Ardara edge out Gaoth Dobhair to advance in Comortas

Ardara 0-11
Gaoth Dobhair 1-07

By Frank Craig
PRO

Ardara are through to the semi-finals of Comortas Peile na Gaeltachta after they just about squeezed past Gaoth Dobhair in Kentucky on Friday night.

These sides didn’t even make it to the halfway mark last time out when a tempestuous clash was ended prematurely after both sides had got involved in an ugly melee. Thankfully, this was a much tamer and mannerly affair.

Gaoth Dobhair were quickest off the mark in Pearse Park with Eamon Collum and Noel Kelly both floating over inside the first five minutes. Ardara were up and running when Gareth Concarr blazed over with a goal very much on for the hosts’ full-forward.

Odhran MacNiallais doubled the visitors’ advantage to two on 11 minutes with a neat faint inside his man that engineered the time and space to float over. Lorcan O’Donnell and Ryan Malley – with an effort that clipped the topside of the crossbar – managed to square matters up by the 19^th minute.

With conditions deteriorating, MacNiallais again showed his undoubted class as he booted Gaoth Dobhair in front for the third time in the contest. But that was as good as things got in an uneventful enough first-half.

Half-time: Gaoth Dobhair 0-4: 0-3 Ardara.

Ardara lost Gary McHugh to what looked like a serious knee injury just moments into the new period. With matters held up for five or so minutes as the player was attended to and eventually stretchered off, proceedings got under way again with CJ Molloy levelling things up from a free on the left hand side.

Ardara also posted the second point after the restart when Brendan McNelis swung over a brilliant effort from distance as Adrian Brennan’s side led for the first time.

A third over on the bounce, this time off the boot of Concarr (free), saw Ardara double their new found lead. Gaoth Dobhair halved the deficit thanks to James Boyle whose strike was helped up and over by the quick hands of Cathal Gallagher.

Proceedings were squared for the third time on 50 minutes as Kelly clipped over from a placed ball. Another ambitious but on the mark stroke from Molloy meant that the pendulum again swung back the home side’s direction as they crept 0-7 to 0-6 clear.

A determined showing for the ball by McNelis got its reward when he was bundled to the ground close to the posts. From the resulting free, Concarr stretched the gap to three. However, a minute later, the big centre fielder was gone as he picked up a second bookable offence and Ardara were forced to ride out the remainder down to 14 men.

Still, they dug out the next score as Malley took advantage of the space that appeared through the middle to drive in and increase the margin to four. With matters moving into the red, brilliant hunting on a ball that Kenneth Doherty could easily have given up on, manufactured the chance for Concarr to again make it a four-point game.

Doherty took one for the team in the dying seconds and a black card was his reward. And while Aodhan Ferry did bundle home a late, late goal after Cathal Gallagher had beaten away a stinging MacNiallais drive, Ardara held on to take the narrowest of wins.

Ardara: Cathal Gallagher; Brian Whyte, Kenneth Doherty, Kelvin Slowey; Senan Boyle, JR Molloy, Nicolas Maguire; CJ Molloy (0-2,1f), Brendan McNelis (0-1); Paul Watters, Ryan Malley (0-1), Peter McHugh; Lorcan O’Donnell (0-1), Gareth Concarr (0-6,2f), Gary McHugh.

Subs: Gerard McHugh for JR Molloy (19,inj), Jack Brennan for G McHugh (36, inj), Jimmy O’Connell for K Slowey (43), Campbell Classon for P McHugh (54), Tony Harkin for J O’Connell (56,inj), Ultan Brennan for K Doherty (60+4).

Gaoth Dobhair: Christopher Sweeney; Proinsias Gallagher, Odhran Ferry, James Boyle (0-1), Ryan Kelly, Eamonn McGee, Néasán McBride; Michael McKelvey, Peter McGee; Michael Roarty, Aodhan Ferry (1-0), Daniel McLaughlin; Eamon Collum (0-1), Noel Kelly (0-3,2f), Odhan MacNiallais (0-2).

Subs: Michael Roarty for D McLaughlin (ht).

Jimmy White: (Killybegs).