Bonagee United 2
Kilmacrennan Celtic 2
By Stuart Connolly
Stoppage time at Dry Arch Park served up two red cards and two goals as Bonagee United and Kilmacrennan Celtic shared the spoils.
After the hosts had a goal ruled out, it was Kilmac who broke the deadlock via the right boot of Paul Bradley and that was quickly cancelled out as Aidan Brennan headed home after the hour, while he added a second to his tally in the latter stages.
James Doherty levelled shortly after, with his goal sandwiched between the two dismissals for Bonagee United as Ciaran Kelly and Micheál Doherty were shown the exit.
In the early stages of this contest which had implications at both ends of the table, concrete chances were the only thing missing from a competitive battle.
Bonagee United had a couple of set-pieces to float into the area, but nothing to properly test the visiting backline.
It was the midway stage of the first half when the first half-decent chance popped up as Shay Maloney had a close-range shot blocked almost instantly by Stephen Black.
Eoghan Doherty in a similar scenario had the goal in his vision not long after, but a well-timed intervention from Mark Patterson directed the effort away from the target.
After the half hour, and at the other end of the park, Kilmac had two good opportunities in as many minutes. Ryan Shields played in Paul Bradley for the first, and in the one-on-one with the oncoming Andrew Nicholls, it was the netminder who came out on top as he halted the attempt with an outstretched boot.
Conor Temple had the next sight of goal, but a rushed effort rolled wide of the post.
In the opening stages of the second-half, Bonagee United had the ball in the back of the net, but there would be no celebrations. With Aidan Brennan on the byline after getting the better of Stephen Black, his cutback was tucked home by Shay Maloney, however, the judgement from Gerald Devine was that the ball had gone out of play before the pass.
A few minutes later, Kilmac took the lead via a similar passage of play. Patterson was the player who ran close to the byline, and his cutback was prodded home by Paul Bradley.
The response from Bonagee United was swift. Micheál Doherty provided a pinpoint cross from the left side, and Aidan Brennan was well-placed in the middle of the box to direct a header into the bottom left corner.
In the minutes that followed, Bonagee United went close to taking the lead on two occasions.
Maloney tested his luck from distance, and was denied by the base of the post, while Kyle Martin had an effort cleared off the goalline by James Doherty.
Fast forward to stoppage time, and Bonagee United took the lead. Similar to their first goal, Doherty once again whipped the ball in from the left, and Brennan was at the back post to take a touch before a calm finish.
However, the lead was short-lived. As Kilmac pushed forward, Ciaran Kelly was shown a second yellow card for a late challenge on Bradley, and from the free kick that followed, James Doherty curled the ball into the far right corner beyond the reach of Nicholls.
As the hosts searched for a late winner, they were reduced to nine players. A ball over the top was on its way down as Micheál Doherty attempted to take control, but his boot caught the onrushing Christopher O’Donnell, and that action resulted in his second booking.
Teams
Bonagee United: Andrew Nicholls; Jack Parke, Eoghan Doherty, Ciaran Kelly, Thomas McMonagle; Matthew McLaughlin, Aidan Brennan, Daniel O’Donnell, Kyle Martin; Shay Maloney, Micheál Doherty. Subs: Gareth Harkin for O’Donnell (64 mins), Josh Maxwell for Martin (75 mins), Deano Larkin for Maloney (80 mins)
Kilmacrennan Celtic: Christopher O’Donnell; Declan McGarvey, John Sandilands, Nathan Bonner, Stephen Black; Ryan Shields, Conor Black, Henry Welles, Conor Temple; Mark Patterson, Paul Bradley. Subs: James Doherty for Shields (51 mins), Caolon Curran for Sandilands (80 mins), Owen Browne for Patterson (87 mins)
Referee: Gerald Devine
