All-Ireland Senior Football Championship round two qualifier: Donegal 0-12 Longford 0-7
THAT a Longford side that scored one point from play from a corner-back was able to send the Ballybofey crowd into the final 10 minutes eating its nails says it all about this game.
There certainly never seemed a great sense that the giantkillers would do it again once they lost influential midfielder James McGivney to a second booking, Donegal’s radar was so far off that they made it hard until the bitter end.
Playing into the wind in the first half, their shooting was completely off kilter. They created 19 scoring chances and missed 16 of them, with one shot after the other sailing wide of Paddy Collum’s posts or else dropping into his hands.
Yet there seemed enough domination about parts of the Donegal performance to suggest a comfortable ending.
But it didn’t transpire that way. Rory Gallagher’s side did kick nine points in the second half but continued to be wasteful. They did enough defensively to protect Mark Anthony McGinley’s goal from any moments of real danger, but it was still a subdued air that surrounded their victory.
Clearly stung by not only the margin but the manner of the defeat by Tyrone, there was a look of old about Donegal. The first time Longford turned the ball over, 11 yellow shirts could be counted turning their backs on the ball and filing back inside their own 45.
Their set-up seemed preoccupied on not letting Longford in on goal and from that end, it was a success. While Donegal struggled aerially at midfield and didn’t really know how to stop Michael Quinn at times, there was an unmistakable sense that they had rolled the stone back in front of the entrance to their goal.
The problem was their attacking game. While they had enough shots to win the game three times over, their selection in doing so was poor. In many ways, they looked like the Tyrone side that finished the League – hesitant and unsure of themselves.
Paddy McBrearty missed six chances alone, while Michael Murphy pulling a simple free wide when he had the wind at his back was the sign of an off-day for him as well.
In the end, it was Martin McElhinney off the bench that provided the bit of energy Donegal needed. He kicked two points and won two kick-outs to rise above the mediocrity.
Neil McGee’s occasional attacking surges were also useful on an afternoon where they looked lacking in the ideas and invention they will need if they’re to still be playing football in August.
There were 9,915 supporters in attendance, well above what was expected on a grey afternoon along the River Finn, and it was as well there was a chill in the air or else they might all have been asleep by half-time.
Just seven scores in total, five of them from frees, were reflective of two poor attacking displays. Longford’s most dangerous forward Robbie Smyth had a bit of early change off Paddy McGrath but very little thereafter as he was kept scoreless from play.
Michael Quinn’s presence in what was often a wide role in his own defence helped offer Longford kick-out options that they utilised well. John Keegan and David McGivney could certainly lay claim to having had the better of Jason McGee and Michael Murphy on anything contestable.
Frank McGlynn’s good work beneath the break was one minor plus for Donegal, who went in at the break trailing by 0-4 to 0-3.
They found themselves 0-3 to 0-1 behind after 20 minutes after a free from Smyth and two from David McGivney, and they could have taken a big step had Smyth not gotten his bearings wrong with a goal chance.
A long ball caught McGrath out and Smyth was on his own goalside, but decided to try and flick the ball goalwards from 10 yards and it trickled harmlessly wide. Had he gathered it as he should have, it was a big chance.
David Mimnagh was black carded for a cynical pull down of Michael Murphy in a promising Donegal counter-attack but the hosts continued to be frustrated. They were thankful to Mark Anthony McGinley for a brilliant reach to claw down a Diarmuid Masterson effort that was going over the bar.
Martin McElhinney’s first point cut the arrears to one at the break and wind-assisted, you still expected the Tír Chonaill men to cross the line with a degree of comfort.
The St Michael’s man brought Donegal level at 0-5 apiece and it was only when James McGivney was sent off for a second booking and Patrick McBrearty landed the free to put Donegal ahead that there appeared some certainty about the result.
Three points in as many minutes just before the hour made it 0-9 to 0-6, a position from which the winners never looked like losing.
Mayo, Meath and Clare are their possible opponents from this morning’s draw and all three look eminently beatable, but there has to be more in Donegal or it will be their shortest summer for a while.
Donegal: MA McGinley; P McGrath, N McGee; C Ward, R McHugh, F McGlynn, E Gallagher, M O’Reilly; J McGee, M Murphy (0-3f); M Carroll, C Thompson, E McHugh (0-1); P McBrearty (0-5, 0-4f), M Langan
Subs: M McElhinney (0-2) for Carroll (27), H McFadden for McGee (49), J Brennan (0-1) for O’Reilly (53), K Lacey for Langan (56), P Brennan for E Gallagher (65)
Yellow card: C Thompson (34), M McElhinney (47), E Gallagher (63)
Longford: P Collum; D Masterson (0-1), P McCormack, B Gilleran; D McElligott, M Quinn, D Reynolds; J Keegan, D McGivney (0-3f); D Mimnagh, J McGivney, D Gallagher; R Smyth (0-3f), L Connerton, B McKeon
Subs: A Farrell for McKeon (66), R McEntire for D McGivney (66)
Black cards: D Mimnagh (25) replaced by C Barry; D Gallagher (42) replaced by L Moran
Blood replacement: L Moran for Smyth (11-16)
Yellow cards: J McGivney (38, 49)
Red card: J McGivney (49, second yellow)
Referee: P Hughes (Armagh)
