All-Ireland SFC round-robin Group Four: Donegal 1-15 Derry 3-14
DERRY’S footballing IQ and mobility were again evident as they poked at a scab in Donegal’s defensive armoury until it bled, and then they picked at it some more.
Whereas Monaghan had the advantage of an Ulster Championship meeting that allowed them to learn the dangers first hand, Donegal did not.
Vinny Corey dropped Conor McManus and Jack McCarron from his team because he couldn’t afford for Derry’s mobility to undo them a second time. Monaghan got a draw out of Celtic Park.
Donegal did not have the luxury of the depth to make the same alterations.
When Derry had the ball, Eoghan Bán Gallagher went to midfield and tracked Brendan Rogers in the first half. It was Ciaran Thompson for a fair bit of the second half.
They had rightly identified Rogers’ pace as a big threat. But that meant either Caolan McGonagle or Jason McGee filling a defensive position behind them.
All three of Derry’s goals, as well as a handful of other chances, came from running at those two players.
Where you do not have a speed merchant, Derry will find you and hurt you.
You’re not blaming them. It’s just a fact of life that Derry played on them. And Donegal would argue with justification that their aerial presence was part of the reason they were in the game at all.
Benny Heron spun McGee early on when he was caught one-v-one at full-back. Shaun Patton’s leg denied him brilliantly.
For their second chance, Caolan McGonagle was left on Paul Cassidy. The Derry forward spun and he too was denied by Patton, this time a superb left hand.
Shane McGuigan pointed from the free advantage. He was well marshalled by Brendan McCole all day, kept to a single point from play. Derry still scored 3-14.
It took 45 minutes for the first goal to arrive. When it did, Conor McCluskey did unto Caolan McGonagle just as he had done unto Conor McManus in Omagh. He saw that it was McGonagle facing the wrong way trying to defend the gap. McCluskey went through it, set up Conor Doherty and bang.
As Patrick McBrearty was making his 55th minute return from injury, Oisin Gallen had just kicked his fourth score of the second half. Donegal were back within three and the noise was just rising to meet the searing temperature in MacCumhaill Park.
By the time Donegal’s captain touched the ball, the game was over.
What appeared to be Jason McGee’s knee, judging by the ice pack strapped to the front of his leg rather than the back afterwards, gave out just at the wrong time.
Gareth McKinless was released by its snap, freed straight down the middle to square for Lachlan Murray’s simple palmed finish.
Three had become six and Donegal had no way back.
While McGee missed a great goal chance in the first half at a crucial stage, the visitors could have had three goals more than the three they did score in the second period.
Yet Donegal were much better organised than for most of this year.
Donegal had their once-feared press on Odhran Lynch’s kickout well set up, with McGee, McGonagle, Ciaran Thompson and Hugh McFadden – who had a physical battle with Conor Glass - creating a wall that Derry were lucky at times to get out past.
Daire Ó Baoill was trying to mix attacking and picking up Ciaran McFaul, but the Glen man got too much space at times.
It felt like a game that Derry were slowly working out but their kickout issues became evident the harder Donegal squeezed.
At times it was a charmed life. Glass and Rogers dug them out of a few holes on their restarts, yet they managed to score 1-7 off their own ball.
The Magherafelt goalkeeper had a good second half, squeezing up, winning Shaun Patton’s kickouts and providing two assists of his own.
Every time Donegal looked like they might reel Derry to shore, Ciaran Meenagh’s side took off with a burst. They went from 0-5 to 0-4 to 0-8 to 0-4.
When it went 0-11 to 0-9, McCluskey scythed past McGonagle for Conor Doherty to rifle into the roof of the net.
Donegal got it back to three again and then McGee pulled up.
A tiring McGonagle got caught by the goalside run of Padraig McGrogan as he walked through late on to coolly slot home the third.
Rory O’Donnell had two chances before he netted on the third attempt deep into stoppage time.
Donegal had definitely found a bit of themselves.
Oisin Gallen reminded us all what he has the potential to be. Nine points, three from play and two of well-taken marks, he was excellent in the second half. It was only when Conor McCluskey went on him late on that Derry finally got a handle on him. The first ball between them, McCluskey won and it led to Padraig McGrogan’s goal.
For all the conversation that Derry might miss Rory Gallagher tactically, this was a win for their sideline as much as for their players.
Donegal: S Patton (0-1 45); M Curran, B McCole, C McColgan; C Ward, D Ó Baoill, O Doherty; C McGonagle, EB Gallagher, J McGee, H McFadden; C Thompson (0-2, 0-1 free), C O’Donnell (0-2); J Brennan, O Gallen (0-9, 0-4 frees, 0-2 marks)
Subs: L McGlynn for Brennan (46), Patrick McBrearty (0-1 free) for Ó Baoill (50), R O’Donnell (1-0) for McGee (57), S McMenamin for O Doherty (60), J McKelvey for Ward (65)
Derry: O Lynch; C McKaigue, C McCluskey; G McKinless, E McEvoy, P McGrogan (1-0), C Doherty (1-0); C Glass (0-1), B Rogers (0-2); Paul Cassidy (0-4), B Heron (0-1), E Doherty, C McFaul (0-2); N Toner (0-1 free), S McGuigan (0-3, 0-2 frees)
Subs: N Loughlin for Toner (46), Padraig Cassidy for Heron (52), L Murray (1-0) for McFaul (56), D Cassidy for McEvoy (65), S Downey for McKaigue (70)
Blood subs: N Loughlin for B Heron (30-34); Padraig Cassidy for Glass (46-51)
Referee: B Cawley (Kildare)
Attendance: 8,253
