Results – GAA Football League
Division 1
- Derry 3-17 Monaghan 0-13
Division 2
- Donegal 2-16 Fermanagh 0-8.
Division 4
- Waterford 0-13 Longford 0-16
- Laois 2-14 Carlow 0-9
*****
THE BRILLIANT START to life under Mickey Harte continued for Derry tonight as they cruised past Monaghan in Celtic Park.
Derry picked up a third successive win in Division 1 of the football league as they had 13 points to spare, defeating the Farney men by 3-17 to 0-13. Monaghan suffered their second loss of the campaign in a game where they trailed 1-9 to 0-6 at half-time.
Conor McCluskey bagged Derry’s first goal on the half hour mark, while Shane McGuigan (0-4) and Ciaran McFaul (0-2) pointed the way in that period for the home team in Celtic Park. Further goals from Padraig McGrogan (50) and Conor Doherty (65) piled on the agony for Monaghan in the second half.
McGuigan finished with 0-11 for Derry, while Jack McCarron notched six in response for Monaghan. Both sides are back out in action next Sunday as they face trips on the road, Monaghan going to Dr Hyde Park to play Roscommon, while Derry head to Pearse Stadium to play Galway.
Donegal kept their 100% record in Division 2 as they eye an immediate return to the top-flight. Jim McGuinness’ side produced a strong second-half showing to swat Fermanagh aside in difficult weather conditions at O’Donnell Park, Letterkenny this afternoon.
Half-back Dáire Ó Baoill was the scoring star with 2-3. He hit three first-half points, before raising two green flags in the second period.
They had eight scorers overall, with Paddy McBrearty and Oisin Gallen both chipping in with 0-3. Donegal couldn’t get in front for much of the first half, but led 0-6 to 0-5 at the break.
They kicked into gear in the second half, adding 2-10 to the scoresheet, while Fermanagh only had three more points. Sean Cassidy top-scored for the Erne men with 0-3 (1m, 1f).
In Division 4, it was a successful evening for Longford and Laois. Paddy Christie’s Longford team claimed their first win of the league, two opening defeats had been preceded by the encouragement of a final win in the O’Byrne Cup.
They got off the mark with their 0-16 to 0-13 victory this afternoon away to Waterford, in a game that was switched to the Ballygunner club from SETU Waterford Arena in Carriganore, where the pitch had been deemed unplayable.
It was a third win of the league for home team Laois in Portlaoise this evening, as they proved too strong for Carlow. Justin McNulty’s team won out 2-14 to 0-9, after they had trailed 0-6 to 0-5 at the interval.
Second-half goals from Damon Larkin and Kevin Swayne helped them pull clear to win by 11 points. They now go top of the table with six points from six.
