Donegal have no answer to Monaghan's second half surge

Vinny Corey got his first league win as Monaghan manager as his team dominated the second half with Jack McCarron on song to drag Donegal into the dogfight at the bottom of the Division 1 table.

Monaghan 1-20
Donegal 0-15

It took until the 46th minute for either party to get two in front and it was Donegal who reached that juncture, only for Monaghan to spin off six in succession to put daylight between them at 0-15 to 0-11.

In the midst of that Monaghan burst, with the score level, Jamie Brennan had been played in by Michael Langan and the Bundoran forward’s strike coming in off the left cannoned back off the hosts’ crossbar. So instead of finding themselves three up, Donegal were soon four down.

Paddy Carr’s side were chasing their tails after that and in injury time, Conor McManus, who had taken over from seven-point McCarron, laid on a goal for Sean Jones to smash home the only goal of the game. Monaghan and Corey can now look up instead of over their shoulder and Donegal’s slide continues, with their captain Patrick McBrearty an absentee.

Like a pendulum swinging one way and then back, there was never more than a single score between the rivals in the first half, during which Donegal had the benefit of the wind, which was blowing across the field. Play was open and progressive enough, with both sides seeing a goal chance come and then go.

Donegal’s came when Caolan McGonagle intercepted a Rory Beggan kick-out on 15 minutes and the ball was swiftly moved onto Brennan, who pierced a shot that flew across the goal and just over the crossbar, for 0-5 to 0-5.

Nine minutes later, with the scoreboard having not clunked on, Monaghan’s opportunity was thwarted by Shaun Patton, who stood tall, to block from Shane Carey after Michéal Bannigan had picked his way through the Donegal defence, with the follow-up rebounding wide.

McGonagle opened the scoring in the first minute for the visitors before two Rory Beggan frees edged Monaghan in front. Michael Langan levelled it at 0-2 apiece.

McCarron reappeared for Monaghan following a hamstring injury against Armagh and scored three first half points. Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Oisin Gallen and Langan were in the visitors’ XV for the first time this year and points late in the half from Daire Ó Baoill and Gallen meant the lead was Donegal’s at half-time, 0-7 to 0-6.

Stephen O’Hanlon got Monaghan back on terms within a minute of the restart and with Gallen and McCarron trading scores it was soon 0-8. Monaghan’s equalising point had come when Donegal were caught wide open Beggan’s kick-out bounced through and O’Hanlon, who had been tugged, steered wide of goal.

Conor O’Donnell’s fisted effort was cancelled out by a McCarron marked point for 0-9 to 0-9 to maintain the status quo.

Just when someone got two up for the first time, which Donegal managed through Gallen and Langan on 46 minutes, then Monaghan spun off three on the bounce to go ahead 0-12 to 0-11 on 51 minutes - Conor McCarthy, Michéal Bannigan and, with the loudest cheer of the day, O’Hanlon.

Sean Jones had been introduced and although his first effort at goal was eventually decided by the umpires as being wide - they didn’t seem too sure - he wasn’t to be denied. The substitute scored and with the home team enjoying the first purple patch of the match, McCarron’s sixth score was Monaghan’s fifth on the bounce. They were 0-14 to 0-11 in front on 55 minutes and McCarron would edge that out further by the hour.

Gallen halted the slide momentarily and Conor O’Donnell did kick two late points, but it was Monaghan who were streaking away by then with McManus kicking two marks and Jones ending up with 1-2 off the bench.

Monaghan scorers: Jack McCarron 0-7, 4f, 1m; Sean Jones 1-2; Stephen O’Hanlon 0-3; Rory Beggan 0-2, 2f; Conor McManus 0-2, 2m; Shane Carey, Conor McCarthy, Michéal Bannigan, Kieran Duffy 0-1

Donegal scorers: Oisin Gallen 0-5, 4f; Michael Langan 0-4; Conor O’Donnell 0-3; Caolan McGonagle, Jamie Brennan, Daire Ó Baoill 0-1.

Monaghan: Rory Beggan; Thomas McPhillips, Kieran Duffy, Ryan Wylie; Conor Boyle, Dessie Ward, Darren Hughes; Killian Lavelle, Gary Mahon; Stephen O’Hanlon, Micheál Bannigan, Conor McCarthy; Shane Carey, Karl Gallagher, Jack McCarron. Subs: Colm Lennon for Lavelle (19), Sean Jones for Carey (48), Shane Hanratty for Lennon (59),Conor McManus for McCarron (63), Aaron Mulligan for McCarthy (70).

Donegal: Shaun Patton; Mark Curran, Brendan McCole, Caolan Ward; Caolan McColgan, Stephen McMenamin, Eoghan Ban Gallagher; Caolan McGonagle, Jason McGee; Michael Langan, Daire Ó Baoill, Conor O’Donnell; Hugh McFadden, Oisin Gallen, Jamie Brennan. Subs: Peadar Mogan for McColgan (45), Luke McGlynn for Ward (59); Rory O’Donnell for McFadden (67), Johnny McGroddy for McGee (75),

Referee: Noel Mooney (Cavan)