Donoughmore stayed in touch at the top of the table with a narrow victory away to an under strenght Dillons Cross. A strong breeze through out the game made it difficult both team, but Dillons settled better and put pressure on the Donoughmore defence early on. Dillons won several corners, one of which Terrence Looney had to clear off the line with his head. Once Kevin O Riordan settled in goal, he handled everything that came his way as the half wore on. Donoughmore's first real chance came on the 25th min when Aidan O Shea cut in from the right hand side, but his left foot shot was well saved by the keeper. The other chance of note came from a Pat foley free kick that was sent in from the left, but Sean O Mahony and Connie Buckley managed to get in each others way with only the keeper to beat from eight yards out.
Jamie Lewis was introduced to the game on the 55th min, returning from a four Week lay-off and made an immediate impression. Within two minutes Lewis first attempt struck the cross bar from distance, Dan McSweeney tried to get his head to the rebound, but the high challenge only resulted in a corner to the away side. Minutes later Lewis picked up the ball in his own half and beat three players before putting Aidan O Shea though only for the Keeper to make an excellent save. Dillons were starting  to tire at this stage and Donoughmore kept chasing the winner. This came on the 78th min when Lewis again picked out Aidan O Shea's run from the right hand side and O Shea finised with a cool left foot finish to the far corner. Dillons responded but the Donoughmore defence were in control at this stage, which enabled them to see out the game.
Best performers on the day were Kevin O Riordan in goal, Connie Buckley and Rob O Sullivan in defence, Aidan O Shea and Jamie Lewis when introduced in midfield.
Team: Kevin O Riordan, Cathal O Hanlon, Terrence Looney, Rob O Sullivan, Connie Buxkley, Colm Buckley, Pat Foley, Aidan O Shea, Ken Cullinane, Sean O Mahony, Dan McSweeney. Subs Jamie Lewis for Pat Foley, John Hennessy for Sean O Mahony, Aidan O Brien for Dan McSweeney, Rob o Regan, Dave Hogan.
 

Donoughmore Athletic FC 1 Mayfield Utd 1
Donoughmore and Mayfield played in what turned out to be a very competitive and entertaining game in Stuake on Saturday last that ended with both teams sharing the spoils. Donoughmore started the better and Sean O’Mahony had an early effort that he blazed over. Terence Looney then had a great chance minutes later when a shot from Damien Hennessy was parried into his path on the left but his shot from a difficult angle didn’t find the target. Mayfield then scored the opener slightly against the run of play when uncharacteristic confusion in the Donoughmore defence was pounced on by the Mayfield attacker who poked home from six yards. Jamie Lewis and the returning Aidan O’Shea looked dangerous throughout the first half and some good interchange between the two lead to Lewis being fouled in the penalty area and the referee awarded the spotter. Aidan O’Shea stepped up and beat the keeper with a good penalty low to his left. Donoughmore finished the half strongly and Looney had another chance from a similar angle to his first in the 25th minute but his shot was comfortably saved by the keeper. Aidan O’Shea had also two 30 yard free kicks saved by the keeper during this period of Donoughmore pressure. The second half was a rip roaring affair with both teams going for the win. Mayfield’s striker’s kept Connie Buckley and Rob O’Sullivan in the Donoughmore defence on their toes during this half and behind them Noel O’Connell dealt very well with anything that came at him. Darragh O’Shea came on for O’Mahony with 20 minutes remaining and he made an immediate impact. A Long Connie Buckley free kick was only half cleared by the Mayfield defence and Cathal O’Hanlon put a first time ball back into the box. O’Shea watched it all the way and broke the offside trap before bringing it down well but his well hit shot was wide of the target from 15 yards. Damien Hennessy and Colm O’Sullivan were getting the better of things in midfield as the half wore on and Hennessy was very unlucky when the ball was taken off his toe with a last gasp challenege when he seemed clear through on goal. Noel O’Connell came to Donoughmores rescue in the 85th minute when he saved brilliantly at the feet of the Mayfield striker just inside his box. Donoughmore still pushed forward at this stage and with minutes to go Aidan O’Shea took up possession just inside the Mayfield half, O’Shea pushed the ball past his man and was clear through on goal only to be cynically taken out of it by his marker. The resultant free kick was crossed invitingly by Jamie Lewis and Tom Daly got free well but his header from 12 yards was too close to the keeper. This was a game played at a very high tempo throughout by both teams and resulted in a very entertaining match. Noel O’Connell, Damien Hennessy and Jamie Lewis did best for Donoughmore in a game where generally the whole team worked hard throughout.
Team: N. O’Connell, P. Murphy, C. Buckley, R.  O’Sullivan, C’ O’Hanlon, J. Lewis,
C. O’Sullivan, D. Hennessy, T. Looney, S. O’Mahony, A. O’Shea.
Subs: T. Daly for P. Murphy, D. O’Shea for S. O’Mahony and P. Foley for T. Looney.

 

Donoughmore Athletic 3 Park Utd 0
Donoughmore bounced back from last week’s defeat to Killumney with a well deserved win against a dangerous Park Utd side in Stuake on Saturday last. Conditions on the day were very good and eventhough Donoughmore were missing a number of player’s the first 20 minutes was a real battle between the two teams. Aidan O’Shea came close to getting on the end of a long Connie Buckley free-kick in the 20th minute as Donoughmore started to get the upper hand at this stage.  Donoughmore took the lead in the 27th minute when Aidan O’Shea got on the end of a Pat Foley corner to head powerfully to the net from ten yards. Colm O’Sullivan and Damien Hennessy were causing Park serious problems in the centre of the field at this point while Donoughmore’s defense was well marshalled by Connie Buckley, Peter Murphy and Rob O’Sullivan. Donoughmore went two up in the 40th minute when Aidan O’Shea chased down the Park centre half and O’Shea’s resultant shot was deflected into his own net by the Park defender. The score was 2-0 at half-time and it looked at this stage that Donoughmore should win well. Indeed they should have gone three up within minutes of the restart when O’Shea was ruled offside when he finished a Sean O’Mahony effort to the net after a very good pass by Colm O’Sullivan. O’Mahony missed a glorious chance minutes later when his header from another excellent Pat Foley corner bounced narrowly over the top. Park Utd then came more into the game as Donoughmore seemed to take their foot off the gas a little. Evan Forde in the Donoughmore goal had to make a couple of very important saves during this period where constant Park pressure was withstood by Donoughmore. Terence Looney forced a good save from the Park keeper in the 70th minute when he broke down the left and hit a good shot to the near post. Cathal O’Hanlon made an excellent break-out in the 80th minute where he beat two tackles before crossing to the far post where Sean O’Mahony finished easily. The game was really stretched at this stage and Donoughmore kept creating the chances until the final whistle. Evan Forde gave a very assured performance in goal for Donoughmore while Aidan O’Shea, Sean O’Mahony, Colm O’Sullivan and Cathal O’Hanlon also performed solidly throughout.
Team: E. Forde, C. O’Hanlon, R. O’Sullivan, P. Murphy, C. Buckley, D. Hennessy, C. O'Sullivan, P. Foley, T. Looney,  A. O’Shea, S. O’Mahony 
Subs: A. O’Brien for T. Looney, D. O’Shea for S. O’Mahony, D. Hogan for P. Foley.  

 

Donoughmore Athletic 1 Killumney 6

Donoughmore were beaten in the second round of the St. Michael’s Cup on Saturday in Stuake in what was a somewhat flattering result. Donoughmore started the game very strongly with Damien Hennessy doing well in midfield. Hennessy put Aidan O’Shea through on goal in the 6th minute but his shot was blocked by the covering centre half. Sean O’Mahony went close moments later when he saw a free header go wide from an inswinging Pat Foley corner. Terence Looney was showing well at this stage and he got into some very good positions during this early period. Aidan O’Shea, Donoughmore’s leading scorer with ten goals, then had another effort wide from 15 yards. Damien Hennessy failed to take advantage of a good opportunity minutes later and at this stage Donoughmore were doing all the running. They were caught out with a sucker punch in the 20th minute when their defence failed to clear their lines and a  poor clearance was curled into the top corner from all of thirty yards. Donoughmore still put together some good moves after this but were again caught on the hop when a free kick out on the left was finished to the net from 8 yards. Killumney lead 2-0 at the break but Donoughmore, eventhough they hadn’t defended well, were unlucky to be two behind. Donoughmore conceded a third minutes into the second half when a corner was headed into the net at the near post from 6 yards. The game was over as a contest at this stage but Donoughmore to their credit kept plugging away. Sean O’Mahony , Colm O’Sullivan, Damien Hennessy and Jonathan Hennessy all had excellent opportunities to score. Sean O’Mahony did get one back when he headed an Aidan O’Shea Corner to the corner of the net. Donughmore then had Killumney on the back foot for a while but while pushing forward  Donoughmore were caught on the break a number of times in the final half hour and Killumney eventually ran out comfortable winners.

Best for Donoughmore were Sean O’Mahony, Aidan O’Shea and Damien Hennessy.

Team: N. O'Connell, R. O’Sullivan, P. Murphy, C. Buckley, D. Hennessy,

C. O'Sullivan, P. Foley, T. Looney, J. Hennessy, A. O’Shea, S. O’Mahony 

Subs: C. O’Hanlon for P. Foley, A. O’Brien for T. Looney and D. McSweeney for J. Hennessy.  

 

Ballyvolane 1 Donoughmore Athletic 2

Donoughmore went top of division 1A with a hard working and sometimes fortuitous victory over Ballyvolane away on Saturday last. Donoughmore started the game really well and took the game to Ballyvolane from the outset. Donoughmore played some very good football in the first 35 minutes and had a number of chances to take the lead. Donoughmore also looked comfortable in defence with Connie Buckley, Tom Daly and Peter Murphy keeping the Ballyvolane attack quiet throughout the first half. Aidan O’Shea, back from a six week lay-off, was put through in the 25th minute and he got his shot off on goal but was then completely taken out of it by the keeper but Donoughmore’s blatant penalty claims went unheeded. Jonathan Hennessy then had a great chance minutes later when he found himself unmarked at the far post, however his shot didn’t hit the target. Donoughmore really improved their performance on last week and dominated play during the first half. Aidan O’Shea gave Donoughmore a well deserved lead in the 39th minute when he controlled the ball well in the penalty before turning and shooting the ball high into the net. This goal seemed to wake up Ballyvolane and they put Donoughmore under pressure for the remaining minutes of the half. The second half was more or less equal with Ballyvolane, if anything, slightly edging it. Donoughmore looked for the second goal early on and Aidan O’Shea was put through by an excellent pass by Colm O’Sullivan early on but his shot under pressure went wide. As the half wore on Ballyvolane came more into the game and they were rewarded with the equaliser in the 70th minute when a cross from the right was turned into his own goal unluckily by Peter Murphy. Donoughmore kept their heads up and got the winner in the 80th minute when an excellent deep cross by Terence Looney was headed under the keeper by Sean O’Mahony. Donoughmore absorbed a lot of pressure in the last 10 minutes but their defence and some excellent saves by Noel O’Connell ensured that Donoughmore came away with all three points. This was a very hard working performance from Donoughmore with Aidan O’Shea, Colm O’Sullivan, Connie Buckley and Damien Hennessy performing well.

Team: N. O'Connell, T. Daly, P. Murphy, C. Buckley, D. Hennessy,

C. O'Sullivan, P. Foley, T. Looney, J. Hennessy, A. O’Shea, D. O'Shea, 

Subs: S. O’Mahony for D. O’Shea, C. O’Hanlon for P. Foley and D. McSweeney for T. Looney.  

 

Donoughmore Athletic 1 Glen Celtic 1
Donoughmore played out an entertaining draw with Glen Celtic in a very cold Stuake on Saturday afternoon last. This was a real game of two halves where Glen dominated the first half but Donoughmore took control in the second half. Donoughmore started very poorly and were chasing shadows for most of the first half and were unable to get to grips with the opposition’s movement. Glen passed the ball around very well in the first 20 minutes but without creating many clear cut chances. Donoughmore had a good 15 minute spell in the middle of the half but most of their chances were from set pieces and they failed to trouble the Glen keeper at all. Glen took the lead in the 35th minute after some atrocious defending by Donoughmore. A cross from a Glen attack down the left was not cleared sufficiently from the 18 yard box. The ball was again crossed from the left and some shocking marking left a Glen striker with a simple finish from 8 yards. The score was 1-0 at half-time with Glen finishing the half strongly and dominating in all areas of the pitch. Donoughmore changed their formation at half-time and this seemed to settle the team a little and from the re-start they took the game to Glen. Donoughmore should have equalised in the 55th minute when Colm O’Sullivan released Jonathan Hennessy on goal, Hennessy rounded the keeper but his shot from a wide angle didn’t have enough power and was cleared off the line by the covering defender. Donoughmore now had the greater share of possession and equalised in the 60th minute. A free kick from Connie Buckley was delivered deep into the Glen penalty area and was not cleared well. The ball broke to Darragh O’Shea who controlled it well before coolly clipping it past the advancing keeper. Donoughmore should have gone on to win this game and had several chances in the last 20 minutes but couldn’t find the winner. Peter Murphy,who has been out injured for the past few weeks, made a huge difference when he came on as sweeper at half-time. Colm O’Sullivan, Robert O’Sullivan and Pat Foley also made a significant impact in the second half.
Team: N. O'Connell, T. Daly, R. O'Sullivan, C. Buckley, C. O’Hanlon,
C. O'Sullivan, P. Foley, T. Looney, J. Hennessy, C. Kelleher, D. O'Shea, 
Subs: P. Murphy for C. O’Hanlon, A. O’Brien for T. Looney, D. Hennessy for T. Daly.  

 

Rathcoole Rovers 1 Donoughmore Athletic 0
Donoughmore were unlucky not to come away with at least a share of the points when they went down 1-0 away to Rathcoole on Saturday last. Donoughmore were missing a total of  six squad members but despite this Donoughmore started well and should have taken the lead in the 5th minute. Conor Kelleher swung in an excellent free from the right but Darragh O’Shea couldn’t get a good contact on the ball with only the keeper to beat from 6 yards. To make matters worse Rathcoole cleared the ball quickly and broke two on two on the Donoughmore defense. A through ball drew Noel O’Connell from goal but the Rathcoole attacker just got there before him 15 yards out and the referee had no option but to award the penalty. The resultant penalty kick was despatched high into the top corner giving O’Connell no chance. The game was fairly even in the first half with Rathcoole always looking threatening on the break. Donoughmore had a lot of possession during the half but the final pass was lacking at times. Jonathan Hennessy had a great chance to equalise in the 35th minute when he was put through one on one but his low effort was straight at the keeper and he saved with his feet. The second half saw Donoughmore take the game to Rathcoole more and they created some half chances in the first 20 minutes but didn’t trouble the Rathcoole keeper enough. Terence Looney had a glorious chance in the 60th minute when Pat Foley crossed from the right to the far post where Looney ghosted in only to put his shot from 8 yards too close to the keeper who again saved with his feet. Looney had a further effort saved when his effort from 15 yards was comfortably saved. Donoughmore dominated the last 20 minutes but the lack of games recently meant that they were not at their sharpest and could not make the breakthrough.  Darragh O’Shea, Connie Buckley, Terence Looney and Tom Daly did well for Donoughmore.
Team: N. O'Connell, T. Daly, R. O'Sullivan, C. Buckley, D. McSweeney,
C. O'Sullivan, A. O’Brien, T. Looney, J. Hennessy, C. Kelleher, D. O'Shea, 
Subs: P. Foley for A. O’Brien, D. Hogan for D. O’Shea.