Tyrone pip Donegal in the most dramatic of Ulster U-20 semi-finals

Tyrone and Donegal put on an epic at Celtic Park in the Ulster U-20 semi-final, which was finally settled in extra-time through a last minute goal with the Red Hands progressing.

Tyrone 3-16
Donegal 2-16
(After extra-time)

In the end, it came down to a Conor Cush goal in the 80th minute, as he got on the end of a daring Tyrone breakaway, to put them four points up. And although Donegal had two Carlos O’Reilly frees with half of Tyrone on the line, one went over and the other was blocked.

The St Michael’s clubman had made a massive impact from the bench, while Kealan Dunleavy and two-goal Bobby McGettigan kept Donegal in the hunt for long spells, with Michael McGleenan putting in a masterclass for Tyrone in the middle of the field.

A goal and a point in the last six minutes of normal time by Tyrone’s Gavin Potter looked to have staved off a Donegal comeback. The substitute smashed home following great approach play by Ciaran Bogue edged the Red Hands back in front at 1-13 to 2-7 after Donegal had come from five points down on 40 minutes to level, having been 0-8 to 0-4 down at half-time.

McGettigan led the fightback for Gary Duffy’s Donegal, with two goals. The first came when the giant full-forward tucked home when Stephen McMenamin, the Tyrone goalkeeper, failed to cleanly gather a Dunleavy ball in. It brought Donegal back to 0-11 to 1-6 behind.

Then, on 52 minutes, Ciaran Daly tried to get the ball upfield, only it was pinched by Paul O’Hare, who passed onto Johnny McGroddy and then McGettigan to almost burst the net at the Brandywell end. It made the score 2-6 to 0-12 but just when you thought it was Donegal who had all the momentum, Potter struck.

However, Donegal clawed back to level thanks to O’Reilly and with the last kick of normal time, Ruairí Canavan, who would end up with seven points, missed the chance to win it from a free, so it ended 1-13 for Tyrone and 2-10 for Donegal. Extra-time was needed.

Donegal got ahead for the first time all night through McGroddy in extra-time only for Tyrone to once more show their resilience. Niall Devlin somehow squeezed in a goal on 75 minutes and on the break in the last minute Cush, only back on, hit their third and sealed the deal.

In what felt like a week beforehand, right from Anthony Marron’s first whistle, Tyrone showed their willingness to go long, with their opening two scores coming from marks, from Lorcan McGarrity and Canavan, before the latter made it 0-3 to 0-0. McGleenan and Ruairí McHugh of Tyrone were dominating.

Slow to start, Donegal got going, and McGroddy, McGettigan and Dunleavy all scored to bring them back to 0-3 to 0-3. However, four points in succession from Tyrone, with Ciaran Bogue adding two, meant Tyrone were 0-7 to 0-3 in front.

Donegal’s problems were deeper still having lost captain Kieran Tobin to a black card on 23 minutes, which caused a little consternation, with two Tyrone players - McGleenan and James Donaghy - picking up yellows when they may well have got black.

The 14 men battled gamely and Eric Carr pointed, although Cush, showing great perseverance despite the best efforts from Ryan McShane, put over the last point of the half. Tyrone were 0-8 to 0-4 in front as the sides headed for the dressing room.

Donegal had won the curtain-raising competition, the Leo Murphy Cup, courtesy of a 2-10 to 1-6 victory over Paul Devlin’s team last month in Letterkenny. In the lead-up to their championship, though, Duffy stressed that that result should’ve been taken with a pinch of salt.

Last Friday, Donegal were 1-13 to 0-9 winners over Armagh in Ballybofey and Tyrone booked their last four berth courtesy of a 1-13 to 1-8 victory against last year’s winners Down.

Although Tyrone started the second period on the front foot, it was Donegal who posted the first point, with Eoin Dowling scoring a left-footed free, only for Tyrone to post the next two, the second of which was from McHugh. Tyrone were 0-10 to 0-5 in front then in a normal enough contest. From then on, it became manic.

Donegal were four down at half-time, level at full-time but beaten in the end. You could've written a novel on what had happened over the course of the 80 minutes.

Donegal scorers: Bobby McGettigan (2-2), Kealan Dunleavy (0-4), Johnny McGroddy (0-3, 1f), Carlos O’Reilly (0-2), Eric Carr, Kieran Tobin (0-1), Eoin Dowling (0-1, 1f).

Tyrone scorers: Ruairí Canavan (0-7, 0-3m, 0-2f), Gavin Potter (1-2), Niall Devlin (1-0), Lorcan McGarrity, (0-2, 2m), Ciaran Bogue (0-2), Conor Cush, James Donaghy, Ruairí McHugh (0-1). 

Donegal: Daithi Roberts; Caolan McColgan, Jamie Grant, Ryan McShane; Jack Gallagher, Kieran Tobin, Eric Carr; Eoin Dowling, Domhnall Mac Giolla Bhríde; Kealan Dunleavy, Paul O'Hare, Richard O'Rourke; Johnny McGroddy, Bobby McGettigan, Luke McGlynn. Subs: Ciaran Moore for Gallagher (half-time), Carlos O’Reilly for Carr (37), David Boyle for O’Hare (59), Oisin Caulfield for McGlynn (extra-time), Drew McKinney for McBride (77), O’Hare for Dunlevy (81), McGlynn for O’Rourke (85), Fionan Coyle for McColgan (79)

Tyrone: Stephen McMenamin; Michael Rafferty, Brian Conway, Eoin Corry; James Donaghy, Steve Donaghy, Niall Devlin; Michael McGleenan, Ciaran Daly; Ruairi McHugh, Ciarán Bogue, Sean O'Donnell; Conor Cush, Lorcan McGarrity, Ruairi Canavan. Subs: Gavin Potter for McGarrity (47), Cormac Devlin for Cush (53), Cush for Bogue (79)

Referee: Anthony Marron (Monaghan).