Jim McGuinness, the last manager to take down Dublin in the Championship, reckons it will take “something exceptional” to prevent the All-Ireland title-holders from completing the five in a row.

Paddy McBrearty kicked a late winner as Donegal scraped home in an intesnse Ulster derby to reach a third All-Ireland semi-final in four years.

All-Ireland winning Donegal captain Michael Murphy has admitted he couldn’t blame anyone who wrote off the Ulster outfit as one season wonders.