Main pic: Disappointed Donegal players after Saturday’s game. Photo Evan Logan.
Donegal’s resurgent championship campaign finally petered out against arch rivals Tyrone at MacCumhaill Park this evening in front of 11,971 spectators.
Donegal 0-13
Tyrone 1-18
By Charlie Collins in MacCumhaill Park.
Tyrone got off to a flying start and Ruari Canavan should have goaled in the first minute when Cormac Quinn put him clear, but under pressure he shot wide. A minute later he did find the net when Shaun Patton failed to deal with a high ball and, at the second attempt, Canavan found the net. This set the tone for the game and the result was never in doubt as an impressive Tyrone comfortably kept Donegal at arm’s length.
Patrick McBrearty replied with a free but Darren McCurry, Micheal McKernan and Darragh Canavan scored three in a row to make it 1-03 to 0-01 to the visitors. Oisín Gallen’s free and an excellent Odhran Doherty point from play narrowed the gap to three. The teams exchanged four points in the next five minutes – McCurry and McKernan with their second scores and McBrearty and Gallen also with their second points, 1-05 to 0-05.
McBrearty’s third point reduced it to two points but two quick Darragh Canavan points put Tyrone four ahead again. Caolan McColgan kicked a super point for Donegal but another three in a row burst from Tyrone. Mattie Donnelly, Darragh Canavan with his fourth and Brian Kennedy put Tyrone six ahead, 1-10 to 0-07. Just before half-time Oisín Gallen kicked his third to leave Tyrone five ahead at the break.
Half-time Donegal 0:8 Tyrone 1-10
Donegal would have the breeze at their backs in the second-half, but had left themselves too much to do. Darren McCurry opened the second-half scoring from a free and as Donegal got turned over in possession on numerous occasions, Tyrone took control. Darragh Canavan added his fifth point, McCurry his fourth and Tyrone led by eight and looked on their way to the last eight in Croke Park next weekend. Ciaran Thompson and Gallen from play and a Shaun Patton 45’ reduced the lead to five points, 1-13 to 0-011, with fifteen minutes left. Mattie Donnelly and Ciaran Thompson exchanged points. McCurry and Conn Kilpatrick added Tyrone points. Substitute Luke McGlynn replied but Ruari Canavan and Mattie Donnelly with his third rounded off an impressive Tyrone victory. Conor Meyler was lucky only to have been shown a yellow card after lashing out at Brendan McCole with his fist near the end. Referee Conor Lane, however, showed Patton a straight red minutes from the end to bring the curtain down on what has been a difficult year both on and off the pitch. However, this young Donegal team can hold their heads high for the way they turned their season around.
Referee Conor Lane shows a red card to Donegal’s Shaun Patton during Saturday’s game. Photo Evan Logan.
Donegal: Shaun Patton , Mark Curran , Brendan McCole. , Caolan McColgan (0-01), Caolan Ward , Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Stephen McMenamin, Caolán McGonagle, Hugh McFadden , Daire O Boaill , Jamie Brennan; Ciarán Thompson (0-02 ) , Odhran Doherty (0-01), Oisín Gallen ( 0-05 ), Patrick McBrearty ( 0-03 ). Subs: Jason McGee for Doherty (h/t), Luke McGlynn (0-01) for O Baoill ( 43mins), Rory O Donnell for McFadden ( 46mins), Brian O Donnell for McColgan (60mins), Gavin Mulreaney for Curran (70mins).
Tyrone: Niall Morgan; Michael McKernan (0-02), Ronan McNamee, Pádraig Hampsey; Cormac Quinn, Michael O’Neill, Pete Harte; Brian Kennedy (0-01), Conn Kilpatrick (0-01), Conor Meyler, Kieran McGeary , Ruairí Canavan (1-1), Darren McCurry (0-05/4f’s), Matthew Donnelly ( 0-03 ) and Darragh Canavan (0-05). Subs ; Francis Burns for McGeary (55mins), Richard Donnelly for Darragh Canavan (60mins).
Referee: Conor Lane (Cork).
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