Donegal 2-10
Derry 1-11
DONEGAL HAVE CLAIMED their seventh Ulster minor football championship with a two-point victory over holders Derry in Clones.
Goals in either half from JD Boyle and Nathan Boyle proved decisive in fine sunny conditions in Monaghan, but a goal from Derry’s Caolan Devlin in the closing stages made Donegal sweat until the very end.
It was the reigning champions that made the brighter start with four unanswered points in the first half, and it wasn’t until the 17th minute that Donegal would get their first score of the game, from man-of-the-match Niall O’Donnell.
But a fine goal from JD Boyle ensured the sides were level just moments later, and that seemed to swing the game in Donegal’s favour as they went into the break with a two-point lead.
The second half started with the two sides trading scores, before a point from Derry’s Feargal Higgins reduced the gap to just one in the early stages of the second period.
Sean Paul Barrett’s side reacted quickly though with a second goal of their own, this time from Nathan Boyle to stretch Donegal’s advantage.
Another O’Donnell point gave Donegal what looked like an insurmountable five-point lead, but a goal from Devlin provided Derry with hope in the final stages, but it proved to be too little too late.
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