Sports Review – January

Friday, December 27, 2013 SPORT DONEGAL NEWS 31 SPORTS REVIEW – JANUARY Donegal players Michael Murphy and Neil McGee had a birds eye view of the Dr. McKenna Cup game in MacCumhaill Park. Picture: Declan Doherty BY RYAN FERRY games. None of Donegal’s All-Ireland team featured in the McKenna Cup, Carl McHugh enjoyed a magnifi- with Donegal manager Jim McGuin- cent January as he helped Bradford ness handing over the managerial City progress to the Capital One reins to the county under 21 manag- League Cup final. er Maxi Curran for the pre-season The gifted Lettermacaward de- competition. fender scored against his fellow Curran played the majority of his Donegal man, Shay Given in City’s 3- under 21 players, along with some 1 win over Aston Villa at Valley Pa- fringe players and selected others, rade. who were given an opportunity to “It’s unbelievable to score against impress. Shay Given, with us coming from the The Tir Chonaill men lost by 2-15 same part of the world,” said a shell- to 2-7 to Fermanagh in Brewster shocked McHugh, who starred from Park, before going down to Mon- centre-back. aghan three days later by 1-16 to 3-15. The Banthams were defeated 2-1 However, Donegal improved in their by Given’s team in the second leg at next game defeating St Mary’s Col- Villa Park, but McHugh’s crucial goal lege by 1-14 to 2-10. in the first game was enough to send McGuinness explained his deci- his team through to the decider with sion to rest the All-Ireland winners: Swansea City. “We didn’t fire them into the McKen- McHugh’s excellent month was na Cup because we felt it would be capped off with a call-up to Noel too dangerous to do that with the King’s Republic of Ireland under 21 prospect of injury. We’re building it team for the friendlies against the up slowly and steadily and our train- Netherlands. ing will increase intensity wise over Everton star Seamus Coleman the next three weeks.” penned a five-and-a-half year con- “Hopefully what we’re doing will tract at Goodison Park. Coleman en- work for us,” he added. joyed a resurgence of form at the Gary McDaid returned to the role start of the year, cementing his posi- of Glenswilly senior team manager, tion as Giovanni Trapattoni’s first replacing Manus McFadden in the choice right-back and scoring the managerial hotseat in Foxhall. winning goal as Everton advanced to Carrick Vocational School main- the fourth round of the FA Cup. tained their dominance in schools Stephen McLaughlin, from the Isle football as they collected the Under of Doagh, completed his move to Not- 16 and Senior school titles. tingham Forest from Derry City. The Conor Doherty excelled as the un- move was welcomed by Finn Harps der 16 team defeated Pobailscoil after it gave them a small windfall. Gaoth Dobhair 1-10 to 3-3 in the Lifford Celtic assumed top spot of county final. Doherty was also a the Donegal League, due in part to prominent member of the senior Glenea United’s lack of activity in team who convincingly defeated January. Kilmacrennan Celtic and Carndonagh Community School in Rathmullan Celtic were also begin- Carndonagh by 4-11 to 1-7. ning to mount a challenge for league There was joy for golfer Paul glory. McGinley when he was appointed to The Donegal Youth League bowed be Europe’s captain for the 2014 Ry- Odhran Mac Niallais of Donegal against St Mary's James Duffy. Photo: Donna McBride out of the Youth Inter-League Chal- der Cup at Gleneagles. lenge Cup at the group stages after Badminton player Chloe Magee cause of the drift. Before I came out I sults over North Down and Queens. after he defeated Ryan Donnelly of they were defeated 1-0 by the In- lost out to double Olympian Tzu Ying was very apprehensive about play- Right-back Matthew Lecky was re- Bishop Kelly 13-10 in the 81kg divi- ishowen League. Tai in the Malaysian Open but the ing, but I’m delighted to have come warded for his stellar form with a sion in the Ulster Elite Boxing Cham- In Gaelic football, Reigning All- Raphoe women was happy with her out and got a good performance out call-up to the Ulster under 21 squad, pionships at the Pilots Row Centre, Ireland senior football champions performance. of myself.” for the Interprovincial champi- Derry. O’Reilly moved up from the Donegal began their reign in unspec- Magee said: “I felt I played very Raphoe hockey club’s drive for onships in Lisnagarvey. 75kg weight division to fight in the tacular fashion as they lost their first well in the second set. The hall is promotion the top flight of the Ulster Twin Towns boxer Stephen O’Reil- championships, and his decision paid two NI Power Dr McKenna Cup very different to play in over here be- Senior League was boosted by re- ly was celebrating a provincial title off emphatically..

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