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Donegal trounced by Monaghan 09.06.09
Ulster Ladies Senior Football Championship Quarter-Final

Donegal...0-3

Monaghan...5-15

By Chris McNulty, for Inishowen Independent, at Tír Chonaill Park

MONAGHAN inflicted a 27-point thumping on Donegal in yesterday’s Ulster Ladies Football Championship quarter-final at Tír Chonaill Park with the All-Ireland finalists of 2008 proving far too strong for Hughie Molloy’s charges.
Already down a number of players from last year’s panel, Donegal were missing the Moville duo of Deirdre Foley and Ciara Hegarty as both defenders are currently sitting their Leaving Certificate exams.
While Monaghan finished with a flourish yesterday, knocking over 2-4 in the final ten minutes, as a contest the match was long since over. Indeed, such was their dominance, Monaghan could have been out the gate at half-time.
While Donegal stayed in touch in the early stages, once Edel Byrne rattled home a goal from an 18th minute penalty the writing was on the wall for the home team.
Cathriona McConnell had fired the visitors ahead on two minutes, but the visitors took some time to find their shooting boots, registering seven wides in the first period and Aoife McDonnell levelled matters with Donegal’s first point on 15 minutes.
Three minutes later, Edel Byrne was hauled to the floor by Sarah Faulkner and Byrne dusted herself down to slam the kick high into the roof of the net.
Ciara McAnespie and Byrne tagged on points, before Donegal’s tally was doubled through a brilliantly executed score off the left boot of Karen Guthrie.
Donegal scored the final point of the half through a Guthrie free, but by that stage Byrne, Kindlon (free) and Ciara McAnespie had stretched the Monaghan lead
and at the interval John McAleer’s team led by six.
Disappointingly for the hosts, that score by Guthrie would be the last time Donegal would trouble the scoreboard operator.
Monaghan struck a double-goal blow to Donegal seven minutes into the second-half. After McAnespie, Kindlon and McConnell registered points, the second goal arrived when Aoife McAnespie’s shot crept into the net, beating goalkeeper Byrne just inside her right-hand post.
And a minute later Amanda Casey worked the ball into Niamh Kindlon, who rounded Byrne to goal a third for Monaghan.
Casey herself netted the fourth, firing home from close range on 54 minutes and despite Donegal having late goal chances through Nora Stapleton and Ciara McMenamin they came to nothing and right at the death Monaghan added a fifth goal for good measure – Cathriona McConnell sending a sweet effort into the top corner to confirm a landslide 27-point winning margin.
Monaghan advance in Ulster, but Donegal now head for the back door.

Donegal: Merissa Byrne; Thérese McCafferty, Sarah Faulkner, Loirin Melarkey; Diane Toner, Maria Devenney, Grainne McCafferty; Nora Stapleton, Aoife McDonnell (0-1); Eilish Ward, Karen Guthrie (0-2, 1f), Anita Doherty; Roisin Friel, Niamh Hegarty, Treasa Doherty. SUBS: Ciara McMenamin for Friel (50 mins); Stacy Kavanagh for T. McCafferty (52 mins); Katie Penrose for Doherty (55 mins); Kelly Wilson for G. McCafferty (57 mins); Tara Khan for Melarkey (60 mins).

Monaghan: Linda Martin; Yvonne Connell, Sharon Courtney, Christina Reilly; Grainne McNally, Elanna Hackett, Lavina Connolly; Nicola Fahy, Amanda Casey (1-1); Aoife McAnespie (1-1), Edel Byrne (1-4, 1pen), Cathriona McConnell (1-3, 1f); Ciara McAnespie (0-4), Niamh Kindlon (1-2, 1f), Niamh Lynch. SUBS: Fiona Courtney for Connolly (43 mins); Cora Courtney for Lynch (46 mins); Michelle Grimes for Connell (52 mins); Orla McKeown for McNally (56 mins); Isobel Kierans for Kindlon (59 mins).

Referee: Gerard Devlin (Tyrone).

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