Kilcar caused an upset to open their Donegal SFC campaign with a three-point victory at last year’s winners St Eunan’s.

With Patrick McBrearty hitting seven points for his team, who were on top for almost all of the hour, the visitors will be delighted with their start, where they scored all but one from play.

The Towney-based team scrambled to safety in Division 1 but looked much more like their old selves as they went into a six-point lead by half-time, 0-9 to 0-3.

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McBrearty had scored four first-half scores, while Ciaran McGinley was dominating at centre-field, putting over two, as did Eoin McHugh. Brian O’Donnell also got on the mark as Kilcar gobbled up the breaking ball in the middle third.

St Eunan’s wouldn’t have been an ounce happy with their first half, managing only three points and second-best around the field. Eoin McGeehin’s free, Conor O’Donnell Jnr’s point and one on the spin from Peter Devine meant it was 0-3 apiece on 10 minutes. But from then till the break, it was all Kilcar.

The Letterkenny side lined out without their five Donegal senior panellists – Ciaran Moore, Niall and Shane O’Donnell, Shaun Patton and Caolan Ward – while the absence through injury of Aaron Deeney – their go-to man-marker – was a blow.

However, Kilcar, without Ryan McHugh following his shoulder injury in the All-Ireland SFC final and with Stephen McBrearty and Mark McHugh second-half substitutes, had selection issues of their own.

Kilcar pushed that six-point half-time lead out to eight points as the second half took shape, with Ciaran O’Donnell and McBrearty scores. So 37 minutes in, the score was a scarcely believable 0-11 to 0-3 for the away team, managed by Mark Sweeney and Paul Devlin.

A Philip Doherty point woke up the home side – their first point in 27 minutes, and only then for a spell did they look like they might get back into it. A two-pointed free from O’Donnell Jnr followed, as did a couple of points from Oran Winston, who hobbled off just afterwards.

The sides have become familiar opponents on the opening weekend of the SFC, with Kilcar winning in Letterkenny in 2012 and 2021, as well as drawing in both 2016 and 2020. Last year, Barry Meehan’s team ran out winners, 2-12 to 0-9.

Midway through the second half, Kilcar’s lead was 0-12 to 0-8, although they steadied themselves to pick off scores on the break. 

McBrearty, O’Donnell and Eoin Cormack made sure to keep St Eunan’s at arm’s length. Despite Conor O’Donnell Jnr, from a free, and Conor O’Donnell Snr with another two-pointer, Kilcar made it out with the win they deserved.

St Eunan’s scorers: Conor O’Donnell Jnr 0-5, 1f; 2 tpf Conor O’Donnell Snr 0-2, tp; Oran Winston 0-2; Eoin McGeehin 0-1, 1f; Peter Devine, Philip Doherty and Kieran Tobin 0-1
Kilcar scorers: Patrick McBrearty 0-7, 1f; Eoin McHugh 0-3; Brian O’Donnell and Ciaran McGinley 0-2; Ciaran O’Donnell and Eoin Cormack 0-1.

St Eunan’s: Fintan Doherty; Darragh Mulgrew, Eamonn Doherty, Noah Barrett; Peter Devine, Kieran Tobin, Anthony Gallagher; Kevin Kealy, James Kelly; Oran Winston, Conor O’Donnell Snr, Philip Doherty; Conor O’Donnell Jnr, Eoin McGeehin, Pauric Boyle. Subs: Noel O’Donnell for Winston (44), Sean Ryan for Devine (51)
Kilcar: Kevin Campbell; Pauric Carr, Eoin Cormack, Barry McGinley; Gary Molloy, Ryan McShane, Brian O’Donnell; Ciaran McGinley,  Pauric McShane; Eoin McHugh, Conor Doherty, Matthew McClean; Ciaran O’Donnell, Patrick McBrearty, Conor O’Donnell. Subs: Mark McHugh for P McShane (43), Stephen McBrearty and Ryan O’Donnell for Conor O’Donnell and  Ciaran O’Donnell (51), Padraig McGettigan for Barrett (55)
Referee: Pat Barrett (Milford)