Allianz Football League: Donegal and Armagh retain promotion and move closer to Division One

Donegal and Armagh piled on to victory on Sunday to move closer to promotion to Division One of the Allianz Football League.

Donegal defeated Louth 1-17 to 0-14 in the match against Ballyshannon thanks to a goal from Jake Macelabui, while Armagh beat Fermanagh 0-15 to 0-11 in the match against Enniskillen.

Donegal are at the top of the table on points with Armagh.

They defeated Sligo to remain top of Division 3, but a loss to Westmeath ended Antrim's hopes of promotion.

Donegal were held back by Louth from start to finish, but ultimately won at Father Tierney Park, with Maselabui's goal in the 54th minute proving the decisive blow for 'Wee County'.

Donegal's first league game at the ground in 10 years saw more than 4,100 spectators crowd the Ballyshannon turnstiles, most of whom will be heading home with smiles on their faces.

Donegal captain Patrick McBrearty was top scorer for the home side with eight goals. Sam Mulroy scored seven points for Louth with some great individual play.

Donegal had the advantage of having quite a bit of wind in the first half and despite this they only led by two points at the break, playing nine points to seven.

McBrearty hit five of those, with Shane O'Donnell and Oisin Gallen also hitting two. Sam Mulroy scored three goals, while Ryan Barnes and Tom Jackson also had goals.

Gar Brennan, in the Wee County dugout, was by far the happiest of the two managers at half-time.

In the second match, Mulroy equalized with Louth with 20 minutes remaining, when Mac Seelabhoy scored a doomed goal.

Michael Langan and Oisin Gallen scored late goals to get Tir Conaill's side over the line.

After Armagh won by four points against Enniskillen, Donegal won by six points and moved to the top of the table with minimal goal difference.

Jim McGuinness' side have a +27 points advantage over third-placed Cavan and one more win with remaining games against Kildare and Meath would be enough to secure their place in Division One. It will be done.

Armagh maintained their unbeaten record in Division Two by defeating Fermanagh 0-15 to 0-11 at Brewster Park in a match postponed from Saturday due to snow at the Enniskillen venue.

Orchand's side benefited from the scoring spread with Stephen Campbell, Andrew Murnin and Connor Turbitt all contributing in the 0-3 win.

At the other end of the field, Blaine Hughes made a great save midway through the first half to deny Joe McDade's close-range volley, extending his winless streak to five games.

Fermanagh were quite the underdog before the game, but were competitive for the majority of the game.

The difference was that the visitors' 0-4 score was two in each half, one in each half.

Indeed, things might have been easier for Armagh if Paddy Barnes had found the back of the net in the closing stages, but his attempts to force Ross Borg off his line did not go his way.

Armagh seal promotion by defeating Cavan at the Athletic Ground on March 16th.

Conor Laverty's Down side continued their winning streak with a 2-17 to 1-8 win over Sligo, and promotion is almost certain.

Goals from Salem Doherty and James Guinness ensured a comfortable victory for the Morne team.

The hosts dominated the first half thanks to great performances from Pat Heaven and Daniel Guinness, with Down taking a comfortable 1-8 to 0-5 lead by half-time.

Sligo found a lifeline early in the second half with a goal from Nathan Mullen, but the knockdown proved to be too much for the visiting side.

A goal from Guinness and a string of shots from Haven and Liam Kerr saw a well-equipped and organized Down side take control of the match and claim their fifth straight win.

Antrim's hopes of promotion from Division Three were dashed as they continued their winning start to the season with a 0-13 to 0-9 loss to Westmeath.

The Saffrons will regret this too as three big scoring chances came and went, but they were also disappointed that they ended up with nine wides and were unable to really test the visitors. will do.

Eunan Walsh and Mark Jordan were goalless in the first half, with Danny McCartan scoring and Westmeath led 0-5 to 0-4.

The visitors increased their lead early in the second period, but Antrim held on with goals from Michael Byrne and Dermot McAleese to maintain their lead.

Goals from Danny and Sam McCartan widened the gap to four points, but Antrim's Dominic McEnhill was denied by the crossbar.

They came within two points but Westmeath made their chances tougher as Jonathan Lynam's late fist over sealed the victory.