Bonagee United edged a tight, physical derby at Leckview Astro with a second-half set-piece finish to win 1-0 and knock Letterkenny Rovers out of the Ulster Junior Shield. The game was keenly contested throughout, with fine margins deciding it.
The opening half was a real arm-wrestle, with both sides competing well and leaving little space in behind. Rovers threatened from wide areas early on, with Gareth Temple’s delivery causing problems and Kealan Dunleavy going close with a header.
Bonagee’s best spell in the first half saw them force Roy Duffy into outstanding work in the Rovers goal, first reacting sharply to turn a close-range touch over the bar and then gathering confidently from Fintan Hasson’s follow-up strike. At the other end, Jordan Nugent and Nathan Bonner combined neatly down the right to create an opening for Reid Kelly, whose first-time effort curled just past the post.
Key moments
Rovers started the second half brightly, moving the ball well from the back before Fouad Bashar skipped past a couple of challenges and fired narrowly wide. Nugent then delivered a dangerous cross from the left that just missed runners arriving in the box.
The closest Rovers came arrived on 56 minutes when Reid Kelly struck from just outside the area and saw his effort crash back off the crossbar. Bonagee stayed dangerous on the break and, on 72 minutes, they made the difference from a corner routine—Kyle Martin picked out Fintan Hasson on the edge of the area, and Hasson’s strike flew into the right side of the net.
Rovers pressed late on and created chances, including Luke Doherty tipping Artem Tymoshchenko’s drive over the bar and then dealing with further pressure into the box, but Bonagee held firm to see out the win.
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