Second half goals mean Derry do enough to beat Donegal in All-Ireland SFC

Second half goals from Conor Doherty, Lachlan Murray and Pádraig McGrogan proved to be the difference between Donegal and Derry in the All-Ireland SFC second round.

Donegal 1-15 Derry 3-14

The goals gave Ciaran Meenagh’s team a cushion against a Donegal side, who had only scored two goals in league and championship this year and were beaten in Ballybofey in the championship for only the second time in 13 years.

Derry’s economy was the main reason for a 0-9 to 0-6 half-time lead, with only wide posted compared to five and one short from Donegal. Four of those wides came before Conor O’Donnell got Aidan O’Rourke’s side off the mark on 12 minutes, by which time Derry had a couple in the bank from Paul Cassidy and Benny Heron.

If Donegal were creating and not taking opportunities, Derry, perversely, weren’t getting off too many shots for points but managed to create two great goal chances. Only seven minutes in, Heron cut in and was denied by Shaun Patton and then on 18 the Donegal goalkeeper got down low to save to his left when Cassidy had a go at the Town End.

Patton’s kick-outs were giving Donegal an array of options off the tee, with Derry’s risk-and-reward strategy of pushing up not always a profitable one, being occasionally bypassed under the blue sky.

Jason McGee, from one such Patton boomer, got in on goal on 27 minutes, only to see Odhran Lynch save with his feet and the Donegal midfielder’s second pop was blocked on the line by Brendan Rogers.

But Derry’s accuracy, particularly that of Shane McGuigan and Ciarán McFaul, was telling, although Donegal were still very much on it, thanks mainly to four first-half Gallen points.

Doherty’s belter on 46 minutes made for a lead of 1-11 to 0-9 for Derry, with the wing-back smashing high past Patton when he was set up by a surging run from Conor McCluskey. Donegal were keeping in touch mainly through a precision of nine-point Gallen, who was named man of the match.

Murray was only on the pitch a matter of seconds and goaled with his very first touch on 58 minutes, with Garth McKinless cutting through a Donegal defence like a Choc Ice in the heat. Derry had themselves a lead of 2-13 to 0-13 with Cassidy and Rogers taking advantage of further Donegal holes at the back.

A third goal from Pádraig McGrogan, low and hard, three minutes from time following a give-and-go with Lachlan gave the away support among the 8253 their last bellow of the day. Donegal had thrown Patrick McBrearty on for the last 20 following a four-month spell out with a hamstring injury and four minutes into injury time the hosts’ endeavors were rewarded with Rory O’Donnell’s goal.

Donegal scorers: Oisín Gallen 0-9, 4f, 2m; Rory O’Donnell 1-0; Conor O’Donnell 0-2; Ciarán Thompson 0-2, 1f; Shaun Patton 0-1, 45; Patrick McBrearty 0-1, 1f.

Derry scorers: Shane McGuigan 0-3, 2f; Conor Doherty, Lachlan Murray and Pádraig McGrogan 1-0; Ciarán McFaul 0-2; Paul Cassidy 0-4; Benny Heron and Brendan Rogers 023, Conor Glass 0-1; Niall Toner 0-1, 1f;

Donegal: Shaun Patton; Mark Curran, Brendan McCole, Caolan McColgan; Caolan Ward, Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Odhrán Doherty; Caolan McGonagle, Jason McGee; Daire Ó Baoill, Jamie Brennan, Ciarán Thompson; Hugh McFadden, Oisín Gallen, Conor O’Donnell. Subs: Luke McGlynn for Brennan (52), Patrick McBrearty for Ó Baoill (56), Rory O’Donnell for McGee (58), Stephen McMenamin for O Doherty (61); Jeaic Mac Ceallbhuí for Ward (68),

Derry: Odhran Lynch; Chrissy McKaigue, Eoghan McEvoy Conor McCluskey; Conor Doherty, Gareth McKinless, Pádraig McGrogan; Conor Glass, Brendan Rogers; Niall Toner, Paul Cassidy, Ethan Doherty; Ciarán McFaul, Shane McGuigan, Benny Heron. Subs: Paudie Cassidy for Heron (52), Lachlan Murray for McFaul (56), Declan Cassidy for McEvoy (65), Shea Downey for McKaigue (70).

Referee: Brendan Cawley (Kildare).