Semi Final Showdown Beckons After Super Donegal Second Half

Here we go then - Championship! Regardless of expectations or form, the first Summer day out is always a bit special. There’s a tingle of excitement in the air and the large crowd milling around Ballybofey long before throw-in illustrated this.

As you get parked up, make your way down through the busy main street and hear the grate of the turnstiles upon entering the ground, plenty of memories come to mind of big knockout days gone by. Not long after getting settled in your seat, you hear familiar voices; you may or may not know these people by name, you may or may not know from what club they hail but it doesn't matter - you've sat with them at previous games, heard them roar criticism and dispense encouragement. You’ve been through it all with them before and now you’re ready for another shot at glory.

As is now the norm, the obligatory pre-match changes were announced as the teams warmed up. There was never really any doubt that Eoin McHugh would start after his fantastic league campaign. He and cousin Ryan play a central role in one of Donegal’s prime scoring plans, namely hitting teams on the counter attack.

Some other norms came to pass at the throw-in as well including Michael Murphy heading straight for midfield as is now customary in Ulster jousts. He was quick to demonstrate the benefits of this with a beautifully played pass into Paddy McBrearty, who fired over the game’s opening score. Murphy has a wonderful range of passing and while his presence in front of goal is missed when he plays deeper, it does allow him to use other weapons in his considerable arsenal.

The main advantage for a manager in preparing for the season’s first game is that the opponents are known since the previous October. That gave Rory Gallagher plenty of time to devise a plan to overcome his native county which primarily centred on pushing up on the Fermanagh kickout, stationing Anthony Thompson as a sweeper in front of the twin scoring threat of Tomas Corrigan and Sean Quigley and finally to be patient with the ball in hand.

It can still be a little bewildering to hear the Donegal support’s indifferent reaction to the team holding possession when faced with a blanket defence. Like it or not Donegal, more than any other team, have played a part in developing this style of play so they know exactly what the other team are doing.

Fermanagh had a green and white cordon across their 45m line but Donegal didn’t try to play risky long passes or attempt difficult long range scores. That is exactly what the defending team wants you to do because even if a few long range scores go over, that tactic alone will never win a match. 

So instead the hosts were quite happy to keep the ball moving and put into practice what they have rehearsed over and over on the training field – players running at different angles to receive passes, taking on a man when one on one with a defender and playing little one twos around static defenders in order to break that defensive barricade.

The opening goal came from this, a delicious give and go instigated by the ever impressive Frank McGlynn created the crack in the defensive line and Odhran MacNiallais made no mistake when presented with the opportunity.

Fermanagh had no joy in breaking down Donegal and were forced into going for some long range efforts. A couple of exceptional points got them back into the mix but when the big chance came their way after Neil McGee’s red card they were unable to take it.

McGee was trying to burst out of defence and shrug off any would-be tacklers after claiming a ball from Quigley but in doing so raised his arm; once that happens it is an easy decision for a referee to make.

Quigley’s penalty wasn’t particularly well placed but Mark Anthony McGinley in goal did brilliantly to not only save but crucially palm it well away from goal and not leave any chance for onrushing Fermanagh men to tap home a rebound.

Despite his penalty miss, Quigley seemed to enjoy his afternoon in the company of Eamon McGee. The two were engaging in plenty of chat as soon as the contest started and in a modern game where the line between harmless mick-taking and disgusting sledging is a thin one, it was nice to see two lads who looked to be genuinely having a bit of craic with each other.

The McGee brothers were part of the cohort of Donegal players who were traditional in their choice of footwear but as for the rest, the multi-coloured offerings on display shows that it is all about the look these days. The eclectic mixes of pink, yellow and orange boots certainly didn’t do MacNiallais or the McHughs any harm – the trio were amongst the standout players on show (literally!).

Goalkeeper McGinley, equally as standout with his resplendant tights, had a few erratic kickouts throughout the game but made amends with not only the penalty save but another point blank stop earlier in the half.

With the incentive of playing with an extra man, Fermanagh had a decision to make at half-time – stick with the plan or change tack and go for it. They chose the latter, pushing much further forward in the second half, defending with a higher line but all it did was leave space in behind which Donegal were able to exploit. The Ernemen would have been better off keeping the game tight, wearing down the team with fourteen men and making their numerical advantage count in the closing stages.

Donegal’s re-jig on the other hand worked a treat. Thompson was released from sweeper duty, a move that invigorated the team. Hugh McFadden took Thompson’s place and for the most part kept the Donegal goal under lock and key, allowing Thompson to charge forward in that unfussy manner of his.

Once the first couple of white flags were raised at the town end of MacCumhaill Park after the change of ends, Donegal smelt blood. MacNiallais was again on the end of a composed, poised passage of keep-ball and he had the simplest of tasks to finish to the net.

Plenty more keep-ball followed in the last strecth of the game, Donegal never really looking troubled thereafter.

All in all it was the ideal performance for a Championship opener – a good test provided by the opposition, an excellent riposte by Donegal but still plenty to work on ahead of tougher tests.

The main dampener of course will be the sending off of McGee as Monaghan lie in wait. One of the enduring images of last year’s championship was Conor McManus’ tap on McGee’s chest after scoring a point in the provincial showpiece. There’ll now be no duel between those two in the semi final in a fortnight and its an unwanted tactical headache for Rory as he plots his first win as Donegal supremo over the Farney county.

Dún na nGall Clear First Hurdle as Tyrone Tamed

The first hurdle has been cleared by Donegal and as was widely expected beforehand, Tyrone presented a huge challenge and pushed the home side all the way to the final whistle. The league encounter seven weeks ago left a false impression of Mickey Harte’s team – yesterday was a more accurate reflection of their qualities.

It was a big day for Rory Gallagher. His tenure as manager started well with good performances in the league and some tweaks to the system being implemented to good effect. Still though, it is all about Championship so he needed to get a win under his belt and he duly delivered.

A blistering start certainly helped with four excellent scores registered inside nine minutes. The opener came from Frank McGlynn, who was immense throughout. As well as getting on the score board himself he set up numerous others and his pass to tee up Martin McElhinney for his first point of a 1-2 tally was nothing short of audacious.

The visitors fought their way back into the game and turned a four point deficit into a two point lead. Aided and abetted by Darren McCurry’s goal, they moved up through the gears and caused the Donegal back line numerous problems with their strong direct running; Peter Harte particularly good in this regard.

While all this was going on, the crowd at MacCumhaill Park were more taken by the battle, or maybe staring match would be more descriptive, going on between Michael Murphy and Justin McMahon. Wherever Murphy went, McMahon was never more than a nose away. Every run was blocked, every jink obstructed and at one stage McMahon even gave Murphy a pat on his backside – this was up close and personal man marking like we’d never seen before. You wouldn’t have blamed Michael if he checked outside his front door in Glenswilly last night just to make sure the big man from Omagh hadn’t followed him home.

Despite the vexation amongst the Donegal support and the borderline nature of the intimidation, you have to begrudgingly admire McMahon’s concentration, discipline and doggedness to stick to his task. It is an extremely difficult thing to do on a football field, to completely ignore the ball and all that is happening around you. Michael deserves huge credit too as it would have been very easy to simply lash out in frustration but he kept his cool and bided his time before making a match winning contribution.

With the sides deadlocked entering the final act, Michael stepped up and landed the game’s final three points to seal the win. The last of this trio, an incredible 45 from the wrong side of the field for a right footed kicker, was a thing of beauty.

Even aside from his late flourish, Michael played a big part in the game’s vital score, McElhinney’s goal. Moments before, Rory gave the signal for Murphy to move into the square and such was McMahon and the rest of the Tyrone defence’s preoccupation with the Donegal captain, they left Odhran MacNiallais totally unmarked in front of goal. A great save from Tyrone debutant Mickey O’Neill followed but man of the match McElhinney was on hand to drill the loose ball to the corner of the net.

One more score was to follow before the short whistle with the evergreen Colm McFadden slotting over to secure a two-point lead. McFadden was asked to play a deeper role than usual yesterday and he did it wonderfully well. We had seen glimpses of this during the league but it was a surprise to see him undertake such a specialised duty in a big game. It worked and Rory deserves credit for making the call. It meant that Patrick McBrearty often played the lone target man and while he didn’t see as much ball as he would have liked, whenever it did come his way he made it count.

Tyrone, while putting up what Rory described as a massive performance, are obviously short a few players in order to be able to challenge for honours like they were able to a few years ago. This was highlighted with the inclusion of Cathal McShane and Ruairí Brennan from the start. Both had played starring roles in their county’s U21 All Ireland triumph at the start of the month but making the step up to senior is a different story.

McShane had featured in some of the league ties but he was thrown in at the deep end being pitted against a three-time All Star in the shape of Neil McGee and the Gaoth Dobhair man simply gobbled him up. There may have been more than a hint of relief for McShane when he saw his number come up on the board to indicate he was being withdrawn shortly after half-time.

The second half became more of an arm wrestle than the first, scores were at a premium and less risks taken by the teams. Another goal from either team would have been a huge score in that environment and Paul Durcan came up with a big save towards the end with the ball bobbling around the square in front of him. Durcan’s kick outs were solid throughout as well and it was an important day for the Four Masters net minder after his last Championship outing in September ended in such disappointment.

The bear pit that is Ulster football meant that yesterday was about winning and nothing else. It was encouraging though that the team put in an excellent display even without some lads playing to potential. Ryan McHugh and Paddy McGrath on the left side of the defence had relatively quiet games as did Martin O’Reilly and the elder McHugh, Mark, when he was introduced. 

So there’s plenty more in the team and in watching the substitutes warming up under the stand yesterday it shows the strength in the panel – Anthony Thompson was only introduced in the closing minutes while didn’t Hugh McFadden or Darach O'Connor didn’t see any action.

Donegal are in a good place right now. Rory is up and running as a Championship boss and most of his teams’ key men are in good form. Karl Lacey was outstanding, Christy Toye is aging like a fine wine while Neil Gallagher’s fetching is still one the game’s great sights.

It doesn’t get any easier with a trip to the Athletic Grounds in Armagh next up in four weeks but such is the nature of Ulster’s showpiece competition. It is as tough as it gets and it makes our recent record all the more impressive. Not since 2010 have Donegal been beaten in the Championship at Ballybofey and that day against Down was also the last time the team lost an opening round match in the province. The proud record of only losing one match in Ulster in four years will be severely tested by the Orchard men on June 14^th.

McGuinness Masterclass Sees Off Derry

So let’s be honest, how many of us went to the Bogside today with quite a bit of doubt in the back of our minds? All we’ve read of late is of a Donegal team in crisis and conversely a Derry team on the up and ready to have a real tilt at an Ulster title. This match represented as big a test as Donegal have faced in the McGuinness era but yet again when it mattered, when Championship football was put in front of his men, they delivered.

A triumph of management skill and coaching was what we saw in Celtic Park as McGuinness carefully constructed a match winning performance with astute switches, well-timed substitutions and above all an efficient use of resources. He took a calculated risk in opting to start with a more inexperienced fifteen before adapting to a more settled side in the second half but it proved to be a masterstroke.

Midfield was always going to be the key sector - with Rory Kavanagh suspended and Neil Gallagher struggling for full fitness, whoever came up against the Derry powerhouses of Patsy Bradley and Fergal Doherty were going to have their work cut out. Christy Toye and Odhran MacNiallais were initially assigned the centrefield roles, with plenty of support being provided by the roaming Michael Murphy in the first half.

The primary difference in actual play between league and championship is in the physical stakes and this was illustrated early on - Paddy McGrath, Murphy and Leo McLoone all put in shuddering hits on their opponents during the first half, with McLoone’s particularly vital as he stopped a Derry attack from getting in behind the Donegal cover. Thankfully, even with the introduction of the black card and the fear that it would bring a decline in this facet of the game, there was some good old-fashioned shoulders going in from both sides today and the game was better for it.

McGrath was a late inclusion and despite the lack of any game-time for his county this year he seamlessly slotted into his customary corner back position and played a blinder. A feature of the Donegal defenders today, led by the Ardara man, was in how well they shepherded on-coming attackers wide and away from goal. Instead of putting in a tackle and risk giving away the free they forced the Oakleaf forwards out to the wings, thus making them turn back for help and recycle possession.

It was tight and tense in the early stages and Donegal were holding their own. Derry kicked on in the second quarter and despite seeing the influential Doherty go off injured they put some daylight between the teams but the visitors managed to stay within striking distance at the break, only two points back.

Jim was very clever in his use of the Creeslough pairing of Toye and Martin McElhinney; the former was Donegal’s most dangerous player in the first half and he had been instructed to empty the tank in that opening period. At the short whistle, McElhinney took up the baton and, buzzing with energy and running, he produced a carbon copy all action cameo, capping it off with a lung bursting score late in the game.

The changes at the break and shortly after the restart, which also included the introduction of Neil Gallagher, allowed Michael to spend more time in front of the Derry goal and the Maestro was immense. Derry full-back Chrissy McKaigue had a wonderful league campaign and the battle between these two was well flagged before the game - it was a battle that Murphy won hands down. Interestingly alongside McKaigue was Gareth McKinless, who carried out an excellent man marking job on Murphy in the Ulster club final last December but on today’s form nobody could have held the big man. The ball going into him from out the field had a lot to do with his performance so credit must go to the likes of Anthony Thompson and Frank McGlynn for finding their captain so often.

In the early part of the second half, just as they did so often during their All-Ireland run, Donegal blitzed their opponents and Murphy had his fingerprints over all of the scores during this period. His gorgeous dummy to fool McKaigue allowed him to launch a skyscraper to split Thomas Mallon’s posts while he was also involved in Leo McLoone’s goal when he set McGlynn on his way into enemy territory.

He saved his best until a few minutes later when Donegal were awarded a line ball on the 45’, close to where the Donegal management team were standing. It was a lovely moment for supporters on that side of the pitch as we got a close up view of the action as McGuinness walked up to his commander and uttered the words ‘put it over the bar’; mere mortals wouldn’t dream of attempting such an audacious effort but Michael did as he was asked and dispatched a monster of a point, registering as good a score as you're ever likely to see.

Leo’s goal was always going to be crucial in such a close encounter but just as critical was what transpired in front of the Donegal goal moments later. A flowing move up the field ended with wing back Kevin Johnston one on one with Paul Durcan but just as he pulled the trigger Neil McGee appeared out of nowhere to produce a fantastic block and keep his side’s hard fought lead intact.

McGee’s clubmate MacNiallais put in an accomplished performance around the middle third and can be delighted with his championship debut. Likewise Darach O’Connor, who used his pace to great effect to open his side’s scoring account and he was a real danger throughout his time on the field.

As is usually the case, Donegal sat on their lead somewhat and made things a bit more nerve-wracking for the supporters than maybe it needed to be, as the home side ate into the lead bit by bit. Durcan’s role was crucial though and when he really needed to, he was able to find his men with his pinpoint kick outs; one miscue apart Papa provided the platform for his team all day and all the different strategies that were worked on during the league came to fruition today.

In the end it was the goal that separated the teams and the man who scored it, McLoone, walked away with the RTE man of the match gong. His finish for the goal was sublime and it shows the worth of a player being comfortable on both feet. McLoone’s last big goal for Donegal came in the 2012 Ulster Final, when he finished wonderfully with his right foot past Down’s Brendan McVeigh – he also got the insurance point today off his left but we’ve seen on numerous occasions that either foot is fine for the Glenties man.

So in spite of all the prophets of doom that have spoken in the build up to the game (Colm O’Rourke was especially dismissive in his newspaper column this morning), it seems as though reports of our demise have been greatly exaggerated. The aftermath of the League final and the supposed clues it offered on the state of the team needed to be looked at in a bit of context. Seven weeks prior to that final, Donegal dismantled Monaghan in O’Donnell Park and on that evening they sat at the summit of the league table with maximum points. At that stage McGuinness’ men needed four points from the remaining eight to ensure promotion. One eye was already on May 25^th at that point in time but after a big victory against one of the better sides in the division, their gaze completely switched to championship and preparing for the challenge of Derry.

With all the talk of the supposed shallowness of the Donegal panel, the team now goes into an Ulster semi-final on the back of an outstanding display and with Rory Kavanagh, David Walsh, Big Neil and Martin McElhinney trying to force their way into the starting line-up. That competition will be very healthy for the squad and management as they face into their last four clash with either Fermanagh or Antrim. Regardless of who they play, Donegal will be overwhelming favourites but they have to go about their business in the right way and with lads battling for starting spots, that should be a given. May 25^th is done and dusted, now it’s all about June 22^nd.