Rudden hits two goals late on to seal Donegal Signs Cup for Cockhill Celtic

Two goals in the final eight minutes of the game from the Man of the Match Luke Rudden were the two strikes Cockhill Celtic needed to finish their perfect season as they clinched the Donegal Signs Cup with a 3-1 win over Buncrana Hearts after extra-time in Maginn Park. 

This is Cockhill’s fourth trophy of the season after already winning the FAI Junior Cup, the Inishowen League, and the Inishowen League Cup, to top of what manager Gavin Cullen referred it to as “a great way to end the season”. 

But they had to work from start to finish with Buncrana Hearts really putting it up to Cockhill in what was a hotly contested battle with both sides seeing a man sent off in the 110 minutes of football. 

But despite the closeness between the sides, there was little debate that the boys in green and white were just that little bit better on the day and were fully deserving of their award.  

Neither team gave each other an inch in the opening 10 minutes with both sides keeping their defense compact. 

Buncrana Hearts had the best chance in the opening passages of play when Aaron McDaid crossed the ball into the Cockhill box, but the boys in green and white failed to read the direction of the ball, with Jamie McDaid on hand to shoot on the volley, but Peter Doherty was on hand to block out for a corner. 

The resulting corner from Kieran McDaid found Shannie Bradley at the back post, but the Buncrana man just headed wide of the post. 

With 20 minutes gone, Buncrana resulted to their usual defensive shape, but Luke Rudden had no issues finding the gaps in the backline as he darted past Aaron McDaid and ultimately won a free kick on the edge of the box, but the resulting effort from Corey McBride was overhit and too high for Lee McLoughlin to handle. 

As the rain started to hit the surface harder on the half-hour mark, Buncrana’s team captain Calvin Gallagher nearly edged his team in front with a superb 30-yard free kick, but the shot just drifted to the right of the post as Harry Doherty began to breathe a sigh of relief as it remained 0-0. 

Corey McBride nearly broke the deadlock on the 35th minute for Cockhill when he whipped the ball across the Buncrana box to Jay Bradley, but James Adair was on hand to clear away. 

However, the resulting effort saw a scuffle in the corner which resulted in a free kick for Cockhill on the right-hand side of the Buncrana goalmouth.  

The free kick taken by Brendan McLoughlin easily found the head of Peter Doherty who nailed home on the 38th minute to leave it 1-0 for the newly crowned FAI Junior Cup champions and Inishowen League winners. 

Cockhill Celtic nearly found their second on the stroke of half time when Kevin O’Loughlin attempted to play the ball back to goalkeeper Taylor Clarke, but Garbhan Friel was on hand to intercept. He backheeled the ball to Corey McBride who fired for goal, but James Adair was again present to stop the ball on the line and clear away as Cockhill marched to the dressing room to leave it 1-0 at the break. 

Buncrana Hearts leveled matters only six minutes into the second half, when a free kick lobbed in by Kieran McDaid, fell to Cockhill’s Garbhan Friel, but as Friel tried to march out of the box with the ball, he was caught in the tackle by Calvin Gallagher who turned over the ball and played it to Aaron McDaid who nailed it into the top right of the net from 15 yards to make it 1-1.  

Cockhill suffered a serious setback when Jack Mullen was issued a red card on the 61st minute when the centre-midfielder charged into a late challenge on James Adair after the Buncrana defender cleared the ball resulting in Cockhill to play the remainder of the game with 10 players. 

Kieran McDaid’s free kicks into the box, as usual, were dangerous, but Cockhill’s defense remained intact and resolute, despite being down a body as they cleared away to keep the scoreline level. 

Cockhill had a great chance on the 75th minute when Garbhan Friel produced a superb cross into the Buncrana Hearts’ box, but Taylor Clarke dived out to punch the ball away. Conor Graham attempted to take a shot from the loose ball, but the substitute slipped to keep the boys in blue in the game with 10 minutes to go. 

Graham had a half chance from a corner moments later, but the ball just went to the left and wide, with the game all to play for in the dying moments of the match. 

Cochill went for the winner, and with 10 minutes of injury time and with the green and white hoops on top, it looked like they were going to find the decisive goal, but it never came, with both teams settling for 20 minutes of extra-time. 

There wasn’t an inch given at the start of extra-time, with Buncrana Hearts suffering a serious setback when substitute Bart Wesoloski, despite only being on the field for seven minutes, received two yellow cards in the space of two minutes into the new game, with both sides playing the rest of the match on level terms. 

Buncrana caught Cockhill off guard moments before the extra-time break when Matthew Browne launched a long ball into the lonesome Kian McGarvey who saw his eye for goal but sent it high over the crossbar to leave it 1-1. 

Corey McBride had a final opportunity on the 100th minute from a free kick after Luke Rudden was fouled just outside the box, but McBride was off target as the teams went to their final huddle before playing another 10 minutes of this Cup final. 

With six minutes remaining until penalties, both teams went all out, with Cockhill looking slightly the fresher side. Buncrana was caught slacking in the middle of the park with Eoin Murphy giving a poor pass back to a Cockhill player which resulted in a green and white attack. 

The resulting effort found Conor Graham out wide who dummied through the Buncrana defenders before calmly crossing the ball to the back post where he found the ever-present Luke Rudden who headed the ball into the corner of the net despite goalkeeper Taylor Clarke getting his hand to the ball but wasn’t strong enough to keep it out of the net. 

With a minute left on the clock, Cockhill were doing everything in their power not to concede, but that didn’t stop them from going on the attack themselves with a long clearance from Odhran O’Brien-Daly into space finding the feet of Garbhan Friel who gave a pitch-perfect pass to Rudden who found his second when he was left unmarked and slotted it past Taylor Clarke to finish the contest 3-1 after extra-time. 

Buncrana Hearts: Taylor Clarke; Matthew Browne, James Adair (Adam Curran, 97 mins), Zach McFadden, Kevin O’Loughlin; Calvin Gallagher, Kieran McDaid, Eoin Murphy, Shannie Bradley (Kian McGarvey, 95 mins); Aaron McDaid (Christopher McKinley, 110 mins), Jamie McDaid (Bart Wesoloski, 95 mins). 

Cockhill Celtic: Harry Doherty; Lee McLaughlin, Brendan McLaughlin, Peter Doherty (Odhran O’Brien-Daly, 110 mins), Oisin McColgan (Jason Breslin, 99 mins); Jack Mullan, Jay Bradley (Conor Graham, 65 mins), Jack Doherty, Luke Rudden; Corey McBride, Garbhan Friel.   

Referee: Warren Harvey