David Boyle goal helps St Eunan's to Division 1 win over Naomh Columba

A goal by David Boyle helped St Eunan’s to their first win in the All-County League Division 1, beating off Naomh Columba at O’Donnell Park.

St Eunan’s had lost out to Kilcar on a 1-11 to 1-7 scoreline eight days’ beforehand, with Naomh Columba going down 2-9 to 0-11 on their first top-flight appearance in 19 years.

It was the visitors who scored the opening two points on Sunday in Letterkenny, with Darragh Cunningham impressing early on. However, by half-time, Barry Meehan’s hosts had built up a slender lead of 0-4 to 0-3.

Conor O’Donnell was on the mark with three frees, while Dylan Doogan was also on target and at the other end Lanty Molloy and Cunningham did the first-half scoring for the away team.

O’Donnell pushed the St Eunan’s lead out to two before, on 44 minutes, Boyle netted what proved to be the only goal of the game to make it 1-5 to 0-3, scoring from a rebound after Shane O'Gara's save. When Doogan put over his second of the afternoon, it was a six-point game.

Eoin McGeehin and Boyle would score the last St Eunan’s points, with Phillip Doherty, Paul O’Hare and Shane Callaghan making up the Naomh Columba scores.

St Eunan’s scorers: Conor O’Donnell 0-4, 3f; David Boyle 1-1; Dylan Doogan 0-2; Eoin McGeehin 0-1.
Naomh Columba scorers: Darragh Cunningham 0-2, Shane Callaghan 0-1, 1f; Lanty Molloy, Phillip Doherty, Paul O’Hare 0-1 each.

St Eunan’s: Ronan McGeehin; Anthony Gallagher, Noel O’Donnell, Conor Parke; Noah Barrett, Peter Devine, Dylan Doogan; Eamonn Doherty, Jordan O’Dowd; David Boyle, Kevin Kealy, Oran Winston; Brian Drumm, Eoghan McGeehin, Conor O’Donnell. Subs: Kieran Tobin for McBride, McBride for Drumm, Jake Whelan for Devine.
Naomh Columba: Shane O’Gara; Stephen Callaghan, Barry Carr, Phillip McNern, Darragh Cunningham, Paul O’Hare, Pauric Hegarty; Kevin McNern, Declan McGuire, Ryan McNern, Eric Carr, Lanty Molloy; Shane Callaghan, Padraig Byrne, Ronan O’Hare subs Phillip Doherty for R O’Hare, Adrian Breslin for P McNern.
Referee: Mark Dorrian (Gaeil Fhánada)