BY CHRIS MCNULTY
THERE is a real novel feel to the semi-finals of the 2013 Donegal SFC, the draw for which was made this evening in Letterkenny.
In a weekend of shock, all four group winners in the first round – St Eunan’s, Sean MacCumhaills, Kilcar and Gaoth Dobhair – were beaten in the quarter-finals, meaning the Championship race has been blown wide open. Now, Killybegs, Malin, Ardara and Glenswilly will all fancy their chances of lifting Dr Maguire.
Malin caused the upset of the round on Saturday evening as goals from Terence Doherty, Paul McLaughlin and Stephen McLaughlin secured a 3-12 to 2-7 win to send defending champions St Eunan’s crashing dramatically.
Now in their first ever county semi-final, Malin have drawn Killybegs – who defeated MacCumhaills on Saturday night in Convoy. Malin will have real aspirations now of booking their place in a first senior final. What a fairytale that would be, but first they must navigate around Killybegs, the beaten finalists of 2010.
Glenswilly will now be the favourites to land Dr Maguire for the second time in three years, though. Gary McDaid’s side held sway against Kilcar in a low-scoring but nail-biting tie in Ballybofey. Keelan McFadden hit the winning point as Glenswilly won 0-8 to 0-7 in a game that was level six times in all.
This one was seen as the tie of the round and it was Glenswilly who edged it with Kilcar left ruining three glorious chances of snatching a late equaliser to force a replay, hitting all three opportunities wide of the target.
Glenswilly meet Ardara, who scored five points in the final eight minutes to defeat a disappointing Gaoth Dobhair 0-10 to 0-5 in the last of the quarter-finals.
DONEGAL SFC SEMI-FINALS
Killybegs v Malin
Ardara v Glenswilly
– ties to be played on the weekend of October 6th
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