Laois show strength to bounce right back

Laois 2-9 Donegal 2-6:LAOIS WERE much the better side as they brushed aside a weak home challenge in O'Donnell Park, Letterkenny.

Two goals inside a minute with eight minutes remaining put a flattering look on the scoreboard for the home side, who were never able to compete against the physically stronger Leinster side.

Both sides had players better known as midfielders on the edge of the square with Pádraig Clancy having a big impact for Laois, while the experiment of playing Neil Gallagher was abandoned by Jim McGuinness midway through the half.

Laois got the only goal of the game in the final minute when Paul Cahillane was upended after he latched on to a knock down yards from the Donegal line and the same player sent Paul Durcan the wrong way from the spot.

The goal put the icing on what was a very good opening half for the visitors, who had threatened the Donegal goal on many occasions with Clancy having a great shout for a penalty as early as the 2nd minute.

Ross Munnelly missed an opening free, but then hit two points in eight minutes before Patrick McBrearty had Donegal’s opening point from a free on 14 minutes.

McBrearty kept Donegal in touch for much of the half, accounting for all four Donegal scores, as Colm Begley and Clancy added points for Laois before the goal came to send Laois to the dressingroom 1-6 to 0-4 in front.

Donegal huffed and puffed in the second half, but still had to wait 25 minutes before they registered a point.

By that stage, Laois had tagged on 1-3 with the excellent Clancy bagging the goal on 52 minutes, fielding a high ball from Darren Strong and beating Donegal goalkeeper Paul Durcan from close range.

Donegal did give their supporters something to cling to when Anthony Thompson and Gallagher got goals in the 62nd minute, but they never looked like pulling back a deficit that had built to 11 points at one stage.

Apart from the excellent Clancy, Munnelly, Begley, John O’Loughlin, Kieran Lillis and David Conway were to the fore for the winners, while Karl Lacey and McBrearty emerged with credit for Donegal.

The Laois manager, Justin McNulty, was obviously happy with the result.

“The performance, we would be very happy with. I would have to commend the lads for that over the full 70 minutes. There was a lot of criticism shouldered by the players after the Mayo defeat and to bounce back with that performance, we would have to be more than delighted with,” said McNulty.

On the other hand, Donegal manager was trying to extract different positives, saying: “We got a few players back from injury today and that is something we can take from the game, but apart from that it was disappointing.”

LAOIS: E Culliton; C Healy, K Lillis, P O'Leary; D Strong (0-1), J O'Loughlin, C Boyle; K Meaney, B Quigley; R Munnelly (0-3 mins), C Begley (0-1), D O'Connor; P Cahillane (1-0, penalty), P Clancy (1-1), D Conway (0-3, 1f). Subs: C Kelly for Cahillane (57 mins); MJ Tierney for Conway (67); J Kavanagh for O'Connor (72).

DONEGAL: P Durcan; F McGlynn, N McGee, P McGrath; A Thompson (1-0), K Lacey, L McLoone; R Kavanagh (0-2), N Gallagher (1-0); M McHugh, R Bradley, M O'Reilly; D Molloy, P McBrearty (0-4, 2f), A Hanlon. Subs: D Walsh for Molloy (half-time); S Griffin for Hanlon (45 mins); E McGee for McGrath (57); D Walsh for Bradley (67); E Waide for Lacey (72).

Referee: Michael Duffy (Sligo).