Ulster SFC semi-final: Donegal 0-18 Tyrone 0-16 (aet)
The difference a year makes. Or rather the difference Jim McGuinness continues to make with Donegal, a county on the march once again.
Thousands of Donegal supporters descended on the pitch after this tense and edgy extra-time Ulster SFC semi-final victory over Tyrone at a packed Celtic Park. In their final game of the league last year, Donegal lost to Roscommon by 11 points at Dr Hyde Park with only a handful of fans present to watch their side get relegated.
But Donegal are on a journey of rediscovery right now with a group of players growing in confidence and conviction. And the county is starting to believe again.
Donegal lost an Ulster quarter-final to Down last year, but after posting statement championship wins over Derry and Tyrone, they are now preparing for an Ulster final against Armagh in two weeks.
“It feels great, it feels absolutely amazing, it’s the pinnacle for people in this part of the country - to go and play in an Ulster final, it’s a very special day,” said McGuinness, 10 years on from when he last guided Donegal to a provincial decider.
And yet they diced with defeat in front of 14,714 spectators, as Tyrone led for the majority of the contest. It took a 72nd minute scrambled point by full back Brendan McCole to send the game to extra-time, but in the extra period Donegal were the dominant side.
Patrick McBrearty’s reintroduction for the start of extra-time – he had been taken off at the interval of normal time – proved pivotal. It certainly wasn’t McBrearty’s best day in front of the posts, he kicked three wides and dropped another short, but the Kilcar man demonstrated huge character to nail two points when he returned.
“Everybody will have good days and bad days when things don’t fall for you, but it was brilliant to be able to look at the bench there at full-time and say they can go back in, Patrick and Daire Ó Baoill,” added McGuinness.
It was a bitter defeat for Tyrone, who just seven days after playing extra-time against Cavan were forced to go back to the well again. At Celtic Park, the bucket eventually came up empty.
Mattie Donnelly was exceptional throughout – he kicked a sublime point in extra-time but it was his ability to control the tempo and orchestrate the pattern of the game which made him the most significant player on the pitch for most of the encounter.
The impressive Niall O’Donnell opened the scoring but Darren McCurry replied for Tyrone and from the moment Darragh Canavan put Tyrone 0-2 to 0-1 ahead, Donegal got back level on seven different occasions but never led again until the opening minutes of extra-time.
The sides were level 10 times over the 90 odd minutes of arm wrestling.
Shaun Patton, the key to Donegal’s win over Derry, did not start because of the quad injury he picked up in that match, with Gavin Mulreany replacing him between the posts.
Seán O’Donnell tagged Ryan McHugh from the off, as Tyrone clearly wanted to prevent him from injecting pace and creativity to Donegal’s play.
However, Donegal had their own plans for McHugh – whenever Tyrone were in possession he was deployed as a sweeper in front of Canavan, who also had McCole looming over his shoulder.
The first half was largely played on Tyrone’s terms, with Brian Dooher’s men slowing the game down and sitting deep when not in possession. They also retreated on the Donegal kickouts, allowing Mulreany to go short to free players in his full-back line.
Donegal had a 100 per cent retention on their restarts in the first half, with only one of the nine kickouts going long. Niall Morgan, no doubt heeding the lessons given to Derry last weekend, stayed around his own goal on Donegal’s kickouts.
Tyrone led 0-8 to 0-5 at half-time but Donegal rallied after the break and turned over five of Morgan’s kickouts.
Donegal’s shot execution was not where it needed to be though, and they registered 15 wides to Tyrone’s eight over the course of the game. They also dropped another three short.
McHugh and Ó Baoill started to cut holes in the Tyrone defence during the second half, and the latter was probably unlucky to be hauled ashore. Indeed, it was a surging run by McHugh that led to McCole’s injury-time equaliser, the game finishing at 0-14 apiece.
The reintroduction of McBrearty and Ó Baoill for extra-time proved decisive. Points by Jeaic McKelvey, Shane O’Donnell and McBrearty helped Donegal lead 0-17 to 0-16 at the turnaround.
Tyrone’s two scores had come from defenders – Donnelly and Michael McKernan – and the Red Hands failed to trouble the scoreboard thereafter.
McBrearty dragged a scoreable free wide in the 83rd minute but moments later he backed himself by taking on a left-footed effort from play, splitting the posts for a two-point advantage which Donegal held until the final whistle.
“The extra-time, we hadn’t that bit of energy or zip to create the scoring opportunities and take them,” lamented Dooher. “We just ran out of juice a wee bit at the end.”
McGuinness confirmed afterwards he expects Patton to be available for the Ulster decider.
“The character piece is always very important. You’re never over the line until you’re over the line,” he added. “There were so many moments in that game where it could have fell either way.”
But it fell Donegal’s way. Chances are, it wouldn’t have done so last year.
DONEGAL: Gavin Mulreany; Mark Curran, Brendan McCole (0-1), Ciarán Moore; Ryan McHugh, Caolan McGonagle (0-1), Peadar Mogan (0-1); Jason McGee (0-2), Michael Langan; Shane O’Donnell (0-1), Ciarán Thompson (0-2, 1f), Daire Ó Baoill (0-2); Patrick McBrearty (0-2, 1f), Oisín Gallen (0-3, 3f), Niall O’Donnell (0-2).
Subs: Aaron Doherty for McBrearty (h-t), Jamie Brennan for Ó Baoill (48 mins), Jeaic McKelvey (0-1) for Curran (73), Daire Ó Baoill for J Brennan, Paddy McBrearty for Doherty (both f-t), A Doherty for Gallen (80), J Brennan for N O’Donnell (88).
TYRONE: Niall Morgan (0-3, 3f); Conal Devlin, Pádraig Hampsey, Michael McKernan (0-2); Seán O’Donnell (0-1), Matthew Donnelly (0-1), Niall Devlin; Brian Kennedy, Conn Kilpatrick; Ciarán Daly (0-2), Kieran McGeary, Michael O’Neill; Darren McCurry (0-2, 2f), Darragh Canavan (0-4, 1f, 1m), Cathal McShane (0-1).
Subs: Aidan Clarke for Devlin (41 mins), Ben Cullen for McGeary (63), Ruairí Canavan for O’Neill (76), Aodhan Donaghy for McShane, Cormac Donnelly for Kilpatrick (both 88).
Referee: Brendan Cawley (Kildare).
