Murphy concerns again as Donegal stroll past Down in Ulster SFC opener

The preliminary round in the Ulster SFC can increase the likelihood of inadvertently standing on a landmine, although if negotiated competently can operate as a useful foundation from which to build.

Down 1-12 Donegal 2-25

Declan Bonner’s Donegal, following a comfortable win over Down, have set up a meeting with Derry in two weeks time and the question that will fill the next fortnight will surround Michael Murphy’s left hamstring.

Surprisingly, beforehand, there were no late changes to either team, although a change in referee with Maurice Deegan from Laois stepping in for Fermanagh’s Niall Cullen - announced to the crowd at Pairc Esler having been confirmed on Thursday.

That meant Murphy was to start, although he wouldn’t finish the first half and departed before the interval with an ice-pack on his left hamstring.

As he trundled off, Michael Langan was stroking over a free from the left to put Donegal 0-11 to 0-6 in front on 29 minutes. On came Jamie Brennan, who hadn’t appeared since Omagh in the league, and within four minutes he had goaled. Patrick McBrearty added a second goal on 61 minutes to end the afternoon with 1-6.

Donegal might not learn too much from it. At the same time a double-digit win on the road in Ulster really isn’t something that you should turn your nose up at.

If All-Stars were handed out in preliminary rounds, Barry O’Hagan would be getting the suit fitted and the mantelpiece pledged, following an exceptional performance that yielded five first half points and eight in all.

He kept Down in the hunt, actually dragging them back into it, after Donegal had made an enterprising start to go 0-5 to 0-1 in front on only 11 minutes. Ryan McHugh was zipping about, in and out, and Murphy and McBrearty were finding their range whilst Down were fluffing their’s.

O’Hagan, single-handedly, had Down back to within one, 0-6 to 0-5, at a stage. Although sole dependency might be for some, in a team game it’ll only take you so far.

Up top Donegal had Langan, Niall O’Donnell, Peadar Mogan and Ciaran Thompson all capable of taking a point and Brennan, when he gets the sniff of goal, tends to have eyes only for goal. He shot past Rory Burns two minutes before half-time when Odhran McFadden-Ferry had brilliantly pinched possession from Caolan Mooney from an attempted short kick-out.

The locals among the 500 supporters would’ve been deflated with their interval arrears of 10 points and seeing Ryan McEvoy and O’Hagan balloon early wides would’ve exacerbated those feelings.

Paddy Tally’s team did muster a goal when Mooney, who was running direct, got in and shot low past Shaun Patton on 39 minutes. Their comeback chances were remote and their odds lengthened when Gerard McGovern was given a straight red card for an absolutely needless elbow on Langan.

Donegal were always in control, although as part of their kitchen-sink desperation policy, Down went for goals and Patton made two excellent saves in the second half.

Firstly, Ryan McEvoy drove through a crowd and Patton made the block. His second, somehow clawing away a close-range effort from Stephen McConville slap from close in was as good a save as you’ll see. It was the last clip on Down's short highlights reel with their championship now over.

Four Donegal substitutes - Brennan, Ethan O'Donnell, Conor O'Donnell and Eoin McHugh - all scored.

Donegal avoided the minefield and have a foundation to build upon.But they’d like to have Murphy laying the bricks.

Down: Rory Burns; Peter Fegan, Gerard McGovern, Gerard Collins; Pierce Laverty, Darren O'Hagan (0-1), Daniel Guinness; Liam Middleton, Ryan McEvoy; Liam Kerr (0-2, 1f), Ceilium Doherty, Caolan Mooney (1-0); Corey Quinn, Conor McCrickard, Barry O'Hagan (0-8, 3f, 1m). Subs: Stephen McConville and Danny Savage for McEvoy and Middleton (42), James Guinness (0-1) for Kerr (46), Cormac McCartan for Fegan (56), Kevin McKernan for McCrickard (58)

Donegal: Shaun Patton; Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Neil McGee, Stephen McMenamin; Odhran McFadden-Ferry, Brendan McCole, Ryan McHugh (0-4);  Caolan McGonagle, Michael Langan (0-4, 1f, 45); Ciaran Thompson (0-1), Niall O'Donnell (0-1), Peadar Mogan (0-3); Patrick McBrearty (1-6, 2f), Michael Murphy (0-2, 1f), Hugh McFadden. Subs: Eoin McHugh (0-1) for McCole (25), Jamie Brennan (1-1) for Murphy (29), Ethan O’Donnell (0-1) for Thompson (52), Conor O’Donnell (0-1) for N O’Donnell (56), Paul Brennan for McGee (63) 

Referee: Maurice Deegan (Laois)