Rathmullan Celtic 1
Gweedore United 3
BY STUART CONNOLLY
Gweedore United boosted their position in the league standings for the TDA Division One after a victory against Rathmullan Celtic at Flagpole Field.
Off the bottom of the table with the three points, Darren Ferry kicked things off for his side with a very early strike, but that was cancelled out when Achul Eldad found the back of the net midway through the first half.
Ethan Harkin restored the lead in the second-half and the points were sealed when Calum Feireatéar scored late in the game.
In that last fixture before a Christmas break, it was the perfect start for Gweedore United, who took the lead with just two minutes on the clock.
Stephen Mulhern provided the assist with a low ball through the centre, and Darren Ferry was on the receiving end to poke the ball past the onrushing Killian Hagan.
Rathmullan Celtic looked to respond in a swift manner, and got into some promising positions in the final third, but Oran Craig was yet to have the durability of his gloves tested as the game ticked beyond the quarter hour mark.
25 minutes in, Rathmullan Celtic levelled the match. Achul Eldad pounced on a loose ball outside the box, and his left-footed strike arrowed into the bottom right corner.
Shortly after the half hour, Gweedore United almost regained the lead. A high cross into the box from Brian McFadden from the right was there to be taken, but Cathal Gillespie could only divert his strike over the bar.
The hosts had the final opportunity of a wind affected half, and it was Craig who came out on top to thwart a low effort from Eldad.
The Rathmullan forward went close again at the start of the second half, with a header just off target after a Kevin O’Donnell corner.
O’Donnell was in the thick of the action for the hosts in the second-half, and he almost bagged a goal, as Craig pushed away a well-taken free kick.
Beyond the hour, it was O’Donnell again, with a close-range shot just off target from an acute angle.
With a little over 20 minutes to go, Gweedore United restored their lead. Ethan Harkin blasted a free kick into the area from 40 yards out, and it caught quite a few off guard, including Killian Hagan, before it rested in the bottom left corner of the goal.
Ten minutes later, Gweedore United bagged a third.
Similar to the first goal of the afternoon, Ferry turned provider for this one, with his through ball calmly tucked away by Calum Feireatéar.
Rathmullan Celtic had one final opportunity to set up a tense bit of stoppage time, but a header from Ryan McCleary was just wide of the mark.
Teams
Rathmullan Celtic: Killian Hagan; Ryan McCleary, Mehdi Benezzaoui, Islem Siguerdjidjane, Daire Sheridan; Kevin O’Donnell, Matthew McNulty, Aaron Curran, Serhii Oriabinskyi; Kevin Doran, Achul Eldad. Subs: Reece Thompson and Eoin Sheridan for Curran and Eldad (60 mins), Tiernan McElwee for Doran (82 mins), Mohamad Jano for Oriabinskyi (86 mins)
Gweedore United: Oran Craig; Cian O’Heifearnáin, Shaun McFadden, Roan Turk, Ethan Harkin; Darren Ferry, Stephen Mulhern, Cathal Gillespie, Seighan O’Baoill; Calum Feireatéar, Brian McFadden. Subs: Jack Rennicks for McFadden (88 mins)
Referee: Mick Lagan.
