DONEGAL LEAGUE Div 1

Goalscorer for Rovers: Lee McMonagle

Letterkenny Rovers moved a step closer to clinching the Division One league title with a comprehensive 7-0 victory over Cranford at a windswept Leckview Park.

Lee McMonagle bagged a hat-trick and with Donegal Town dropping points, it means Rovers have secured promotion to the top flight and just need a point next weekend to be crowned champions.

The hosts lead 3-0 at the break. McMonagle took just four minutes to open the scoring linking up with Adam Murphy before drilling a shot low into the bottom corner of the net beyond Jason Hegarty.

Henry Welles doubled their lead on 20 minutes drilling home from close range after Hegarty made a fine save initially while Rovers were awarded a penalty with just over ten minutes to go before half-time when McMonagle was upended inside the area. The in-form striker made to mistake from the penalty spot.

Following the interval, Rovers made it 4-0 with their first attack of the second half courtesy of a rasping strike from Nathan Plumb and McMonagle quickly added a fifth to complete his hat-trick.

Joel Gorman found the net with a well executed strike on 65 minutes to make it 6-0 before substitute Nathan Bonner made a surging run into the penalty box before he applied a neat finish to complete the scoring in the dying minutes.

Referee – Sean Houston.

In a commanding display, Letterkenny Rovers secured a resounding 4-0 victory over Cappry Rovers. Despite early pressure from Cappry, Letterkenny Rovers defense stood strong, with goalkeeper Mark Anthony McGinley denying several attempts.

Nathan Plumb opened the scoring in the 17th minute, followed by Zach Gorman's penalty just before halftime, putting Letterkenny 2-0 ahead. Cappry's hopes dwindled further when they were reduced to 10 men just before the break.

In the second half, Letterkenny capitalized on their numerical advantage, with Lee McMonagle and Plumb adding to the tally. Cappry fought hard and had several chances but couldn't break through the Letterkenny Rovers  defense and had to defend for large spells of the second half as the pressure was piled on.

Final score  Letterkenny Rovers 4 - 0 Cappry Rovers.

In dominating performance by Letterkenny Rovers against Letterbarrow Celtic, Letterkenny Rovers emerged triumphant with a 5-2 victory. The match began with both sides displaying attacking intent, as Rovers' Zach Gorman tested the Letterbarrow keeper early on with a well-placed shot from the edge of the 18-yard box. It was Letterkenny Rovers who broke the deadlock in the 19th minute, courtesy of a deflected effort from Christy Connaghan. Shortly after Zach Gorman converted a penalty just before halftime to go 2 up. 

The second half saw Rovers seize control of the game, with Ryan Lonergan and Zach Gorman extending their lead with clinical finishes. Letterbarrow managed to pull one back through Christy McLaughlin in the 71st minute, but Rovers continued to dominate, with Lee McMonagle adding a fifth goal shortly after. Despite Letterbarrow converting a penalty in the 79th minute, Rovers' lead proved to much to come back from. 

Final score Letterkenny Rover 5 Letterbarrow Celtic 2

LETTERKENNY ROVERS 6 GWEEDORE UNITED 1

Zach Gorman grabbed a hat-trick as Letterkenny Rovers eased to a 6-1 win over Gweedore United at Leckview Astro.

Played in perfect conditions, it didn’t long for Rovers to break the deadlock as Nathan Plumb fired home the opener after just six minutes.

Wednesday 13th Mar 2023

Lee McMonagle scored four first half goals as Letterkenny Rovers cruised to a 7-0 victory over Lagan Harps at Leckview Astro on Wednesday night.

The win moves Rovers top of the Division One table above Donegal Town and Bonagee United on goal difference but with fewer games played than their title rivals.

The home side opened the scoring on ten minutes when McMonagle latched onto a precise through ball from Gareth Doherty and drilled his shot past Kai Brown in the Lagan goal.

McMonagle made it 2-0 five minutes later with another clinical finish before he completed his hat-trick just short of the half hour mark after combining with Joel Gorman.

The in-form striker added a fourth before the break when he spun his defender on the edge of the box to fire past Brown and cap an emphatic first half display.

To their credit, Lagan continued to battle hard but Rovers extended their lead on 65 minutes when Nathan Plumb ran through on goal before applying a neat finish.

On 82 minutes, Plumb was fouled inside the box and Zach Gorman made no mistake from the penalty spot to make it 6-0 before Gorman rounded off the victory with the goal of the game smashing home an effort from long range.

Referee: Stephen Laird.