Relentless Donegal refuse to let Mayo escape from their grasp

All-Ireland SFC: Donegal 0-19 Mayo 1-15

For a long time, a sense of inevitability hung over this. Donegal controlled the scoreboard for most of the match. Mayo battled hard to keep in touch but never quite managed to seize the initiative.

Then, with a minute left and the margin down to one, they attacked once more and with the sands of time running through the hourglass, replacement Fergal Boland struck for a point. Level at 1-15 to 0-18. A draw would see both teams through.

There were so few seconds left it was conjecture whether Shaun Patton get away the kickout. He did and Donegal substitute Jason McGee, back on the field for the first time in the All-Ireland stages, rose for the ball and moved it on to the excellent Ciarán Moore, whose driving run and step inside eluded Mayo’s defence and he kicked the winner.

Time up, hooter blown and Mayo out.

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A frustrated Stephen Rochford, managing the team in Kevin McStay’s absence, acknowledged that both teams would have wanted to win.

“That’s just the way these teams look at it. You know, I don’t think, even though a draw would have done both teams, I don’t think either would have been happy with a draw. And, you know, we certainly came into this with no view other than we wanted to win the game.”

The lapse against Cavan had left Mayo in a bind – not being able to survive a head-to-head if they could get no more than two points, a fate they were unable to prevent.

Rochford’s counterpart Jim McGuinness agreed. “Ciarán had no context of what was happening I suppose in terms of groups and anything else, but we said that we wanted to try and win this game.”

Mayo’s Ryan O’Donoghue reacts to a missed chance. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho

It was another nail-biter that ended in a Donegal victory. The Ulster champions looked the better team for long stretches. They were nearly caught at the end but could have had a couple of goals: Mogan blazed over early, Eoghán Bán Gallagher was high and wide and Colm Reape saved after a searing run by Shane O’Donnell.

Reassured by Patton’s return to goal, they moved quickly and survived Peadar Mogan’s sin binning in the ninth minute for a foul on Ryan O’Donoghue.

This and a rash of wides by the winners enabled Mayo to maintain a lead in the first half but they didn’t exactly make hay, and when Michael Murphy restored Donegal’s lead in the 24th minute with a two-point free, it was sufficient of a foundation for them to lead by three at half-time, 0-9 to 0-6, with the wind to come.

Murphy would have a significant impact, especially after getting caught by the turnover that led to Mayo’s 54th-minute goal, a sweeping move that was finished by David McBrien. The sense among the 18,751 crowd at Roscommon’s Dr Hyde Park was that this might be a transformative score. They had turned the match around to lead by 1-12 to 0-13.

What happened next confirmed the sense that Donegal were playing within themselves. Daire Ó Baoill responded two minutes later with a two-pointer to level and Murphy popped up within a minute to score a point and then assisted Shane O’Donnell for one, which could have been a goal. Those four points left Mayo with no value or momentum from their goal.

Still, they persevered. Reape led a frantic charge back to somehow prevent a 66th-minute goal after Ó Baoill and Patrick McBrearty got in behind him for a run on goal. His touch put the ball out for a 45, which Murphy kicked.

Donegal’s Ciaran Moore celebrates with Ciaran Thompson after the final whistle. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho

Back came Mayo for their heartbreak finale. It’s been a tough season and as early as they have exited the championship since 2018.

For Donegal, the road stretches ahead. Prevented from topping Group 1 by losing at home to Tyrone, they will now have a home preliminary quarter-final.

McGuinness was fuming about the ‘neutral’ round being played so close to Mayo and was unhappy at having to play again so quickly after an energetic match scattered with turnovers by both sides.

“Seven days is too short in my opinion to be honest with you for what we’re asking players to do. I think there’s a conversation to be had at the end of the season in terms of that. I do feel that the demands of the game are actually way, way, way beyond what they were.

“I don’t think it’s possible to bring that level and that level and that level. That’s a conversation for another time but we would definitely be looking for the seven days. We don’t believe we should have been here today either. We think it was very unfair to bring us here.”

Though he was pleased to be where they are.

“It is huge. Absolutely huge. We are delighted to be there. Delighted to beat Mayo. They are a brilliant team. A physical team. They are so hard to beat, so hard to put away. We managed to do that.”

DONEGAL: S Patton; F Roarty (0-0-1), B McCole, P Mogan (0-0-2); R McHugh, EB Gallagher, C Moore (0-0-2); H McFadden, M Langan; C McColgan (0-0-1), C Thompson (0-0-2, 1f), S O’Donnell (0-0-1); C O’Donnell (0-0-2), M Murphy (0-1-3, 1tpf, 1′45), O Gallen (0-0-1).

Subs: J McGee for McFadden, D Ó Baoill (0-1-0) for Gallen (both 52 mins); P McBrearty for McHugh (58), E McHugh for O’Donnell (67).

MAYO: C Reape; J Coyne, D McHugh (0-0-1), E Hession; S Coen, R Brickenden, P Durcan; D McBrien (1-0-0), M Ruane; C Dawson (0-0-2), J Carney (0-0-1), B Tuohy; A O’Shea, R O’Donoghue (0-0-6, 5f), D McHale (0-0-3).

Subs: J Flynn (0-0-1) for Tuohy (23 mins), D Neary for McHugh (42), S Morahan for Hession (52), P Towey for Neary (56), F Boland (0-0-1) for Coen (68).

Referee: P Faloon (Down).