Electric Ireland Ulster Minor Football Championship final Donegal 2-10 Derry 1-11
Donegal held out in a frenetic finish to clinch the Ulster Minor Football Championship title at the expense of Derry in a low-key and occasionally scrappy affair played in ideal conditions in Clones yesterday.
Going into stoppage time, Donegal were comfortably ahead by five points having taken increasing control during the second half. They then conceded a goal in stoppage time and that threw Derry a lifeline and made for a rather nervous finish.
The victory sees Donegal crowned minor champions after a gap of two years and the victory also denied Derry back-to-back titles.
Tir Chonaill boss Shaun Paul Barrett made just one change from the team that defeated Monaghan in the semi-final with Enda McCormick regaining his place at the expense of Shane McGrath, although the latter was introduced as a second-half substitute.
In the early stages it was Derry who made the running and they were four points to the good approaching the end of the first quarter before Donegal got off the mark. It was only after the switch of Niall O’Donnell from full-forward to centre half-forward that they began to play a more expansive game.
Despite that slow start, Donegal went in at the break two points to the good and always had their noses in front during the second half, a second goal by Nathan Boylan in the 43rd minute helping to create the platform for the win.
Both sides had wasted chances early on in the game before Derry opened the scoring with a point by Oisin McWilliams.
They added three more from Patrick Coney and two from top scorer Caolan Devlin, one from a free, to open a four-point lead after 12 minutes.
Donegal opened their account in the 17th minute with a point from a free by O’Donnell and he also had a hand in the move four minutes later that saw JD Boyle find the Derry net to level the match for the only time.
Barrett’s side pushed two ahead approaching the half-hour mark with points by Paddy Morgan and Eoghan McGettigan. An exchange of points in stoppage time from Derry’s Caolan Devlin (free) and Donegal’s Eoghan McGettigan left two between them at the break, Donegal leading 1-4 to 0-5.
Derry reduced the deficit to the minimum through Fergal Higgins three minutes after the restart, but Donegal then fired over a brace from Niall O’Donnell and Jason McGee to go three in front.
Points from Caolan Devlin, who was Derry’s main scoring threat, and substitute Seamus Higgins brought it back to the minimum after 42 minutes.
Donegal then struck for that second goal when Nathan Boyle fired home after good work by Eoghan McGettigan. Caolan Devlin kept Derry in touch with three from frees, with Odhran McFadden-Ferry on target for Donegal to leave two between them entering the final 10 minutes of the game.
O’Donnell converted two frees for Donegal to push them four clear with seven minutes remaining and it looked all over on the hour when Kieran Gallagher put five between them.
However, Derry were not finished and threw everything into attack. When Caolan Devlin palmed Fergal Higgins’s cross to the Donegal net, it narrowed the gap to two but time simply ran out.
“The goals were very important and the one before half-time brought us right back into the game and when we got the second goal we were in control.
“But fair play to Derry they fought back which made for a very close finish, but we are just delighted, said boss Barrett.
“We were definitely very slow to start. but I think maybe there was a bit of nerves and a little bit of pressure too.
“I think everybody expected this team to do well, especially after the great game they had against Monaghan in the semi-final and that possibly had something to do with it.
“But once we got going they showed well and they showed great character.”
MATCH STATS
Donegal: G Mulreany, S Ferry, AcCrea, M Curran, O Shiels, JD Boyle (1-0), A McLaughin, J McGee (0-1), K Gallagher (0-1), N Boyle (1-0), E McGettigan (0-2), O McFadden/Ferry (0-1), P Mogan (0-1), N O’Donnell (0-4, 0-2 frees), E McCormick; Subs: S McGrath for E McCormick (47), B O’Donnell for S Ferry (55), S Carr for N Boyle (59), A Deeney for JD Boyle (64); Yellow cards: S Ferry.
Derry: B McKinless, C McCluskey, G McLaughlin, A Bradley, P McGrogan, E Concannon, S McErlain, P Coney (0-1), O McWilliams (0-1), C Doherty, C Devlin (1-7, 0-6 frees), P Quigg, S Downey, F Higgins (0-1), E Bradley; Subs: S Higgins (0-1) for E Bradley (39), JP Devlin for O McWilliams (40), R Young for F Higgins (42), L Kielt for G McLaughlin (54), O McKeever for E Concannon (58, black card); Yellow cards: F Higgins.
Referee: N McKenna (Monaghan).
