Andy Graham celebrated his first start of the new season with both goals as Newry City made hard work of beating Donegal Celtic at the Showgrounds on Saturday.
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Highlights: Newry v DC
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Interview: Gerry Flynn
Newry City 2 - 1 Donegal Celtic
The border side had looked comfortable in the first 45 minutes when they went 2-0 up but DC mounted a spirited second half comeback and could have snatched a draw.
Newry had lost 2-1 to Linfield midweek while DC had shared eight goals in a 4-4 draw with Portadown.
DC had the first chance when Aidan McVeigh shot just over from the edge of the six yard box in the sixth minute.
But it was mostly Newry in the ascendancy after that as Graham shot just over and then had a shot saved by Sean McGreevey in the eighth minute.
Graham broke the deadlock seven minutes later when he fired the ball home from six yards out after DC had failed to clear a Conor Hagan header.
At the other end, Darren McNamee's left footed drive from outside the box went inches wide in the 20th minute.
Thirty seconds later Alan Davidson's acrobatic overhead kick sailed narrowly over the bar.
Then DC's Aidan McVeigh saw his long range effort suffer a similar fate in the 35th minute.
Three minutes later Newry made it 2-0 when Francis Murphy's corner was headed into the path of Graham by David Munster and he hooked the ball home from close-range.
DC displayed more urgency in the second half and Darren McNamee brought the best out of the home keeper in the 53rd minute with a 20 yard piledriver.
Graham had a good chance to make it a hat trick four minutes later but he shot weakly straight at the keeper.
Paul McVeigh pulled one back for DC with six minutes left when he skilfully worked his way into the box before finishing clinically.
The west Belfast side finished the game strongly as they went in search of an equaliser but Newry held on for a less comfortable victory than it had promised to be.
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