Battling Donegal leave All-Ireland champions Tyrone in a spin

In a rivalry where it matters not who is the prince or the pauper, Tyrone arrived as Ulster and All-Ireland champions and left with nothing thanks to a battling Donegal display.

Donegal 2-10
Tyrone 0-12

Donegal, on a week where their inept second half showing in Kerry brought criticism from their own, looked to be in trouble as they trailed by four with the wind, but turned it around. Conor O’Donnell put in an impressive shift in Michael Murphy’s No 14 shirt with 1-3 and when local boy Oisin Gallen pointed on 65 minutes, it brought the loudest cheer of the night in Ballybofey.

Tyrone never far away, were being kept out by hook and by crook and a daring late breakaway saw Peadar Mogan square for Jeaic Mac Ceallabhuí to bundle home a goal that meant a four-point lead with only 15 seconds to play.

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An injury sustained by Pádraig McNulty, when he was involved in a duel with Odhrán McFadden-Ferry on 16 minutes that saw the Donegal man flip, saw the Tyrone player leave on a stretcher with what looked like a serious arm injury.

Tyrone were 0-4 to 0-3 up at the time, with the margin of the one kick of the ball - which turned out to be Conn Kilpatrick’s - probably just about right by then.

Beforehand, Patrick McBrearty had kicked a couple and his partner in the inside-forward line, Ryan McHugh, was also on the mark. Conn Kilpatrick and Brian Kennedy started to dominate at centre-field and with plenty of attacking options, Tyrone began to ease themselves into a decent position, reeling off five points in succession.

Corner-back Michael McKernan was responsible for two of those, with Darren McCurry and McNulty’s replacement Richard Donnelly also scoring. 

Although both sides came into the contest with three points apiece, the trajectory of Tyrone looked more positive, especially with Donegal putting in a rather limp second half in Killarney in their 1-13 to 0-7 defeat to Kerry.

Tyrone Pádraig Hampsey, Michael McKernan and Kieran McGeary were back in the starting XV, only Peter Harte missing from the quartet suspended against Kildare in Omagh last weekend, where a one-point win was eked.

With Tyrone 0-7 to 0-3 in front tonight and Donegal having not scored in 31 minutes, manage Declan Bonner would’ve been delighted with the way his team concluded the first half. In the first minute of injury time, O’Donnell picked an opportune time to score his first goal for Donegal, rounding off a fine endline move that saw McBrearty play a give and go with Peadar Mogan.

The McNulty injury meant eight minutes minimum would be added on and from a speedy Donegal break five minutes in involving McFadden-Ferry and then Eoghan Ban Gallagher, O’Donnell in space almost got another goal only for Niall Morgan to make an important stop. Jason McGee, right before the whistle, levelled it at 1-4 to 0-7.

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McCurry added two points at the start of part two, the bread in the sandwich of Shaun Patton and O’Donnell scores for Donegal so the status quo remained, 1-6 to 0-9, by the 49th minute.

Again, points were traded - Shane O’Donnell and McCurry - before Cathal McShane’s introduction and first touch saw a eye-of-the-needle pass to McKernan, whose goal bound shot was blocked by McHugh. It was tit for tat until the 64th minute and Mac Ceallabhuí's introduction was mainly to keep an eye on the forward escapades McKernan.

But when the Naomh Conaill clubman played a part in a raid that went from one end of the field to the other, it meant a 21st match over 12 years unbeaten for Donegal in Ballybofey on a week when many doubted them.

More importantly and a much more simplistic stat was that it brought two vital Division 1 points, a general lifting of the gloom and sent folk home with smiles on their faces. Priceless.

Donegal scorers: Conor O’Donnell (1-3), Jeaic Mac Ceallabhuí (0-1) Patrick McBrearty (0-2, 1f), Ryan McHugh, Jason McGee, Shane O’Donnell and Oisin Gallen (0-1), Shaun Patton (0-1, 1f).

Tyrone scorers: Darren McCurry (0-5, 2f), Michael McKernan (0-2), Darragh Canavan, Conn Kilpatrick, Richard Donnelly, Cathal McShane and Johnny Munroe (0-1)

Donegal: Shaun Patton; Caolan Ward, Brendan McCole, Stephen McMenamin; Ryan McHugh, Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Odhrán McFadden-Ferry; Hugh McFadden, Jason McGee; Shane O'Donnell, Peadar Mogan, Ciaran Thompson; Patrick McBrearty, Conor O'Donnell, Niall O’Donnell. Subs: Jeaic Mac Ceallabhuí for N O’Donnell (35+7), Oisin Gallen for McFadden (59), Daire Ó Baoill and Ethan O’Donnell for S O’Donnell and McFadden-Ferry (68)

Tyrone: Niall Morgan; Michael McKernan, Padraig Hampsey, Frank Burns; Niall Sludden, Johnny Munroe, Conor Meylerl; Conn Kilpatrick, Brian Kennedy; Nathan Donnelly, Darragh Canavan, Kieran McGeay; Darren McCurry, Pádraig McNulty, Paul Donaghy. Subs: Richard Donnelly for McNulty (22), Cathal McShane for Donaghy (56), Conor McKenna for McGeary (68)

Referee: Brendan Cawley (Kildare).