Donegal 0-20 v 2-17 Tyrone
Tyrone stormed Ballybofey’s Sean MacCumhaill Park to end Jim McGuinness’s proud perfect record at the venue.
Ulster champions Donegal were toppled by their derby rivals in their opening All-Ireland group game in a drenched, windy Sean MacCumhaill Park.
Seanie O’Donnell netted two goals in the first half to send Tyrone on their way, but a game of inches came down to a tense final when, ultimately, Tyrone had the greater composure.
The pendulum looked to have swung towards Donegal when Michael Murphy and Michael Langan – who contributed 15 points between them – kicked quick fire two-pointers in the 52nd minute.
That had Donegal in front, 0-20 to 2-12, but they wouldn’t trouble the scoreboard thereafter, while Tyrone added five points – including a brilliant two-point effort from sub Peter Harte.
As the evening took shape, the black clouds moved in from Barnesmore Gap with the 16,120 taking up their respective perches..
Half-an-hour before throw-in, the rain lashed down on Ballybofey. It felt something of a fitting stage for these old foes. The rain cleared a little, but winter was firmly back in the Ballybofey air after a prolonged absence in recent weeks.
Tyrone threw an early cat among the pigeons when O’Donnell pounced for a goal in the eighth minute. Caolan McGonagle couldn’t hold possession when he got under a dropping ball from Michael McKernan. The well-placed O’Donnell made no mistake in fisting home.
Ten minutes later, he was at it again. Conn Kilpatrick’s surging run created the chance and O’Donnell hammered it to the River End net.
At the other end in the opening minutes, Tyrone ‘keeper Niall Morgan turned over the crossbar from a powerful Langan drive.
It took a Ciaran Thompson block to thwart the advances of Kilpatrick who was in search of a third Red Hands goal.
Michael Murphy nailed a pair of monstrous two-point frees to bring Donegal level by the 30th minute. The Glenswilly man, back in Championship action this year after a winter u-turn on retirement, belied the conditions with one effort off the ground from 50m out.
Tyrone might have wobbled, but Darren McCurry landed a two-pointer of his own before Kieran McGeary got in on the act, helping Malachy O’Rourke’s team to lead 2-7 to 0-11 at the break.
Tyrone had a month to stew on a last-gasp defeat to Armagh in the Ulster SFC semi-final. Then, Rory Grugan popped over a match winner just after the hooter had sounded.
The Red Hands welcomed two-time All-Star Mattie Donnelly back into the fold for the short trip to Ballybofey – a venue that has been quite the graveyard for visiting sides in the last 15 years. In McGuinness’s two spells as manager, Donegal had never lost by the Finn in the League or Championship – until now.
Donegal had just two weeks to shake off a bruising and breathless Ulster final win over Armagh. That extra-time win came at something of a price for Donegal.
Goalkeeper Shaun Patton unable to start due to an ankle injury picked up in the final. Patton had been in a protective boot since and the St Eunan’s net-minder was ruled out with Gavin Mulreany deputising here.
While Eoghan Ban Gallagher made his return for a first Championship appearance of the year, Peadar Mogan and captain Patrick McBrearty were both absent from the Donegal XV.
At the outset of the second half, Thompson arrowed over for Donegal, but four wides in swift succession looked fatal for the home side.
That notion heightened when Tyrone scored four-in-row, three of them from McCurry, but Murphy and Langan each posted two-pointers within a minute of each other.
Down the stretch, in a game that may well have been defined by its wides at some stage – Donegal had 11 and Tyrone eight – Harte found the magic potion.
Scorers for Donegal: Michael Murphy (3 2pt f, 1f, 1 ’45) 0-8, Michael Langan 0-7, Ciaran Thompson (1f) 0-2, Patrick McBrearty 0-2, Ryan McHugh 0-1
Scorers for Tyrone: Darren McCurry (1 2pt f, 2 f) 0-7, Seanie O’Donnell 2-0, Darragh Canavan (2f), Peter Harte 0-2 each, Michael McKernan, Kieran McGeary, Mark Brennan, Ben McDonnell, Ciaran Daly, Cormac Quinn 0-1 each
Donegal: Gavin Mulreany; Finnbarr Roarty, Brendan McCole, Eoghan Bán Gallagher; Ryan McHugh, Caolan McGonagle, Ciarán Moore; Hugh McFadden, Michael Langan; Dáire Ó Baoill, Ciarán Thompson, Shane O’Donnell; Conor O’Donnell, Michael Murphy, Oisín Gallen.
Subs: Odhran McFadden-Ferry for McGonagle (31), Eoin McHugh for Ó Baoill (half-time), Patrick McBrearty for McFadden (42), Peadar Mogan for O’Donnell (50), Odhran Doherty for Gallagher (60).
Tyrone: Niall Morgan; Cormac Quinn, Padraig Hampsey, Niall Devlin; Michael McKernan, Rory Brennan, Kieran McGeary; Brian Kennedy, Conn Kilpatrick; Seanie O’Donnell, Mattie Donnelly, Ciarán Daly; Darren McCurry, Mark Bradley, Darragh Canavan
Subs: Ben McDonnell for Kennedy (half-time), Peter Harte for Donnelly (53), Eoin McElholm for Bradley (55), Frank Burns for Brennan (57).
Referee: Martin McNally (Monaghan)
