How Donegal's Ulster champs fared in the All-Ireland club series down the years

St Joseph’s 1975/76

St Joseph's claim two unofficial Ulster titles - against St John's in Irvinestown in 1966 and again in 1967 against Crossmaglen Rangers- having also reached the first official final in 1968 where they went down 0-8 to 0-3 against Bellaghy from Derry. But they won the official SFC tournament in 1975.

The Ballyshannon-Bundoran amalgamation defeated Teemore Shamrocks from Fermanagh 1-8 to 1-5 in the quarter-final, Cavan Gaels 3-8 to 1-7 in the semi-finals before a 3-6 to 1-8 success against Monaghan’s Castleblayney Faughs in the 1975 final. Their All-Ireland semi-final ended in a loss, 1-7 to 0-3, against Roscommon Gaels at Fr Tierney Park in early 1976.

The Donegal Demcrat’s report was unforgiving: “For St Joseph’s it was a game that promised so much, yet now they can only dream of what might have been and try and figure out what went wrong. Of course, one can point to their shooting, which was so dire that it prompted one frustrated fan to ask aloud: ‘Who moved the goals?’ - and their short passing which not only proved totally ineffective but also landed them in trouble time and time again.”

Seamus Hayden beat Alan Kane for the only goal of the game, just six minutes in. Martin Carney and Thomas Quinn scored for St Joseph’s but they tailed 1-3 to 0-2 at the break, with Hugh Griffen missing a glorious chance to score a second goal for the Connacht champions after Hyden had struck the post. Peter Barry scored the hosts’ only second-half point, although Billy Gavigan and Seamie Granaghan did go close to goals. Roscommon Gaels went on to lose the final, comprehensively, to St Vincent’s 4-10 to 0-5 in Portlaoise.