Malin find their goal-den touch to see off Cloughaneely in U-21B Championship

Four Malin goals were pivotal scores as they squeezed past Cloughaneely in the U-21B Championship quarter-final at Hibernian Park on Saturday. 

Malin 4-4
Cloughaneely 1-12

Terence McLaughlin’s side won out in the end, although an aftermath brawl was needless, with referee Anthony McCallig having his hands full. 

Darragh Douglas netted twice for the side managed by Terence McLaughlin, with Josh Conlon and Calvin White also rising green flags for the Inishowen team, with Cloughaneely spurred on by Shaun Curran’s five points, three from Blake McGarvey and Callum McFadden scoring their only goal. 

The first of Malin’s quartet of goals came from Douglas on 11 minutes when he was on hand to smash home following a back-down on Luke Rudden’s shot. That made for a 1-2 to 0-1 lead, with Conlon hitting his side’s first two points.

Then, six minutes later, a pop at a point perhaps from White ended up in the Cloughaneely net and Malin were seven points ahead, 2-3 to 0-2.

Kevin Scanlon’s side managed to hit four out of the last five points of the half, with Padraig Coyle, their captain Curran and McGarvey all raising white flags to leave them four down, 2-4 to 0-6, at half-time. 

However, Malin’s abilities to conjure up a goal stood to them again when Conlon fired them into a lead of 3-4 to 0-7 on 33 minutes with an assured finish. 

Cloughaneely saw McGarvey hit two in succession but again they were kept at arm’s length by the Inishowen team, who, six minutes into the second half, grabbed a fourth goal when Douglas took advantage of some space that had opened up to slot his team into a 4-4 to 0-9 lead. 

Cloughaneely gamely carried the fight and were rewarded on 48 minutes when substitute Callum McFadden eyed up the post and his effort ended up in the Malin net. The deficit had been cut down to four points and Cloughaneely were building some momentum, with McFadden then adding a point. 

Curran then hit two and Cloughaneely were just the one down and gunning for extra-time. However, it was not to be and Malin it was who edged through to the last four. 

Malin scorers: Darragh Douglas 2-0; Josh Conlon 1-3, 2f; Calvin White 1-0; Luke Rudden 0-1.
Cloughaneely scorers: Shaun Curran 0-5, 2f; Callum McFadden 1-1; Blake McGarvey 0-3; Ethan Friel, Padraig Coyle and Conor Coyle 0-1.

Malin: Zach Conlon; Fionn Ward, Adam McGonagle, Mac McLaughlin; Jamie McDevitt, Michael Walsh, David Gallagher; Taylor Bonner, Peter McCallion; Luke Rudden, Josh Conlon , Patrick McLaughlin; Matthew Mullarkey, Darragh Douglas, Calvin White. Subs: Ryan McGeoghegan for Gallagher (25).
Cloughaneely: Oran Craig; Donal McGee, Daire Ferry, Eanna McCafferty; Cormac Coyle, Conor Coyle, Kevin Boyle; Cathal McGeever, Ethan Friel; Josh Scanlon, Shaun Curran, Remy Moran; Padraig Coyle, Blake McGarvey, Sean Geeney Subs: Callum McFadden for McGee (35), Donal Mulhern for Boyle (46).
Referee: Anthony McCallig (Naomh Ultan)