Donegal turn it on in the second half to post confidence-boosting win in Clare

Donegal turned in a competent second half showing to overcome Clare in the opening set of fixtures in the opening round of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.

Clare 0-9 Donegal 0-14

Three down at half-time, Aidan O’Rourke’s young team drew on the more experienced players, with Ciaran Thompson, Hugh McFadden, Jason McGee, Eoghan Bán Gallagher, Oisin Gallen and Caolan McGonagle stepping up as Donegal turned a 0-5 to 0-1 deficit into a comfortable enough win in the end.

If Donegal wish to make any serious inroads into the latter stages of the championship, they will need to find another few gears in all likelihood, although for now, they can be content with avoiding the potential banana skin in Ennis ahead of a home fixture against Ulster champions and next door neighbours Derry. Even at this early stage, Donegal aren't far off a place in the last 12, or the preliminary quarter-finals as they're known.

It might’ve been different following an awkward opening 35 minutes, when Shaun Patton made a vital save from Keelan Sexton, which would’ve put Clare six in front. However, Donegal's quality showed more and more the longer it went on with Thompson and Gallen ending up with four points apiece.

Clare settled well, with Sexton twisting to score and Pearse Lillis using the punch before adding a personal second for a 0-3 to 0-0 lead inside of 10 minutes. Donegal sat with 14 in initially and only Gallen up the field, although there was a lack of intensity in defence and too slow a build-up to attack.

Thompson opened the visitors’ account, although that was merely the prelude to an Eoin Cleary free to restore Clare’s three-point lead, which could well have been doubled on 20 minutes. Cleary’s sharp ball back from the corner flag was grasped by Sexton as he spun Brendan McCole and Patton had to dart from his line to make a point-black save in the Donegal goal.

At Cusack Park, there was a nervousness in the air, with two teams of brittle confidence. Clare’s scars from the 14-point Munster final reversal and Donegal’s nightmare of a year. Since Declan Bonner’s last match 11 months ago, Donegal have had more managers than victories, with their one success in that time coming against Kerry in their league opener under Paddy Carr, before O’Rourke was handed control. Three managers, one win, one draw and eight losses before Ennis.

Almost half an hour was played when Gallen rounded off a Donegal move of genuine quality, moving the ball at speed in from the left. Even though Clare hit back within seconds with Emmet McMahon kicking from distance, Donegal had started some sort of improvement late in the half.

Eoghan Bán Gallagher hit back with a point and then, three minutes before half-time, made an incisive run which cut through Clare from Jamie Brennan’s lay-off. Gallagher’s only sin was the fact he was probably too unselfish, giving off a pass to his right to the well-placed John Ross Molloy, the corner-back and championship debutant, who, right in front of goal, fumbled and the chance was gone.

Clare led 0-6 to 0-3 at the break, with the wide count level at six each, Donegal needed a more commanding start to part two than they managed in part one. Gallen, firstly, and then Thompson delivered to give the few hardcores who made the trek down the west reason to raise their voices.

McMahon got Clare’s first point of the second half on 47 minutes, although the steam of the tide was still Donegal’s, with Thompson and then McGonagle levelling it up at 0-7 to 0-7 by the time the third quarter was over. Wides at both ends deflated the spectacle, although it was still there for both with the clock ticking down.

Donegal hit seven more scores in the last 12 minutes, with McFadden’s getting them in front for the first time. Clare were stacking up the wides and only managed three points in the second half, with Darragh Bohannon and Aaron Griffin hitting last scores.

At the other end, Donegal, more direct and showing much more legs than was considered a part of their loss in Newry, kept the scoreboard going with Gallen, Thompson, McGonagle, Luke McGlynn and Rory O’Donnell all popping over, for a confidence-booster if ever one was needed.

Clare scorers: Pearse Lillis 0-2; Emmet McMahon 0-2, 1f; Eoin Cleary 0-2, 2f; Emmet McMahon 0-2, 1f; Keelan Sexton, Darragh Bohannon and Aaron Griffin 0-1 each.
Donegal scorers: Ciarán Thompson 0-4; Oisin Gallen 0-4; Eoghan Bán Gallagher 0-1; Caolan McGonagle 0-2; Hugh McFadden, Luke McGlynn and Rory O’Donnell 0-1

Clare: Stephen Ryan; Ronan Lanigan, Cillian Brennan, Cillian Rouine; Ciarán Russell, Jamie Malone, Cian O’Dea; Cathal O’Connor, Darren O’Neill; Daniel Walsh, Emmet McMahon, Pearse Lillis; Eoin Cleary, Keelan Sexton, Podge Collins. Subs: Darragh Bohannon for Collins (22), Aaron Griffin for O’Connor (48) Brian McNamara for O’Neill (53), Ikem Ugweu for Walsh (68), Mark McInerney for O’Dea (68)
Donegal: Shaun Patton; Mark Curran, Brendan McCole, John Ross Molloy; Caolan Ward, Eoghan Bán Gallagher, Odhran Doherty; Caolan McGonagle, Rory O’Donnell; Daire Ó Baoill, Jamie Brennan, Ciarán Thompson; Oisin Gallen, Hugh McFadden, Conor O'Donnell. Subs: Jason McGee for Molloy (half-time), Caolan McColgan for Ward (49), Luke McGlynn for C O’Donnell (55), Marty O’Reilly for O Doherty (70+3)
Referee: James Molloy (Galway)