at Down keeper Jack Hazard, who managed to get in a block but the ball sailed up and over the line just seconds before a Down defender could clear it away. One nil Donegal. There were chances for both sides to add to the scoring throughout the second half, and Down began to heap the pressure on as the game headed towards the final whistle. The finest moment of the match came when Brown blasted a shot at O’Boyle in the Donegal goal, who saved well but the ball was only parried as far as Down’s Wardlow who again hit the target. The impressive Donegal keeper was up to make the save and kept his side’s slender lead intact. There were opportunities for Donegal to counter attack in the final stages, particularly Justin McGee who found himself in space down the left flank and beat one man before a fine tackle from Magee.
Donegal take the three points on this occasion, which leaves both sides with a win and a loss from their first two fixtures. Down will look to get back to winning ways against the Strikers in Ballymoney in their final group game on Wednesday whilst Donegal travel to Clough to face Colina.