Cometh the crisis and once again, cometh Michael Murphy. He stayed ice cool from a 25-metre free in the 72nd minute to deservedly gain Donegal a draw with Dublin in a thriller in Ballybofey yesterday.
They were also helped by two lightning goals in the space of 50 seconds that put them in front by 2-2 to 0-5 in the 32nd minute.
But there was an element of controversy about the late free that referee Ciaran Branagan awarded for a somewhat innocuous looking challenge on Donegal substitute Eamon Doherty in injury time.
And while paying Donegal the usual compliments, Dublin manager Jim Gavin was not happy with the free or agreed with the theory that Donegal is in transition.
“You have to question the last free that was awarded, but again the referee was closer than I am,” he said.
“There were one or two decisions which unfortunately went against us which seems to be a common theme for this year.
“I don’t believe the talk that they are in transition. Under the stewardship of Rory, he has won All-Irelands and Ulster titles with them and has done a really good job with them. They are going to be very difficult team to beat in the League and Championship and they will do well this year.”
And while that last free was perhaps of the soft variety Donegal were the victims of a few equally strange decisions from referee Branagan.
This was only Donegal’s third score of a frenetic second half where a worried Jim Gavin threw on heavyweights like Paul Flynn, Michael Darragh Macauley and Kevin McManamon after they were hit with two killer goals in the space of 50 seconds to lead by 2-2 to 0-5 at half-time.
It looked bleak for Donegal when Niall Scully finished a stunning Dublin move that involved Philly McMahon with a cool finish to the Tir Chonaill net in the 50th minute to give the Dubs the lead by 1-7 to 2-3.
That goal came immediately after Michael Darragh Macauley had dispossessed Murphy. Even though the momentum was with the Dubs, they were just not able to kill off a resilient home side that absorbed considerable pressure before striking back for a deserved draw.
And so Ballybofey continues to be a fortress for Tir Chonaill who are now unbeaten in 16 games at this venue since 2010. Manager Rory Gallagher was reasonably happy.
“I thought a draw overall was a fair result, the game see-sawed,” he said.
“But we would be a bit disappointed after getting the two goals and the first score of the second half. We were in a good position, but we struggled to break them down and to kick enough points to win it.
“It was difficult conditions but you still would be needing to kick nine or 10 points to win it.
“Goals will always come when you have very good players and I thought the first goal was well worked. The second goal came from a turnover from their
kick-out which is something we focus on at training. They were great goals”
Those moments of 60 seconds of Donegal magic effectively masked a 27-minute scoring famine previously. The Dubs seemed to be cruising as they led by 0-5 to 0-2 and had three wides when this match turned on its head.
First, 19-year-old Jason McGee tore through the Dublin defence and Stephen Cluxton parried his shot. McGee tried again and the ball was palmed across the square to Jamie Brennan whose scuffed shot came across the square for McGee to first time to the net.
A shaken Cluxton hit a poor
kick-out and the ball broke to Brennan and Martin O’Reilly set up Ryan McHugh who coolly slid the ball low to the net.
This was a considerable double-whammy for the Dubs, who had dominated almost the entire opening half, only to find themselves three points adrift at the interval.
The home side had up to 14 men behind the ball for most of the opening half. Ciaran Kilkenny was orchestrating matters for the Dubs who were patient.
But it was Donegal who got the opening scores, a soaring effort from the impressive midfielder McGee.
However, they failed to score for another 25 minutes, as Dublin virtually owned the ball.
Still scores proved difficult to come by before Shane Carthy levelled matters with a well-struck left-footed effort from an acute angle in the fourth minute.
That set the pattern for a blue wave dominance where and the Dubs had further points from Dean Rock free, Ciaran Kilkenny, Conor McHugh and Niall Scully to lead by 0-5 to 0-1 by the 25th minute. In a rare sortie, Ciaran Thompson was fouled and converted the resultant free from 30 metres out on the right wing to leave a goal between the sides in the 26th minute.
Jim Gavin took swift remedial action early in the second half by throwing on Paul Flynn, Michael Darragh Macauley and Kevin McManamon and it had the desired effect. After Murphy’s early free, Donegal had another 27-minute famine before Ciaran Thompson narrowed the gap to the minimum before Murphy’s clinical and vital finish.
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